Pyongyang University of Science and Technology (PUST) opened in October 2010 and is described as North Korea’s only international private university. It was founded and partly funded by people and groups outside North Korea, and instruction is in English.[1][2]
Wikipedia gives 638 students (543 undergraduate, 95 postgraduate) without a date; Daily NK reported about 700 students in May 2025. We found no tuition fees, no QS ranking and no admission procedure in the sources we read, so we state none.[1][3]
Key facts
| Official name | Pyongyang University of Science and Technology (PUST; 평양과학기술대학) |
| Location | Wikipedia: countryside outside Pyongyang, in a nearby separate administrative region. Daily NK: Rakrang district, Pyongyang[1] |
| Type | Private, internationally supported (Korea Times, Daily NK); Wikipedia: founded, operated and partly funded by people and groups outside North Korea[1] |
| Opened | Project began 2001; grand opening September 2009; official opening and first classes October 2010[1] |
| Funding | Wikipedia: largely Evangelical Christian movements, with contributions from China and the United States. Korea Times (2024): a South Korean non-governmental organisation and North Korea’s education ministry[2] |
| Governance | Affiliated with the Northeast Asia Foundation for Education and Culture (NAFEC); chairman Dr James Chin-Kyung Kim, president Dr Yu-Taik Chon (Wikipedia)[1] |
| Students | 638 (543 undergraduate, 95 postgraduate), undated (Wikipedia); about 700 (Daily NK, 30 May 2025)[3] |
| Faculty and staff | About 300 faculty and staff, about 30 of them foreign teaching staff (Daily NK, 2025)[3] |
| Campus | About 700,000 m² with about 60 classrooms (Daily NK)[3] |
| Language of teaching | English, except foreign-language courses[1] |
| Programmes | Bachelor of Science and doctoral degrees in Electrical and Computer Engineering; Agriculture and Life Sciences; International Finance and Management; Medical Sciences[1] |
| QS World University Rankings 2027 | Not confirmed (no source read) |
| Tuition fees | Not documented in any source we read |
Checked against the sources listed at the bottom of this page on 7 November 2026.
About Pyongyang University of Science and Technology
PUST was planned from 2001, was originally scheduled to open in 2003, and was delayed. Wikipedia gives September 2009 for the grand opening and October 2010 for the official opening and first classes.[1] Daily NK says it was established in 2009 and that formal student recruitment began in 2010.[3]
It is described as North Korea’s only international private university.[2] Wikipedia says it was founded, operated and partly funded by people and groups outside North Korea, largely Evangelical Christian movements, and lists contributions from China and the United States.[1] A 2024 Yonhap report in the Korea Times names a South Korean non-governmental organisation and North Korea’s education ministry as funders.[2] The sources therefore describe the funding differently.
Wikipedia lists the Northeast Asia Foundation for Education and Culture (NAFEC) as affiliation, with Dr James Chin-Kyung Kim as chairman and Dr Yu-Taik Chon as president.[1] It says entry and exit at the campus require permission, and that internet access for graduate students and professors is filtered and monitored.[1]
How is PUST ranked?
We could not confirm a position in the QS World University Rankings 2027 (published 18 June 2026). No source we read lists PUST, and Wikipedia mentions no ranking, so we show “Not confirmed”. How we compile rankings.[1]
What can you study at PUST?
Wikipedia lists Bachelor of Science and doctoral degrees in four fields: Electrical and Computer Engineering, Agriculture and Life Sciences, International Finance and Management, and Medical Sciences. Construction Engineering is described as planned, with a date that Wikipedia flags as needing an update.[1]
Daily NK reported in May 2025 that new subjects, including basic medicine, smart agriculture and applied statistics, were to be taught in combined online and offline formats from the second half of 2025.[3] This is a report based on unnamed sources, not a university announcement.
How much does PUST cost?
Wikipedia does not mention tuition, and no source we read states fees for any group of students. We therefore give no figure.[1]
How do you apply to PUST?
Wikipedia describes a planned intake of up to 200 higher-level students a year, from both parts of Korea.[1] We found no admission procedure, no page for international applicants and no official PUST website that we could read (the site did not respond when we tried). We therefore cannot say whether, or how, applications are possible today. We give no deadlines, and no travel or safety advice; consult your own government’s official guidance.
Which language do you need?
Teaching is in English, except for foreign-language courses.[1] Korea Times also says all instruction is in English.[2] No source we read names an English test or minimum level.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is PUST a private university?
In which language is PUST taught?
In English, except for foreign-language courses.[1]
How many students does PUST have?
How much are PUST tuition fees?
We found no published fees in the sources we read, so we state none.[1]
Did foreign professors return to PUST?
Yonhap reported in September 2024 that some foreign professors re-entered North Korea in late August 2024 after a four-year absence.[2] The current number is not confirmed.
More about studying in North Korea
- North Korea: best universities
- Cost of Studying Abroad
- International Student Scholarships
- University Ranking Methodology
More university profiles in North Korea
Sources
[1] Wikipedia: Pyongyang University of Science and Technology (independent encyclopedia) (page without a date; some figures are undated)
[2] Korea Times (Yonhap): Some foreign professors at N. Korea’s only int’l private university return to Pyongyang (article of 2 Sep 2024)
[3] Daily NK: China to send professors to North Korean university under new agreement (based on unnamed sources) (article of 30 May 2025)
Figures may change; check official sources before you decide. How we compile our data · Found an error? Tell us.