University departments related to shipbuilding that students shunned during the shipbuilding slump have begun drawing attention from young people again. The changed stature of Korea's shipbuilding industry is showing up on campus, too. There are also expectations that the foundation of Korea's shipbuilding technology competitiveness will be strengthened.
According to the education sector and the shipbuilding industry on the 26th, admission competition ratios for shipbuilding-related departments at domestic universities have been steadily rising in recent years.
According to Jongro Academy, the general admission (early decision) competition ratio for the Department of Naval Architecture and Ocean Engineering at Seoul National University rose from 3.23 to 1 in 2018 to 9.68 to 1 for the 2026 academic year, roughly tripling. The upward trend is more pronounced compared with the slight increase in the overall humanities and natural sciences ratio, which went from 7.20 to 1 to 7.96 to 1 over the same period.
The situation is similar at eight regional flagship national universities and maritime universities with shipbuilding and ocean-related departments (Kangwon National University, Gyeongsang National University, Pusan National University, Chonnam National University, Chungnam National University, Jeju National University, Mokpo National Maritime University, Korea Maritime and Ocean University). The average early decision competition ratio for related departments nearly doubled from 4.49 to 1 in 2022 to 8.08 to 1 in 2026. Regular decision ratios also rose from 3.99 to 1 to 6.61 to 1.
The change feels even bigger in graduate schools, the cradle of research and development talent. According to Seoul National University, the early decision competition ratio for the master's program in naval architecture and ocean engineering for the 2026 academic year is 1.71 to 1. That contrasts with 2019, when the shipbuilding industry was in a slump and the ratio fell short at 0.25 to 1.
In the doctoral program as well, both early and regular intakes in 2019 drew applicants below the quota at 0.2 to 1 and 0.67 to 1, but the early intake this year and the regular intake last year posted competition ratios of 1.4 to 1 and 2.33 to 1, respectively.
With high application rates, departments have recently been repeatedly taking unused slots from other departments to admit new graduate students.
Seo In-deok, 33, who graduated from Seoul National University's Department of Naval Architecture and Ocean Engineering and is pursuing a doctorate in the same department, said, "When I entered graduate school for the 2014 academic year, the number of applicants fell short of the quota, but these days it has become a place that's hard to get into even if you want to," adding, "More students are seeking jobs at shipbuilding companies rather than in academia."
Industry officials expect this momentum to lead to stronger technological competitiveness in Korea's shipbuilding industry. The idea is that favorable market conditions will cultivate top talent, and those people will cycle back into the shipbuilding sector. The shipbuilding industry urgently needs to develop new technologies such as liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers and autonomous navigation.
Competition to get hired at major shipbuilders, as well as to get into universities, is intensifying. At Hanwha Ocean, the number of applicants for college-graduate open recruitment, which was in the 5,000–6,000 range in 2023, hovered around 7,000 in 2024 and jumped to 17,000 in 2025. The number of applicants for entry-level positions at HD Hyundai also rose about 66% compared with the second half of 2022.
With the economy strong, the three major companies are expanding hiring. Samsung Heavy Industries doubled its recruitment of research positions and Grade-3 entry-level employees last year compared with previous years. Hanwha Ocean is also increasing hiring every year and expanding in size. As of the end of 2024, total headcount was 10,202, up 15% from 8,892 at the end of 2023.
Since the market recovered, HD Hyundai hired about 1,000 people in 2024 and about 1,500 in 2025, and it plans to hire about 2,000 this year. From 2025 to 2029, the group will newly hire about 10,000 people over five years.
A shipbuilding industry official said, "There are many pressing research and development tasks, such as how to design an LPG carrier that can barely pass through the narrow Panama Canal while maximizing cargo capacity, and how to reduce a ship's vibration and noise to improve operational economics," adding, "To develop eco-friendly ships and autonomous vessels, recruiting top talent is essential, so we are working to win them over by improving compensation and more."
Lee Shin-hyeong, head of the Department of Naval Architecture and Ocean Engineering at Seoul National University, said, "Unlike competitor countries, the reason Korean shipyards can mass-produce a wide variety of models comes from strong R&D and design talent supporting them."