The Graduate Students Association (GSA) is an autonomous student body organized with the aim of ensuring an enjoyable and lively life for graduate students at KAIST. The GSA considers the unique problems experienced by graduate students and works to solve them together. In addition, efforts are made to improve the research environment so that graduate students can better concentrate on their research, and the association also runs welfare and cultural programs that add joy to students’ lives. Affiliated organizations include the Student Dormitory Council, Graduate Student Club Union, Cafeteria Monitoring Committee, Lifestyle Research Institute, Human Rights Center, and International Students Association.
| Fact-finding survey on the research environment | A fact-finding survey on the research environment is carried out annually with all the graduate students as the subjects in order to identify the actual conditions of the research environment and find matters of improvement. |
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| Improvement of the scholarship system | Flaws with the current scholarship system are identified in order to improve it so that scholarships can be awarded fairly to students. |
| Safety campaign | In order to promote safety of students in the lab, a safety campaign is conducted every year with the Safety Team. |
| Departmental support program | A departmental support program that aims to promote programs within departments such as symposiums and events to strengthen unity is carried out each year. |
| Research exchange events | Research exchange events are organized to bring students from various departments together for collaborative or convergence research. |
The Human Rights Center is in operation to ensure that the rights of graduate students at KAIST are upheld and promoted. For this purpose, reports on any infringement of student rights are received anytime. Advice is offered on how to deal with various issues such as problems with the advisory professor or other students, and if the student reporting the issue wishes to, he/she can take joint action with the Human Rights Center. The Center also organizes lectures and a human rights school that encourage students to think about human rights.
| Improvement and expansion of the dormitory for married students | Efforts are made together with the Student Dormitory Council to improve the dormitory and secure additional units for married students. |
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| Bus service for professional researchers and reserve forces | Round-trip bus services are offered to professional researchers and reserve forces (on the day of training). |
| Culture Bus | The Culture Bus is in operation to provide students a chance to enjoy a pleasant escape outside campus and engage in diverse experiences, while promoting cultural refinement and easing the burden related to transportation and selecting the destination of the trip. A couple of travel spots are chosen each month with the participants provided with a round-trip bus service and a thematic trip with the itinerary determined by the organizers is organized each quarter. |
| Professional Baseball Name Day | The professional baseball name day called the KAIST Day is when a group of students are taken to a game of Hanwha Eagles, a baseball team based in Daejeon. This provides an opportunity for students to show their love for their community and even promote their school, in addition to creating unforgettable memories with their fellow students. |
The KAIST Lifestyle Research Institute conducts research on student lifestyles for the purpose of improving the quality of life for graduate students and proposes essential programs and services as a means to provide an improved environment for graduate students.
The KAIST Undergraduate Association is dedicated to identifying and resolving issues faced by undergraduate students. Along with the Graduate Students Association, they represent KAIST.
| Contact | 042-350-2072 |
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| Location | Chang Young Shin Student Activity Center (N13-1) Room No. 301 |
The Student Dormitory Council is an autonomous student body that provides assistance to the Student Welfare Team in charge of dormitory operation and management. The Council is committed to promoting the welfare of and convenience for all students living in the dormitories, in addition to representing them and meeting their needs.
The Event Preparation Committee, Imagination Effect, is an autonomous student organization established in 2008 with the aim of “making on-campus events more fun.” They are involved in planning and hosting on-campus events including festivals and KAIST-POSTECH Students Festival and are dedicated to advancing the university event culture based on student feedback. For information on past events and scheduled events, please visit the Event Preparation Committee’s website.
| KAIST Festival | This is a student festival held in the middle of the spring session (between late April and early May). It is the largest on-campus event comprised of diverse participatory programs in addition to performances, exhibitions, food and drinks, a club, etc. |
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| KAIST-POSTECH Students Festival | This is a festival held with POSTECH on the third Friday and Saturday of September every year. Sporting events (soccer, basketball and baseball) and the Science War (hacking, AI and science quiz) are held at KAIST or POSTECH in an alternating manner. |
| Undergraduate Sports Fair | This is a sports event held for undergraduate students (new students) from all departments and classes at KAIST. It takes place in the middle of the fall session each year, and there are sports games and event games held at the same time. |
| Coming-of-Age Day Event | There are many students who reach adulthood after entering KAIST. This event is held to celebrate their coming of age and remind them of the responsibilities that come with adulthood. Since its launch in 2008, it has been progressively advancing over the years. It is scheduled to be held around the same time as the KAIST Festival. |
The KAIST Student Welfare Committee celebrating its 22nd anniversary this year is a self-governing student body that has been completely separated from the executive department of the Undergraduate Association and is specializing in welfare program management. The top priority of the Student Welfare Committee is to meet student needs and promoting their welfare, irrespective of politics and ideology. Through a wide range of welfare programs, the Committee is making sure that students can enjoy benefits directly and indirectly, and by returning the proceeds from the directly operated welfare facilities, it maximizes the benefits for students. With democracy as a keyword, the members of the Committee contemplate the difficulties and the true desires of students and ensure transparent management. After becoming aware of the need to inform students about themselves, the Committee has published a pamphlet providing information on its programs and other useful information for students. Please take an interest in the KAIST Student Welfare Committee and show your continued support.
