Ewha Womans University () is a private women's university in

Seoul Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 of ...

founded in 1886 by Mary F. Scranton under

Emperor Gojong Gojong (; 8 September 1852 – 21 January 1919) was the monarch of Korea from 1864 to 1907. He reigned as the last King of Joseon from 1864 to 1897, and as the first Emperor of Korea from 1897 until his forced abdication in 1907. He is known ...

. It was the first university founded in South Korea. Currently, Ewha is one of the world's largest female educational institutes and one of the most prestigious universities in South Korea. It is the only university in Korea that has an exchange program with

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...

History

Ewha Womans University traces its roots back to Mary F. Scranton's Ewha Haktang () mission school for girls, which opened with one student on May 31, 1886. The name Ewha, which means “Pear Blossom,” was bestowed by the

the following year. The image of the pear blossom is incorporated in the school's logo. The school began providing college courses in 1910, and professional courses for women in 1925. The high school section, now known as

Ewha Girls' High School Ewha Girls' High School ( ko, 이화여자고등학교) is a private girls high school located in Jeong-dong, Jung-gu, Seoul, South Korea. Although managed by the same foundation, it is not to be confused with the coeducational Ewha Womans Unive ...

(not to be confused with the coeducational Ewha Womans University High School, the university's demonstration school, founded in 1958), separated from the college section and is currently located in Jung-gu, Seoul. Both institutions share the same motto and the "pear blossoms" image in their logos. Immediately following liberation of Korea on August 15, 1945, the college received government permission to become a university. It was the first South Korean university to be officially organized.

Student population

According to figures provided by the university in April 2018, there are 21,596 enrolled students at the university. While figures on the student body's gender breakdown are not available, Korea JoongAng Daily reported in 2003 there were 10 male students enrolled at the time. In 2009,

Asian Correspondent Asian Correspondent was an English language news website launched in October 2009 by Hybrid (media company) that combined articles by professional journalists, bloggers and news wire content in one website. Asian Correspondent was the online part ...

reported that male students make up 30% of all foreign international students at the university.

Collaborations

The university collaborates with around 830 partners in 64 countries including Australian National University, Cornell University, Freie University of Berlin, Ghent University, Harvard University, Indiana University, King's College London, Mount Allison University, Nanyang Technological University, The Ohio State University, Peking University, University of Kuala Lumpur, University of California, Santa Cruz, University of British Columbia, University of Edinburgh, University of Hong Kong, University of South Carolina, Uppsala University,

Waseda University , mottoeng = Independence of scholarship , established = 21 October 1882 , type = Private , endowment = , president = Aiji Tanaka , city = Shinjuku , state = Tokyo , country = Japan , students = 47,959 , undergrad = 39,382 , postgrad ...

, and a direct exchange program with Mills College in Oakland, California.

Name

The university now explains its peculiar name by saying that while the lack of an apostrophe in "Womans University" is unconventional, the use of "Woman" rather than "Women" was normal in the past. It claims the use of "Womans" carries special meaning in that the early founders of the college thought that every woman is to be respected; to promote this idea, they chose the word "woman" to avoid lumping students together under the word "women". The claim has not been substantiated.

Museum

Ewha Womans University Museum opened in April 1935. It has a wide range of artifacts, ranging from paintings, ceramics, crafts, doubles and folk items, and its main collection is the Korean National Treasure No. 107 white porcelain, iron and grape jars. The museum consists of a permanent exhibition hall, a planning exhibition hall, a donation exhibition hall and a Damin Goksik art museum.

