Dongguk University

Dongguk University (Korean: 동국대학교) is a private Buddhist-affiliated research university in Jung District, Seoul, South Korea, founded in 1906 and one of the few Buddhist-affiliated universities in the world.东国大学（Dongguk University，韩语：동국대학교）是位于韩国首尔中区的一所私立佛教背景研究型大学，创办于 1906 年，是世界上少数佛教背景的大学之一。

It belongs to the International Association of Buddhist Universities and operates four campuses in Seoul, Goyang (the WISE campus), Gyeongju and Los Angeles, its Seoul campus enrolling 18,022 students in 2025, of whom 13,599 were undergraduates and 4,423 postgraduates.该校是国际佛教大学协会成员，在首尔、高阳（WISE 校区）、庆州与洛杉矶设有四个校区；2025 年首尔校区注册学生 18,022 人，其中本科生 13,599 人、研究生 4,423 人。

Dongguk is placed 520th in the QS World University Rankings 2027, 912th in the U.S. News Best Global Universities 2026-2027 and in the 901-1000 band of the Shanghai Academic Ranking of World Universities 2026.该校在 2027 年 QS 世界大学排名中位列第 520 位，《美国新闻与世界报道》2026-2027 最佳全球大学排名第 912 位，2026 年软科世界大学学术排名处于 901-1000 区间。

