In the 2020 QS World University Rankings by Subject rated Chemical Engineering, KAIST CBE ranked 23rd. KAIST CBE continued its place as the highest-ranked Chemical Engineering department in Korea.

KAIST CBE earned an overall score of 85.3 with 82.7 in employer reputation, 88.0 in H-index, 88.1 in citation per paper, and 85.3 in academic reputation.

Produced by Quacquarelli Symonds, Ltd., the QS World University Rankings has published annual rankings of world's universities since 2004. Along with Academic Ranking of World Universities and The World University Rankings, the QS World University Rankings is widely recognized and cited as one of the 3 premier sources for world university rankings.