Academics

Colleges

;College of Liberal Arts *Division of Liberal Arts **Korean Language & Literature **Chinese Language & Literature **English Language & Literature **French Language & Literature **German Language & Literature **History **Philosophy **Christian Studies ;College of Social Sciences **Political Science & International Relations **Public Administration **Economics **Consumer Studies **Library & Information Science **Sociology **Social Welfare **Psychology *Division of Communication & Media **Communication & Media ;College of Natural Sciences *Division of Mathematical & Physical Sciences **Mathematics **Statistics **Physics *Division of Molecular Life & Chemical Sciences **Chemistry & Nano Science **Life Science ;ELTEC College of Engineering *Division of Software Science & Engineering **Computer Science & Engineering **Cyber Security *Division of Advanced Technology **Electronic & Electrical Engineering **Food Science & Engineering **Chemical Engineering & Materials Science *Division of Sustainable Systems Engineering **Architecture **Architectural & Urban Systems Engineering **Environmental Science & Engineering **Climate & Energy Systems Engineering *Division of Mechanical & Biomedical Engineering **Mechanical Engineering Track **Biomedical Engineering Track **Biodata Engineering Track ;College of Music **Keyboard Instruments **Orchestral Instruments **Voice **Composition **Korean Music **Dance ;College of Art & Design *Division of Fine Arts **Korean Painting **Fine Arts **Sculpture **Ceramic Arts *Division of Design **Space Design **Visual Communication Design **Industrial Design **Media Interaction Design *Division of Fiber & Fashion **Fiber Arts **Fashion Design ;College of Education *Education *Early Childhood Education *Elementary Education *Educational Technology *Special Education *English Education *Social Studies Education *Korean Education *Science Education *Mathematics Education ;College of Business Administration *Division of Business Administration **Business Administration ;College of Science & Industry Convergence **Content Convergence **Fashion Industry **International Office Administration **Kinesiology & Sports Studies **Nutritional Science & Food Management **Health Convergence ;College of Medicine *Division of Medicine **Pre-medicine **Medicine ;College of Nursing *Division of Nursing **Nursing **Global Health & Nursing ;College of Pharmacy **Pharmacy ;College of Scranton *Scranton Honors Program *Division of Convergence & Interdisciplinary Studies **Brain & Cognitive Sciences *Division of International Studies **International Studies **Global Korean Studies

Graduate schools

;The Graduate School *Multicultural & Intercultural Studies *Korean Language & Literature *Chinese Language & Literature *English Language & Literature *French Language & Literature *German Language & Literature *Christian Studies *Philosophy *History *Art History *Political Science & International Relations *Public Administration *Economics *Library & Information Science *Sociology *Social Welfare *Psychology *Consumer Studies *Communication *Women's Studies *Child Development *North Korean Studies *Education *Early Childhood Education *Elementary Education *Educational Technology *Special Education *English Education *Department of Social Studies Education *Korean Education *Communication Disorders *Law *Business Administration *International Office Administration *Music Therapy *Mathematics *Statistics *Physics *Chemistry & Nano Science *Life Sciences *Division of Life & Pharmaceutical Sciences *Pharmaceutical Sciences *Industrial Pharmaceutical Science *Science Education *Mathematics Education *Health Education & Management *Nursing Science *Nutritional Science & Food Management *Division of Eco Science *Medical Sciences *Bioinspired Science *Brain & Cognitive Sciences *Computer Science & Engineering *Electronics Engineering *Architecture *Architecture Engineering *Environmental Science & Engineering *Atmospheric Science & Engineering *Food Science & Technology *Digital Media *Music *Fine Arts *Design *Clothing & Textiles *Dance *Human Movement Studies *Medicine *Area Studies *Bioethics Policy Studies *East Asians Studies *Gifted Education *Multicultural/Intercultural Studies *Bio-Information Science *Big Data Analytics *Interdisciplinary Program in Behavioral Socioeconomics *Interdisciplinary Program of Ecocreative *Interdisciplinary Program of Social Economy ;Professional Graduate School *International Studies (GSIS) *Translation & Interpretation *Business (MBA) *Medicine *Law ;Special Graduate School *Education *Design *Social Welfare *Theology *Policy Sciences *Performing Arts *Clinical & Public Health Convergence *Clinical Dentistry *Teaching Foreign Languages

Rankings

Controversies and criticisms

Helen Kim

Helen Kim Helen Kim (also ''Kim Hwal-lan'', 1899 – 1970) was a South Korean politician, educator, social activist, and feminist. Her pen name was Wuwol(우월;又月). Kim is the founder of the daily Korean newspaper, ''The Korea Times''. Biograph ...

, the seventh principal and first Korean principal of Ewha, is considered to be pro-Japanese. She is known to have encouraged young men to enlist in the Japanese army. The statue of Helen Kim and the building named after her on campus have both been criticized. Many protests were organized to take down the statue.

Women's rights movements

While Ewha Womans University has been the center of women's rights movements, this feminist feature created controversies in Korea. One example of controversies was men's benefit from military service. Originally, getting extra points on employment and being paid for higher step in the salary class were available to males who had done their mandatory military service. In 1999, a couple of Ewha Womans University students and one male student, who was a disabled student at

Yonsei University Yonsei University (; ) is a private research university in Seoul, South Korea. As a member of the " SKY" universities, Yonsei University is deemed one of the three most prestigious institutions in the country. It is particularly respected in th ...

, claimed that this law was both sexist and discriminatory toward disabled people. This case eventually went to court, and the court ruled in the students' favor.

