Also known as the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, KAIST was founded in 1971 as the country’s first research-oriented science and technology institute, playing a key role in Korea’s industrialization and economic growth. Today, the national university has two campuses in Daejeon and two campuses in Seoul, with the vast majority of students taking classes on the main campus in Daejeon, located about two hours away from the capital by car. Nearly 1,000 international students from over 90 countries attended KAIST as of 2022, all receiving full scholarships.