History

• Myeongjin School, the earliest predecessor of Dongguk University, was established on 8 May 1906 inside Wonheungsa Temple by pioneering Buddhist leaders of the Association of Buddhism Research under the spirit of education for national salvation.东国大学最早的渊源明进学校（Myeongjin School）于 1906 年 5 月 8 日由佛教研究会的佛教先觉者在元兴寺内创办，秉持「教育救国」的精神，是韩国现代佛教教育的起点。
• It was reorganised repeatedly in the colonial period, becoming the Buddhist Normal School in 1910, the Buddhist Higher Education Institution in 1914 and the Central Education Institution in 1915.该校在日据时期历经改组，1910 年改称佛教师范学校，1914 年改为佛教高等讲塾，1915 年再改为中央学林。
• From 1922 to 1928 the Japanese colonial government closed the institution because of its connection to the March 1st Movement of 1919, led in part by Han Yong-un, one of its first graduates.因与 1919 年三一独立运动有关联——该运动部分由其首届毕业生韩龙云（Han Yong-un）领导——日本殖民政府于 1922 至 1928 年间查封了这所学校。
• In 1928 the Buddhist Specialised School was authorised after temples across colonial Korea donated 601,425 yen and established the Central Administrative Headquarters of the Joseon Buddhism Foundation in 1924.1928 年，在朝鲜各地寺院捐出 601,425 日元并于 1924 年设立朝鲜佛教中央教务院之后，佛教专修学校获批成立。
• In 1930 it became the Central Buddhist College, gaining official authorisation as a higher professional institution and rising among Korea's three leading higher-education institutions alongside Yeonhui and Boseong.1930 年该校升格为中央佛教专门学校，获官方认可为高等专业教育机构，与延禧专门学校、普成专门学校并称韩国三大高等教育机构。
• Its early guiding principles of Sincerity, Compassion, Self-discipline and Service to Society later became the founding ideals of Dongguk University.其早期制定的「信实、慈爱、摄心、度世」四大纲领，后来成为东国大学的建校理念。
• On 19 June 1940 the Central Buddhist College was reorganised and renamed Hyehwa Professional School, and on 30 May 1944 it was forcibly closed under Japan's wartime mobilisation system.1940 年 6 月 19 日，中央佛教专门学校改组并更名为惠化专门学校；1944 年 5 月 30 日，该校在日本战时动员体制下被强制关闭。
• It reopened on 27 October 1945 after liberation and was elevated to four-year Dongguk University on 20 September 1946, beginning the Pil-dong era on a new campus at the foot of Namsan.1945 年 10 月 27 日该校在光复后复校，1946 年 9 月 20 日升格为四年制东国大学，并在南山脚下新校区开启「笔洞时代」。
• In 1953, while the university was in refuge in Busan during the Korean War, it was approved as a comprehensive university with colleges of Buddhism, Liberal Arts, Law and Public Administration, and Agriculture and Forestry, together with a graduate school.1953 年朝鲜战争期间，该校避难于釜山时获批升格为综合性大学，设佛教、文理、法政、农林等学院并开办研究生院。
• On 19 April 1960 Dongguk students led the democratisation movement and student No Hee-duo was shot dead by police, while in 1965 student Kim Joong-bae died after being struck by a police baton during protests against the Korea-Japan treaty.1960 年 4 月 19 日东国大学学生引领民主化运动，学生卢熙斗（No Hee-duo）被警察枪杀；1965 年学生金重培（Kim Joong-bae）在反对韩日条约的抗议中被警棍击中身亡。
• The Police Administration programme was founded in 1962 as the Police College and has since supplied numerous officers to police leadership posts across South Korea.公共行政（警察行政）专业于 1962 年以警察学院之名设立，此后为韩国各地警界输送了大批警务领导人才。
• Student media followed quickly: the daily Dongdae Shinmun was founded in 1950, the Dongguk University Broadcasting System in 1959 and the English-language student paper The Dongguk Post in 1965.学生媒体随之兴起：学生日报《东大新闻》（Dongdae Shinmun）创办于 1950 年，东国大学广播系统（DUBS）于 1959 年成立，英文学生报 The Dongguk Post 于 1965 年创刊。
• The Gyeongju Campus was approved on 7 October 1978 and opened in 1979, establishing the first College of Korean Medicine in the Yeongnam region, while the College of Medicine was approved on 30 October 1985.庆州校区于 1978 年 10 月 7 日获批、1979 年启用，并在岭南地区设立首个韩医学院；医学院于 1985 年 10 月 30 日获批。
• In 1982 the university carried out an academic overhaul that divided its College of Liberal Arts and Sciences into the College of Arts and the College of Natural Science.1982 年该校进行学科改革，将原文理学院拆分为艺术学院与自然科学学院。
• In 1994 Dongguk pioneered North Korean Studies in Korea to foster inter-Korean dialogue and train experts on inter-Korean relations and reunification.1994 年东国大学在韩国率先开设北韩学专业，以推动南北对话、培养朝鲜半岛关系与统一问题专家。
• In 1997 the university concluded an agreement with Royal University of America in Los Angeles, which merged into Dongguk on 5 March 2009 and became Dongguk University Los Angeles.1997 年该校与位于洛杉矶的 Royal University of America 签订协议，后者于 2009 年 3 月 5 日并入东国大学，成为东国大学洛杉矶校区。
• Dongguk University Ilsan Hospital opened in 2005, integrating Western and Korean medicine as the culmination of a plan begun in 1995.东国大学一山医院于 2005 年启用，融汇西医与韩医，是 1995 年启动的规划最终落成的成果。
• The university marked its centenary in 2006 with commemorative projects and a long-term vision, and opened the Biomedi Campus (BMC) in Goyang in 2011.2006 年该校迎来建校一百周年，开展纪念项目并提出下一个百年的发展愿景；2011 年在高阳启用生物医学校区（BMC）。
• In 2012 Dongguk Business School earned AACSB accreditation and the College of Business Administration gained what was then its tenth international accreditation, a rarity in Korea at the time.2012 年东国商学院获得 AACSB 认证，其商学院取得当时第十项国际认证，这在当时的韩国颇为少见。
• In 2017, on its 111th anniversary, the university proclaimed a new motto of Wisdom, Compassion and Endeavor, replacing the earlier four-phrase motto of steadying one's clean mind, behaving truly and reliably, loving people with benevolence and saving mankind from agony.2017 年，在 111 周年校庆之际，该校启用新校训「智慧、慈悲、精进」，取代此前「摄心、信实、慈爱、度世」的四句旧校训。
• In September 2025 the university was selected for the Seoul Metropolitan Government's 2026 Campus Town Project and later broke ground for the Lotus Hall, under its 20th president Yun Jae-woong.2025 年 9 月，该校入选首尔市政府推动的 2026 校园城（Campus Town）项目，随后在第 20 任校长尹在雄（Yun Jae-woong）主持下为「莲花馆」奠基。
• Among the institutions the university absorbed were Eunseok Elementary School in 1965, Heunguk Middle and High School in 1966, and Keumsan Middle and Commercial High School and Myeongseong Girls' Middle and High School in 1967.该校先后接收多所学校：1965 年接收恩石小学（Eunseok Elementary School），1966 年接收兴国中学与高中（Heunguk Middle and High School），1967 年接收金山商业中学与明成女子中学等。
• In 2008 Dongguk sued Yale University for 50 million dollars over the Shingate fake-degree scandal, and on 2 December 2014 the Seoul Central District Court ordered the university to pay 297,000 dollars in litigation costs after the claim failed.2008 年该校因「申正娥假学历丑闻」（Shingate）向耶鲁大学索赔 5,000 万美元；诉讼败诉后，首尔中央地方法院于 2014 年 12 月 2 日判令东国大学支付 29.7 万美元诉讼费用。

