As prospective college students in North Korea wait to hear back from their preferred universities, Daily NK asked ten students currently attending university in Pyongyang to rank universities located in the capital.
The survey found that college students’ top five higher education picks in Pyongyang are Kim Il Sung University, Kim Chaek University of Technology, Pyongyang Medical University, Pyongyang University of Foreign Studies, and Kim Won Gyun Pyongyang University of Music and Dance.
It is no surprise that the list is topped by Kim Il Sung University (KISU), which has long been regarded as the country’s most prestigious school. According to students who took part in the survey, KISU generally admits “students with an impeccable background and connections with well-placed government officials.”
University students said that KISU’s department of economics and political science is the most coveted placement in the country. Since graduates are likely to get plum positions in government bodies and the ruling party’s Central Committee, the department is thought to be reserved for the highest echelon of the elite.
Kim Chaek University of Technology (KCUT), the second university on the list, is notable as a school that produces essential tech workers needed by the defense industry.
“The defense industry is currently the top priority for the state. A substantial number of designers and electronics experts required by the state are graduates of KCUT,” remarked one college student who took part in the survey.
Medical school, foreign studies, and arts placement
Next on the list is Pyongyang Medical University (PMU), which comes in third because graduates can expect a comfortable lifestyle that helps compensate for the high stress of their medical studies.
“Students are expected to cover pricey practicum costs out of pocket, which is a major burden. But PMU graduates are likely to remain in Pyongyang. The nicest thing is that anyone with a medical license and PMU diploma is guaranteed a decent living even if they’re assigned to the provinces,” one college student said.
Pyongyang University of Foreign Studies (PUFS) claimed fourth place on the list because graduates are likely to be assigned to North Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which offers numerous opportunities for overseas work. But more recently, PUFS graduates without a sterling family background reportedly have poor chances of placement at the foreign ministry.
“Those with a middling family background have virtually no chance of being hired by the foreign ministry. But an increasing number of students nowadays think that getting an overseas assignment as a trade representative for a state-run trading company is better than working for the ministry anyway,” one college student said.
What about the Pyongyang Kim Won Gyun University of Music and Dance (PUMD), the fifth university on the list? That school is preferred by many students—females in particular—because Pyongyang residency is guaranteed for any graduates who are assigned to an art troupe under the Central Committee.
“Since most of the students at PUMD have influential parents, outstanding talent isn’t required to get into a well-known art troupe,” a college student said.
The students who responded to the survey agreed that one’s university has a tremendous impact on one’s life and career.
“KISU graduates don’t necessarily get good jobs in Pyongyang. But even if you end up in the provinces, being a KISU alum gives you an edge in personnel decisions,” one student said.
“Your university is the launchpad for your career,” another student remarked.
Notably, one student said that “university is where you learn your survival strategy.”
“University isn’t a place where you study—it’s where you learn which connections you need to make and which powerful people you need to associate yourself with in order to survive. It’s also where you realize that your network is more important than your skillset,” the same student added.
Prestigious as they may be, these top five universities do not always have the most well-appointed lecture rooms or dormitories. The KCUT dorms often have water outages, for example, and the PUFS student facilities are generally run-down. The food provided at the PUMD dorms is so abysmal that many students opt to live in boarding houses instead.
January 30, 2026 at 01:40PM
by DailyNK(North Korean Media)