Seoul National University opened on 15 October 1946 as a national university with nine colleges and a graduate school, and calls itself Korea’s first national university. On 28 December 2011 it changed its legal status from a government agency to a national university corporation. Its campuses include Gwanak, Yeongeon, Pyeongchang and Siheung.
As of April 2026 it had 30,638 enrolled students: 17,439 in bachelor’s programmes, 6,845 in master’s programmes and 6,354 in doctoral programmes. Full-time faculty numbered 2,367. Honglim Ryu has been President, the 28th, since February 2023. The Herald Business reported on 10 September 2026 that he was not among the four preliminary candidates in the election for the 29th president, whose term begins in February 2027; the board of trustees selects the final candidate, who is appointed by the President of South Korea.