Academics

• The Seoul Campus is organised into 14 colleges, 73 departments and majors and 13 graduate schools, while the WISE Campus in Goyang hosts six colleges of medicine, Korean medicine and life sciences for about 7,000 students.首尔校区设有 14 个学院、73 个系与专业及 13 个研究生院；高阳 WISE 校区则设医学院、韩医学院及生命科学等 6 个学院，约有 7,000 名学生就读。
• As of the 2025 official tally the Seoul campus enrolled 18,022 students — 13,599 undergraduates and 4,423 postgraduates — taught by 686 full-time faculty, of whom 106 were international.按 2025 年官方统计，首尔校区注册学生 18,022 人——本科 13,599 人、研究生 4,423 人——由 686 名专任教师授课，其中外籍教师 106 人。
• International students totalled 2,508 from 60 countries on the Seoul campus, and the university attracts around 1,800 exchange and degree-seeking international students each year.首尔校区国际学生共 2,508 人，来自 60 个国家；该校每年还吸引约 1,800 名交换生与攻读学位的国际学生。
• The Division of Theatre and Film and Media, established in 1960, was the first of its kind in South Korea and is widely regarded as one of the country's leading film schools.戏剧影视与媒体学部设立于 1960 年，是韩国首个同类学科，被公认为韩国顶尖电影学院之一。
• The university is home to the Chungmuro Visual Arts Center, a major facility for film and visual-media production and research regarded as a historical birthplace of Korean cinema.该校拥有忠武路影像中心（Chungmuro Visual Arts Center），是电影与视觉媒体制作和研究的重要设施，被视为韩国电影的历史发源地。
• The College of Korean Medicine, opened at Gyeongju in 1979, was the first such college in the Yeongnam region, and the university operates two affiliated hospitals and four traditional Korean medicine hospitals.1979 年在庆州开设的韩医学院是岭南地区首个同类学院；该校还运营两所附属医院与四所韩医医院。
• Dongguk Business School holds AACSB accreditation obtained in 2012 and offers a dual-degree MBA with the University of Texas at Dallas, while its engineering programmes are accredited by ABEEK.东国商学院持有 2012 年取得的 AACSB 认证，并与德克萨斯大学达拉斯分校（University of Texas at Dallas）合办双学位 MBA；其工程专业获韩国工程教育认证院（ABEEK）认证。
• The Central Library holds approximately 1.6 million volumes and ranks among the top twenty university libraries in Korea, with a Buddhist Studies Room, a Rare Books Room and roughly 2,000 study seats.中央图书馆藏书约 160 万册，位列韩国高校图书馆前二十；馆内设佛学室、珍本室，提供约 2,000 个阅览座位。
• The university museum, founded in 1963, is a comprehensive Buddhist museum holding more than 3,100 artefacts, including two national treasures and nine treasures.该校博物馆建于 1963 年，是综合性佛教博物馆，收藏 3,100 余件文物，其中包括 2 件国宝与 9 件宝物。
• The Police Administration department, founded in 1962, supplies officers to South Korean police, intelligence and judicial organisations including the Korean National Police Agency.1962 年设立的警察行政系为韩国警政、情报与司法机构输送人才，其中包括韩国国家警察厅。
• Research strengths include national defence, artificial intelligence and semiconductors through programmes linked to the Chungmuro Research Center on the Seoul campus.依托首尔校区的忠武路研究中心，该校的科研优势涵盖国防、人工智能与半导体等领域。
• The North Korean Studies major, installed in 1994 as the first in Korea, trains specialists on inter-Korean relations and reunification.1994 年开设的北韩学专业为韩国首创，培养朝鲜半岛南北关系与统一问题专家。
• The university holds international agreements with nearly 160 universities in 40 nations, among them Duke University, Yale University, the University of Manchester, the University of Oslo and Victoria University of Wellington.该校与 40 个国家的近 160 所大学签订国际协议，其中包括杜克大学、耶鲁大学、曼彻斯特大学、奥斯陆大学与惠灵顿维多利亚大学。
• Hybrid programmes combining language education and area studies run with Swinburne University of Technology, the University of Manitoba, the University of Santo Tomas, Hindustan University and East China Normal University.结合语言教育与区域研究的混合项目与斯威本科技大学、曼尼托巴大学、圣托马斯大学、印度斯坦大学及华东师范大学合作开设。
• Dongguk offers a dual-degree programme with Stony Brook University and has been accredited under Korea's International Education Quality Assurance System, known as IEQAS.该校与石溪大学（Stony Brook University）合办双学位项目，并通过韩国「国际教育质量保障体系」（IEQAS）认证。
• Its founding spirit sets three educational goals: to build character on the Buddhist virtues, to fill the nation, mankind and nature with wisdom and benevolence, and to realise a society of mutual trust and respect.其建校精神确立三大教育目标：以佛教美德涵养人格，使国家、人类与自然充满智慧与仁爱，并实现人人相互信任与尊重的理想社会。
• Public administration has deep roots at Dongguk: the Graduate School of Public Administration was founded in 1967, a year before the College of Education opened in 1968 with four courses, adding a physical education major a year later.公共管理在该校根基深厚：公共行政研究生院创办于 1967 年；次年 1968 年教育学院成立并设四个专业，一年后又增设体育专业。