2016 South Korean political scandal

Ewha Womans University became embroiled in the

2016 South Korean political scandal Sixteen or 16 may refer to: *16 (number), the natural number following 15 and preceding 17 *one of the years 16 BC, AD 16, 1916, 2016 Films * ''Pathinaaru'' or ''Sixteen'', a 2010 Tamil film * ''Sixteen'' (1943 film), a 1943 Argentine film ...

, because a former student,

Chung Yoo-ra Chung Yoo-ra (born Chung Yoo-yeon, 30 October 1996) is a South Korean equestrian. She competed in the 2014 Asian Games, where her team won a gold medal. She is a daughter of Chung Yoon-hoi and his ex-wife Choi Soon-sil, who has been arrested am ...

, was admitted under a special rule change by virtue of her mother's close connections to South Korean President

Park Geun-hye Park Geun-hye (; ; often in English ; born 2 February 1952) is a South Korean politician who served as the 11th president of South Korea from 2013 to 2017, until she was impeached and convicted on related corruption charges. Park was the fi ...

despite not meeting requirements. Students had already been protesting against some of the university's unilateral changes to the degree system and departments before the political scandal blew up. As a result, the university's president, Choi Kyunghee, was ousted and convicted and Chung Yoo-ra's degree was rescinded.

Achievements

* Among the women lawmakers appointed to the 19th National Assembly (2012–2016), 27.6% are Ewha alumnae. * The only Korean university participating as a partner in the Harvard College in Asia Program (HCAP) and Ewha-Harvard Summer School Program. * Produced the sixth highest number of successful candidates in National Judicial Exam and the seventh highest number in Civil Service Exam in 2013 (ranked fifth in 2012). * First among all private Korean universities in the number of citations per research paper in the 2012 Chosun-QS Evaluation of Asian Universities.

Awards

* 321st in the 2013 Leiden Ranking, a qualitative assessment of faculty research in the world's top 500 universities. * 299th in the QS World University Rankings in 2018. * Ninth among all Korean universities in the Chosun-QS Evaluation of Asian Universities in 2016.

Distinguished Honorary Ewha Fellows

Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, diplomat, and former lawyer who served as the 67th United States Secretary of State for President Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, as a United States sen ...

— Former

United States Secretary of State The United States secretary of state is a member of the executive branch of the federal government of the United States and the head of the U.S. Department of State. The office holder is one of the highest ranking members of the president's Ca ...

. *

Drew Gilpin Faust Catharine Drew Gilpin Faust (born September 18, 1947) is an American historian and was the 28th president of Harvard University, the first woman to serve in that role. She was Harvard's first president since 1672 without an undergraduate or gradu ...

— President of Harvard University. *

Tarja Halonen Tarja Kaarina Halonen (; born 24 December 1943) is a Finnish politician who served as the 11th president of Finland, and the first woman to hold the position, from 2000 to 2012. She first rose to prominence as a lawyer with the Central Organisa ...

— The 11th President of Finland.

Distinguished Honorary Ewha Doctorates

* Ban Ki-moon — Former Secretary General of the United Nations. *

Angela Merkel Angela Dorothea Merkel (; ; born 17 July 1954) is a German former politician and scientist who served as Chancellor of Germany from 2005 to 2021. A member of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), she previously served as Leader of the Opp ...

— Former Chancellor of Germany. *

Kersti Kaljulaid Kersti Kaljulaid (; born 30 December 1969) is an Estonian politician who served as the fifth president of Estonia between 2016 and 2021. She was also the first and only female head of state of Estonia since the country declared independence in ...

— President of Estonia. *

Michelle Bachelet Verónica Michelle Bachelet Jeria (; born 29 September 1951) is a Chilean politician who served as United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights from 2018 to 2022. She previously served as President of Chile from 2006 to 2010 and 2014 to 201 ...

— Former

President of Chile The president of Chile ( es, Presidente de Chile), officially known as the President of the Republic of Chile ( es, Presidente de la República de Chile), is the head of state and head of government of the Republic of Chile. The president is r ...

. * Ertharin Cousin — Former Executive Director of the United Nations World Food Programme.

Distinguished Fellows of the Ewha Academy for Advanced Studies

Muhammad Yunus Muhammad Yunus (born 28 June 1940) is a Bangladeshi social entrepreneur, banker, economist and civil society leader who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for founding the Grameen Bank and pioneering the concepts of microcredit and microfinance ...

— President of Grameen Bank and the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize recipient. *

George Smoot George Fitzgerald Smoot III (born February 20, 1945) is an American astrophysicist, cosmologist, Nobel laureate, and the 2nd contestant to win the $1 million prize on '' Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader?''. He won the Nobel Prize in Physics i ...