| Strawberry sale | Strawberries are sold for a strawberry party during the cherry blossom season in early April. |
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| Billiards | There is a billiards center for KAIST students on the first floor of the Student Center. |
| Book Market | A book market is held at the beginning of each session to help student buy and sell used books. |
| Rental services | Supplies for various events and MTs are rented out to students. |
| Billiards competition | A billiards competition is held around May each year. |
| Driver’s license course | A contract has been signed with a driving school to help students acquire their driver’s licenses during the seasonal session. |
| T-shirt design contest | T-shirt design contests are held with the aim of bringing the members of KAIST together as one. |
| Welfare survey | Welfare survey |
| Cultural lectures | Public speakers, etc. who can inspire students are invited for special lectures. |
| Discount sales | At the beginning of the school term, electronics such as electronic dictionaries, calculators, printers, etc. are offered to students at discount prices. |
| Buses for trips home on Chuseok | Transportation is provided to students returning home for the Chuseok holidays. |
The Student Cultural Space Committee is an autonomous student body operating under the Undergraduate Association that is in charge of the operation of student cultural spaces at KAIST. The Committee oversees the operation of the common spaces of Chang Young Shin Student Activity Center and the related programs and supports the cultural activities of students with the spaces available on campus. As a student body that was incepted at the beginning of the Chang Young Shin Student Activity Center Construction Project, the Student Cultural Space Committee has been dedicated to gathering and reflecting student opinions regarding building designs.
At the Chang Young Shin Student Activity Center, there are various common spaces including a dance studio, seminar room, band room, and multi-purpose hall. These spaces have been created under the concept of “autonomous student spaces that are open to anyone 24/7.” The Committee is involved in the following tasks to uphold the aforementioned motto and maintain pleasant and comfortable spaces.
| Booking | The spaces can be booked on the Student Cultural Space Committee’s website or at the office. |
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| User rules | Rules for use and management of the common spaces have been established to maintain them in good condition and prevent conflict among users. |
| Discussion of utilization measures | Efforts are made to determine student needs and make sure that the spaces that are essential for students can be found in the Student Center. |
| Supplies management | The condition of all the supplies, etc. in the Student Center are inspected through daily patrols. |
The Book Café is a library run by a student committee to allow their fellow students to enjoy reading in a comfortable environment with tea. The Committee manages the books and preserves various materials created by students. The objective is to present a space for reading, contemplation and seminars for the students of KAIST who relatively lack the opportunity to study the humanities.
The Student Cultural Space Committee also manages the offices and group room located inside the Chang Young Shin Student Activity Center.
The Student Cultural Space Committee plans and executes programs deemed necessary for space utilization or deemed to contribute to the cultural development of students.
ELKA, which stands for “Encouraging Leaders of KAIST,” is the official cheerleading squad of KAIST that plays a pivotal role in bringing together all members of KAIST in solidarity with a sense of pride and love. Since its launch in 2005, ELKA has been expanding its influence through diverse activities on- and off-campus and making ceaseless efforts to develop powerful cheerleading routines that can help unit all students. It is an autonomous student body comprised of students of KAIST who help their fellow students feel a sense of belonging and unity, with a mission to turn KAIST into a school wherever all the members are together as one. ELKA performs cheerleading routines at the entrance ceremony and orientation for new students, school festivals as well as various sports games against POSTECH.
| Contact | 042-350-0328 |
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| Location | ELKA Office on 3F of Tae Wul Gwan (Room No. 3122) |
Kainuri comprised of KAIST students represents the school internally and externally. They engage in a wide variety of activities to instill love for the school among students and to promote KAIST off-campus. The group was formed on June 21, 2006 by a group of students who wished to transform “KAIST Vision,” a promotional quarterly magazine of KAIST, into one that would be more student friendly. Later on, the group was named Kainuri, which means to promote KAIST to the whole world. Kainuri was promoted to the status of “student ambassador group of KAIST” in August 2008 for producing PR materials for admission called KAIST Wannabe and providing campus tours and assistance to new undergraduate students in their interviews. Then, in April 2014, Kainuri was approved as the official student ambassador group of KAIST. Some of the primary activities taken on by the ambassadors of KAIST include TA activities in the Creative Global Leader Program, participation in various ceremonies and events, hosting of events for students, and management of Kainuri Facebook page.
| Location | Kainuri Office on 5F of Creative Learning B/D (Room No. 505) |
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The KAIST Orchestra established in 1992 is comprised of some 120 members including undergraduate and graduate students as well as researchers and professors. The orchestra, which had its beginnings as a small chamber orchestra, has undergone a gradual transformation into a symphony orchestra with members who are just as passionate about music as music majors. They hold a concert twice a year in addition to giving chamber music performances and performing at various events on campus such as the KAIST Friday Cultural Event. They also engage in diverse external activities including joint performances with Daejeon Philharmonic Orchestra, performance exchanges with Ewha Womans University, and performances at the Winter Festival at the Daejeon Arts Center. In January 2011, in particular, the KAIST Orchestra contributed the largest number of members among all the university orchestras that took part in the Korea United College Orchestra (conductor Gum Nan-se, concert at the Seoul Arts Center), and the members of the KAIST Orchestra served as the leader in several parts. The aim of the KAIST Orchestra is to develop their musical skills and build a strong bond among themselves, in addition to representing KAIST and contributing to the cultural advancement of the school and local community.
| Location | Student Center (W2) 2F |
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The KAIST Herald is a monthly English newspaper published by undergraduate students of KAIST.
| kaistherald@gmail.com | |
| Phone | +82-42-350-2242 |