Campus

• The main Seoul campus sits in Jung District just north of Namsan in the heart of the city, within a 15-minute walk of Namsan, Dongdaemun and Myeong-dong.首尔主校区位于中区，紧邻南山北麓、地处市中心，步行约 15 分钟即可到达南山、东大门与明洞。
• It is directly served by Dongguk University Station at the intersection of Seoul Subway Lines 3 and 4, with Chungmuro Station near the rear entrance and city buses 144, 301, 420, 407 and 7212.校区紧邻地铁 3 号线与 4 号线交汇的东国大学站，后门附近为忠武路站，并有 144、301、420、407、7212 路市内公交经过。
• Because the campus climbs towards Namsan, its upper buildings connect directly into the trails of Namsan Park, making it one of the most centrally located university campuses in Seoul.由于校园依南山而建，其上部建筑直接连通南山公园的步道，是首尔市中心地段最为核心的大学校园之一。
• Landmark buildings include Myeongjin Hall, begun in March 1956 and completed that December as the oldest surviving building, alongside the Central Library and the Noble Eightfold Path plaza.标志性建筑包括现存最古老的明进馆（Myeongjin Hall，1956 年 3 月动工、同年 12 月落成）、中央图书馆以及象征办学理念的「八正道」广场。
• The WISE Campus in Goyang, adjacent to Dongguk University Ilsan Hospital, concentrates on medicine, medical technology and traditional Korean medicine.位于高阳的 WISE 校区紧邻东国大学一山医院，重点发展医学、医疗技术与韩医药。
• The Gyeongju Campus opened in 1979 in North Gyeongsang Province and focusses on industrial design and public police administration, restructured to encourage interdisciplinary study.庆州校区于 1979 年在庆尚北道启用，侧重工业设计与公共警察行政，并已重组学院以推动跨学科教学。
• Dongguk University Los Angeles, established in 1966 and formed from Royal University of America in 2009, concentrates on traditional Korean medicine.东国大学洛杉矶校区建于 1966 年，2009 年由 Royal University of America 并入而成，主要发展韩医学。
• More than 250 million won of campus investment in recent years includes the Chungmuro Visual Arts Center, the new Lotus Hall whose groundbreaking took place in 2025 and the eight-fold plaza opened for campus life.近年校园投入形成忠武路影像中心、2025 年奠基的莲花馆（Lotus Hall）以及服务校园生活的八正道广场等设施。
• The Gyeongju campus is set in Gyeongju, the ancient capital of the Silla kingdom, and combines the College of Korean Medicine with a public police administration programme.庆州校区坐落于新罗古都庆州，将韩医学院与公共警察行政专业结合起来。