— Recipient of

Nobel Prize The Nobel Prizes ( ; sv, Nobelpriset ; no, Nobelprisen ) are five separate prizes that, according to Alfred Nobel's will of 1895, are awarded to "those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind." Alfr ...

in Physics in 2006. * Robert H. Grubbs — American

chemist A chemist (from Greek ''chēm(ía)'' alchemy; replacing ''chymist'' from Medieval Latin ''alchemist'') is a scientist trained in the study of chemistry. Chemists study the composition of matter and its properties. Chemists carefully describe t ...

and a Nobel laureate. *

Jane Goodall Dame Jane Morris Goodall (; born Valerie Jane Morris-Goodall on 3 April 1934), formerly Baroness Jane van Lawick-Goodall, is an English primatologist and anthropologist. Seen as the world's foremost expert on chimpanzees, Goodall is best kn ...

—

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

anthropologist. *

Jocelyn Bell Burnell Dame Susan Jocelyn Bell Burnell (; Bell; born 15 July 1943) is an astrophysicist from Northern Ireland who, as a postgraduate student, discovered the first radio pulsars in 1967. The discovery eventually earned the Nobel Prize in Physics in ...

— Professor of Astrophysics at

Oxford University Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to th ...

Notable alumni

Politics and government

Choi Young-ae Choi Young-ae (Korean: 최영애; Hanja: 崔永愛; born 10 January 1951) is a South Korean human rights activist currently serving as the 8th chairperson of the National Human Rights Commission of South Korea from 2018. She is the first woman t ...

— current and first female chair of

National Human Rights Commission of Korea The National Human Rights Commission of Korea (abbreviated to NHRCK) () is the independent commission for protecting, advocating and promoting human rights. This commission, by law, is guaranteed the independent status regarding all human rights ...

. * Chun Hui-kyung — current member of the

National Assembly In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the rep ...

. *

Han Myeong-sook Han Myeong-sook (born March 24, 1944; ko, 한명숙 ) was the Prime Minister of South Korea from April 2006 to March 2007. She is South Korea's first female prime minister (second female prime minister overall if the acting premiership of Chan ...

— former and first female

Prime Minister of South Korea The prime minister of the Republic of Korea (PMOTROK or PMOSK; ) is the deputy head of government and the second highest political office of South Korea who is appointed by the President of the Republic of Korea, with the National Assembly's app ...

. * Jeon Yeo-ok —

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korean Peninsula and sharing a land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed by the Yellow Sea, while its eas ...

n politician. * Kim Yoon-ok — former First Lady, the wife of

n President Lee Myung-bak. * Lee Mi-kyung (politician) — current and first female president of

Korea International Cooperation Agency The Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA, Korean: 한국국제협력단, Hanja: 韓國國際協力團) was established in 1991 by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of South Korea as a governmental organization for Official Development ...

. *

Lee Tai-Young Lee Tai-young (; 10 August 1914 – 16 December 1998), also spelled Yi T'ai Yǒng, was Korea's first female lawyer ther sources refer to her as the first female lawyer in South Korea She was also the founder of the country's first legal ...

— first Korean female lawyer and first female judge. * Son Myung-soon — former First Lady, the wife of

n President

Kim Young-sam Kim Young-sam (; or ; 20 December 1927 – 22 November 2015) was a South Korean politician and activist who served as the seventh president of South Korea from 1993 to 1998. From 1961, he spent almost 30 years as one of the leaders of t ...

. * Yoo Eun-hae — current and first female

Deputy Prime Minister of South Korea The Deputy Prime Minister of South Korea is a senior member of the Cabinet of South Korea. List of deputy prime ministers See also *Prime Minister of South Korea *List of prime ministers of South Korea *Politics of South Korea Th ...

Business

* Lee Yoon-hyung —

Samsung Group The Samsung Group (or simply Samsung) ( ko, 삼성 ) is a South Korean multinational manufacturing conglomerate headquartered in Samsung Town, Seoul, South Korea. It comprises numerous affiliated businesses, most of them united under the ' ...

chief

Lee Kun-hee Lee Kun-hee (, ; 9 January 194225 October 2020) was a South Korean business magnate who served as the chairman of Samsung Group from 1987 to 2008 and from 2010 to 2020, and is credited with the transformation of Samsung to one of the world's la ...

's daughter.

Science

Insoo Kim Berg Insoo Kim Berg (25 July 1934 – 10 January 2007) was a Korean-born American psychotherapist who was a pioneer of solution focused brief therapy. Biography Berg was born and raised in Seoul, Korea. She was a pharmacy major at Ewha Womans Unive ...

