Degrees still count here

Founders elsewhere keep declaring college obsolete in the AI era. South Korea's biggest tech companies are doing the opposite, helping write university curricula and fast-tracking graduates into chip jobs.

A job before you finish

Jung Chae-rin is a second-year student at Sogang University's Department of System Semiconductor Engineering, built with SK Hynix. The degree comes with a guarantee of employment at the company when she graduates.

Samsung's five-year track

At Sungkyunkwan University, Kim Tae-rin is in a five-year combined bachelor's and master's program in AI software created with Samsung Electronics. Better odds of a job, but no automatic offer.

What a contract department is

These sit inside Korea's university system as a formal category. Companies co-design the courses, fund them, and open a hiring channel for students who qualify. In return they get a pipeline of trained engineers.

The map of partnerships

SK Hynix works with Korea University and Hanyang University among others. Samsung ties up with Yonsei, KAIST and the Ulsan Institute of Science and Technology. Hyundai Motor and LG Uplus run their own versions.

Applications jumped 38%

Jongro Academy data shows applicants to contract departments linked to big companies rose more than 38% in a year. Samsung-linked courses were up 6.5% for 2026 admissions, SK Hynix-linked ones up 12.7%.

Nine to thirteen per seat

Across Samsung's contract courses, 13.44 applicants chased every spot. SK Hynix courses drew 9.14 per seat. Cutoffs for the 2026 cycle came in higher than the year before.

“I don't think I would have been able to get in with my grades if I were applying now.”

Tuition plus a stipend

Every admitted Sogang student gets an SK Hynix scholarship covering tuition, plus a study allowance of roughly 300,000 won a month. Strong grades and project awards unlock more on top.

The fine print

Keep a 2.3 GPA to hold the scholarship, 2.7 to keep the job offer. Drop out and you repay what you were given. SK Hynix says graduates owe the company service equal to the length of their funding.

Samsung's gate midway

SKKU covers tuition for three years, then students enter a separate Samsung hiring process. Kim calls it a minimum procedure, but only those who pass keep full funding. The school would not say what happens to those who fail.

Executives in the lecture hall

Jung's favorite first-year class brought SK Hynix staff and executives in weekly to teach their own specialties, and she pitched fixes for real industry problems straight to them. Both companies help shape what gets taught.

“I was able to propose solutions to real industry issues directly to the SK Hynix executives themselves”