Reputation

• In the QS World University Rankings 2027 Dongguk University is placed 520th in the world.在 2027 年 QS 世界大学排名中，东国大学位列世界第 520 位。
• Dongguk does not appear in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2027.东国大学未进入 2027 年泰晤士高等教育世界大学排名。
• The U.S. News Best Global Universities 2026-2027 ranks it 912th in the world.《美国新闻与世界报道》2026-2027 最佳全球大学排名将其列为世界第 912 位。
• In the Shanghai Academic Ranking of World Universities 2026 it is placed in the 901-1000 band.在 2026 年软科世界大学学术排名中，该校位列 901-1000 区间。
• Dongguk was ranked 8th in JoongAng Ilbo's Korean university rankings in 2026, its fifth consecutive year in the national top ten and a record high for the university.东国大学在 2026 年《中央日报》韩国大学评价中排名第 8，连续第五年跻身全国前十，创下该校历史最好名次。
• It was ranked 77th among Asian universities in the 2015 QS World University Rankings and 82nd in 2018, and 656th in the world and 211th in Asia in the 2017 CWTS Leiden Ranking.该校 2015 年 QS 世界大学排名亚洲第 77 位、2018 年亚洲第 82 位，2017 年莱顿大学 CWTS 排名世界第 656 位、亚洲第 211 位。
• OpenAlex credits Dongguk University with 27,437 works and 1,461,042 citations.OpenAlex 收录东国大学 27,437 篇成果与 1,461,042 次引用。
• In 2026 the university earned an S grade for the third consecutive year in the government's University Innovation Support Project evaluation, the top rating awarded.2026 年，该校连续第三年在政府「大学创新支持事业」评价中获得最高的 S 级评定。
• The Police Administration and North Korean Studies programmes give Dongguk a distinctive reputation in public service and security studies, while its film school has produced many leading Korean actors and directors.警察行政与北韩学专业使东国大学在公共事务与安全研究领域形成独特声誉，其电影学院则培养了众多韩国知名演员与导演。
• In the 2023 QS World University Rankings Dongguk was placed 481st in the world and 74th in Asia, and it has risen steadily since.在 2023 年 QS 世界大学排名中，东国大学位列世界第 481 位、亚洲第 74 位，此后名次稳步上升。