— Korean-born American psychotherapist. *

Esther Park Esther Park, also spelt Estherpark, is a suburb of Kempton Park, in Gauteng province, South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of co ...

— first Korean female doctor. * So-Jung Park — award-winning Korean professor of chemistry

Sports

Hong Eun-ah Hong Eun-ah ( ko, 홍은아), (born 9 January 1980) is a former South Korean football referee. She has refereed several major women's football matches at domestic and international level. These include matches at the 2008 and 2012 Women's ...

— youngest Korean FIFA referee. *

Kim Hae-jin Kim Hae-jin (; born April 23, 1997) is a South Korean former figure skater. She is the 2012 JGP Slovenia champion and a three-time (2010, 2011, and 2012) South Korean national champion. She was selected to represent her country at the 2014 Wi ...

–

n figure skater. * Kwak Min-jeong —

n figure skater.

Entertainment

Claudia Kim Kim Soo-hyun (born January 25, 1985), also known as Claudia Kim, is a South Korean actress and model. She has appeared in the television series ''Queen of the Game'' (2006–2007) and ''Marco Polo'' (2014–2016), as well as the films '' Avengers ...

— actress * Goo Jae-yee – actress *

Kim Hye-ja Kim Hye-ja (; born October 25, 1941) is a South Korean actress and humanitarian. Best known to South Korean audiences as the archetypal mother figure in popular television series such as ''Country Diaries'', ''What Is Love?'', ''My Mother's Sea'' ...

— actress * Kim Seo-yeon — Miss Korea 2014 *

Kim Yeo-jin Kim Yeo-jin (born June 24, 1972) is a South Korean actress and activist. Kim made her acting debut in the stage play ''What Do Women Live For'' in 1995, and has since remained active in film and television, drawing praise for her supporting role ...

— actress *

Kwak Hyun-hwa Kwak Hyun-hwa (; born March 2, 1981) is a South Korean actress, comedian, model and singer. Early life Kwak Hyun-hwa was born on 2 March 1981 in Busan, South Korea. She graduated from Ewha Womans University with a bachelor's degree A bach ...

— actress * Lee Yu-bi — actress *

Park Hae-mi Park Hae-Mi (born January 28, 1964) is a South Korean actress. She is best known as a musical theatre actress, starring in stage productions of '' Mamma Mia!'', '' 42nd Street'', and ''Really Really Like You''. Park rose to mainstream populari ...

— musical actress * Seo Min-jung — actress *

Yang Jin-sung Yang Jin-sung (born June 27, 1988) is a South Korean actress. After making her acting debut in the 2010 film ''Wedding Dress A wedding dress or bridal gown is the dress worn by the bride during a wedding ceremony. The color, style and cer ...

— actress * Lilka – YouTuber and live streamer * Roh Yoon-seo — actress and model

Others

* Chung Hyun Kyung — theologian, professor at Union Theological Seminary of

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

* Sanghee Song — artist *

— first female Korean

Doctor of Philosophy A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is ...

, and also the first Korean female

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four year ...

. *

JaHyun Kim Haboush JaHyun Kim Haboush Korean: , ; 1940 in Seoul, Korea – 2011 in New York City) was a Korean-American scholar of Korean history and literature in the United States. Haboush was the King Sejong Professor of Korean Studies at Columbia Universit ...

– scholar of history, literature, gender studies, and King Sejong Professor of Korean Studies at Columbia University * Lee Ae-ran — first female North Korean defector to earn a doctorate, which she earned from Ewha Womans University in the subject of food and nutrition in 2009.

Affiliated facilities

*Ewha Womans University Museum *Ewha Womans University Natural History Museum *Ewha Womans University Medical Center *Ewha Institute For Leadership Development *Ewha Advanced IT Education Center *Ewha School Of Continuing Education *Ewha Language Center *Ewha Archives *Ewha Elementary School *Ewha Kindergarten *Ewha Kumnan High School *Ewha Kumnan Middle School *Youngran Information Industry High School *Youngran Girl's Middle School

Public transportation

* Ewha Womans University Station * Sinchon Station (Gyeongui Line)

References

External links

EWHA by ArchiDiAPOfficial website, in Korean and EnglishOfficial website for international programs, in Korean and English
*
Ewha Womans University Museum at Google Cultural Institute
{{Authority control Educational institutions established in 1886 Universities and colleges in Seoul Women's universities and colleges in South Korea Seodaemun District Merrell Hitotsuyanagi buildings Association of Christian Universities and Colleges in Asia 1886 establishments in Korea Institute for Basic Science Private universities and colleges in South Korea