Student life

• The university motto, proclaimed in 2017, is Wisdom, Compassion and Endeavor (지혜, 자비, 정진), replacing an earlier four-phrase motto.该校校训于 2017 年启用，为「智慧、慈悲、精进」（韩语 지혜、자비、정진），取代了此前的四句旧校训。
• Its symbol animal is the elephant, linked to Queen Māyā's prophetic dream of a white elephant before the birth of the Buddha, and its symbol flower is the lotus, the emblem of Buddhist truth.其象征动物是大象，源于摩耶夫人（Queen Māyā）在佛陀降生前梦见白象的典故；象征花卉是莲花，寓意佛教真理。
• The anniversary of the university's founding is observed each 8 May, the date Myeongjin School opened in 1906.该校以每年 5 月 8 日为校庆日，即 1906 年明进学校开办之日。
• Student media include the daily Dongdae Shinmun, founded in 1950, the English-language The Dongguk Post of 1965 and the Dongguk University Broadcasting System of 1959.学生媒体包括 1950 年创刊的日报《东大新闻》、1965 年创办的英文报 The Dongguk Post，以及 1959 年成立的东国大学广播系统。
• Founded in 1960, the theatre and film division became a centre of Korean popular culture, and its alumni populate the film, television and K-pop industries.成立于 1960 年的戏剧影视学部成为韩国流行文化的重镇，其校友遍布电影、电视与 K-pop 产业。
• Faith life centres on the Buddhist temple Jeonggakwon, which in 2014 hosted King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima of the Netherlands during their state visit to South Korea.校园信仰生活以佛教寺院「正觉院」（Jeonggakwon）为中心；2014 年荷兰国王威廉-亚历山大与王后马克西玛对韩国进行国事访问时曾到访此地。
• The university runs a Korean Language Institute for exchange students and provides residence halls, scholarships and a campus-town start-up programme.该校设有面向交换生的韩国语学堂，并提供宿舍、奖学金与校园城创业项目。
• From 2026 the university takes part in Seoul's Campus Town Project, fostering youth start-up companies within the campus community for four years.自 2026 年起，该校参与首尔「校园城」项目，在四年内于校园社区内培育青年创业企业。
• The film and theatre division's graduation showcases and its alumni network in Chungmuro, Korea's film district, give the campus a strong creative identity.影视戏剧学部的毕业展演，以及其在韩国电影街区忠武路的校友网络，赋予校园浓厚的创意气质。

Notable people

• Han Yong-un (Manhae), a monk and poet among the first graduates of Myeongjin School, helped lead the March 1st Movement of 1919.韩龙云（Han Yong-un，法号万海）是明进学校首届毕业生中的僧侣与诗人，曾参与领导 1919 年三一独立运动。
• Yun Jae-woong, the 20th president of Dongguk University, has promoted Hwajaeng-type convergent talent since taking office.尹在雄（Yun Jae-woong）是东国大学第 20 任校长，任内推动培养「和诤型」融合人才。
• Suh Hoon, who studied North Korean Studies at Dongguk, was appointed the 22nd director of South Korea's National Intelligence Service in 2017.曾在该校攻读北韩学专业的徐薰（Suh Hoon），于 2017 年被任命为韩国国家情报院第 22 任院长。
• Choi Min-sik, who studied theatre at Dongguk, is one of Korea's most acclaimed film actors, known for Oldboy and Shiri.在东国大学学习戏剧的崔岷植（Choi Min-sik）是韩国最受赞誉的电影演员之一，代表作包括《老男孩》与《生死谍变》。
• Jeon Ji-hyun, who earned a bachelor's degree in theatre and film in 2004 and a master's in digital media in 2011, is a leading film and television actress.全智贤（Jeon Ji-hyun）2004 年获戏剧电影学士学位、2011 年获数字媒体硕士学位，是韩国一线影视女演员。
• Actors Han Suk-kyu, Kim Hye-soo and Han Hyo-joo are among the performers who studied in the university's theatre and film division.演员韩石圭（Han Suk-kyu）、金惠秀（Kim Hye-soo）与韩孝周（Han Hyo-joo）都曾就读于该校戏剧影视学部。
• Lee Seung-gi, an actor and singer, and Young K, bassist of the band Day6, are also alumni of the university.演员兼歌手李昇基（Lee Seung-gi）与乐队 Day6 的贝斯手 Young K 也是该校校友。
• Hwang Sok-yong, the novelist known for The Old Garden and Princess Bari, is an alumnus of Dongguk University.以《旧庭院》《巴里公主》等作品闻名的作家黄皙暎（Hwang Sok-yong）是东国大学校友。
• Park Young-seok, a mountaineer who completed the Explorers Grand Slam, graduated from Dongguk University.完成「探险家大满贯」的登山家朴英硕（Park Young-seok）毕业于东国大学。
• Park Ahn-soo, a four-star general of the Republic of Korea Army and a former Chief of Staff, is a Dongguk alumnus.韩国陆军四星上将、前陆军参谋总长朴安洙（Park Ahn-soo）是东国大学校友。