College admissions in South Korea

The South Korean college entrance system requires all graduating high school students (or those with equivalent academic standing) to take an entrance exam called the College Scholastic Ability Test^[1] which takes place once every year. Admission to universities in South Korea is heavily dependent on applicants' test scores and grades.

Criteria for admission

In Korea, the following factors are mainly reflected in college entrance exams:

College Scholastic Ability Test

Commonly called the CSAT, the College Scholastic Ability Test is the most common entrance exam in South Korea, and its popularity has increased in recent years.^[2]

Student records

Also called school records or academic reports, these outline high school students' grades and other accomplishments. Each report is divided into a "curricular" section, which records grades earned in academic subjects, as well as an "extracurricular" section, which records information like volunteer work, certificates of achievement, and awards.^[3]

Comparative school records

Comparative school grades are assigned to students who have graduated from high school for a certain period^{[clarification needed]} (the year of graduation varies depending on the university).^[4] These grades are also assigned to students who do not have a school record, such as those who pass the qualification exam, with grades on the College Scholastic Ability Test or essay tests.

University examination

This is a self-evaluation test conducted by the university, and they are mainly essay tests and are conducted with various evaluation methods for each university, such as interviews, major aptitude tests, and practical skill tests. Recently, the number of Admission Officer System^{[clarification needed]} has been increasing.^[5]

History

Prior to the achievement test

From 1946 to 1953, the independent examination system for each university was implemented. Each university would conduct its own tests to select students. In 1954, the Combined College Entrance Exam was conducted, and only the students who passed could take the independent examination system for each university. From 1955 to 1961, the previous system was reinitiated. From 1962 to 1963, only students who passed the college entrance qualification examination system could take the university independent exam, similar to the 1954 Combined College Entrance Exam. From 1964 to 1968, the independent examination system was reinitiated by universities. From 1969 to 1981, only students who passed the preliminary examination and the main exam were allowed to go to college, except in 1981 when the main exam was abolished.^[6]

The achievement test

From 1982 to 1993, students were selected through the achievement test and university examination. Until 1987, students first took the achievement test to check their scores and applied to universities based on this score. Starting in 1988, students who wanted to apply to universities first applied for one university each at the time of recruitment (former period and latter period)^{[further explanation needed]} and took the test at the university they applied for.^[7] This process is also referred to as the "apply first, test later" system.^[6]

 

Suri high school, 2013 College Scholastic Ability Test

College Scholastic Ability Test

From 1994, the recruitment unit was changed to Ga, Na, and Da-category (in the past, there was also the La-category) according to the entrance examination period. The achievement test was abolished and the College Scholastic Ability Test was conducted. In the 1994 college entrance exam, both the College Scholastic Ability Test and the university examination were held. Later, essay tests or interviews were taken from 1997 to the present day under the government's policy of "banning the main exam," and they are scored and reflected in the entrance examination.^[8] It is also referred to as the "test first, apply later" system, in comparison to the previous college entrance system.^[6]

 

Cheer for the 2016 College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT) test takers

Recruitment method

Early admission

Early admission began in 1997 when the main exam was abolished.^[9] It is largely divided into the first and second rounds, with the first being conducted before the College Scholastic Ability Test and the second being after the College Scholastic Ability Test. If necessary, a third round of recruitment may be conducted. In early admission, the importance of the College Scholastic Ability Test is lowered, and the contents of the university examination or student record has a more significant impact in selecting students.

Initially, the recruitment was divided into the first semester and the second semester. In the 2010 school year, recruitment for the first semester of early admission was abolished, and since then, universities only recruit students for the second semester of early admission.^[10]

In early admission, the scores of the College Scholastic Ability Test are not considered, because the early admission process is conducted before the exam is administered. However, most universities use the grade scores of the College Scholastic Ability Test to implement the lowest grading system, so the CSAT still has a significant impact on admissions. Starting in 2018, some universities have abolished the lowest grading system, a source of public controversy.^[11]

Originally, there was no limit on the number of applications. But as several problems such as application costs were raised, applications were limited to six times from the 2013 school year. Only four-year universities, including universities of education, are applicable, except for industrial universities, colleges of expertise, and other universities. Universities can limit eligibility for applications. In addition, there was no unregistered recruitment. To minimize the number of people carried forward from the regular admission process from the 2012 school year, unregistered recruitment was also introduced.^[12]

Those who have passed early recruitment and unregistered recruitment (except for those who have passed unregistered recruitment only in the 2012 school year when the number of unregistered recruits was first introduced) do not apply for regular admission. Due to the advantage of being able to select excellent students in advance, the proportion of early admissions is increasing. In particular, the number of comprehensive student records screening is increasing, and the number of comprehensive screenings to assess sincerity, serviceability, and creativity is increasing the most.

The portion of the early admissions for college entrance exams in 2019 was expected to be 76.2 percent, the largest ever.^[13]

Early admission is largely divided into four types: the comprehensive student record screening, the student record curriculum screening, the essay screening, and the special talent screening.

• The comprehensive student record screening is a comprehensive reflection of student records. These screenings select students by comprehensively evaluating almost all elements of student records, including awards, certificates, careers, creative experience activities, teaching, reading, and behavioral development (qualitative evaluation), as well as academic grades (quantitative evaluation). Also, a self-introduction letter consisting of three common questions from the Korean Council for University Education and one voluntary question from each university (for a total of four) are considered in the evaluation. In some cases, a teacher recommendation letter is also required.^[14] The top universities favored by students perform a high proportion of the overall comprehensive student record screenings.
• The student record curriculum screening considers only academic grades (quantitative evaluation). The difference from the comprehensive student record screening is that elements other than academic grades are not considered, and there is no cover letter and teacher recommendation letter. Students in highly competitive schools are at a disadvantage because they do not consider the grade deviation by the school.^[15]
• The essay screening is divided into humanities–social sciences and natural sciences. The humanities–social sciences essay asks students to develop a thesis within the framework of a given presentation, and the natural science essay asks students to solve a formula. In many cases, the lowest grade of the CSAT is lower than that of the comprehensive student record screening or the student record curriculum screening.^[16]
• Special talent screening has many types, including screenings performed by language and science experts.^[17]

Criticism of comprehensive student record screening

Critics call comprehensive student record screenings a "gold spoon admission," which results in different results depending on parents' socio-economic status or political power. Criticism has been raised that private education aimed at creating a "spec" to be listed in the student record has become a "gold spoon screening" and that it is driving top-ranked students to win in-school awards that will highlight their school records.^[18][19]

Critics have called for improving the school record, which is a major evaluation factor for the comprehensive student record admission process. Complaints are high about the burden of non-curriculum activities, and 86.7% of students (9,507), 85.3% of parents (4,129), and 92.5% of teachers (1,434) said they were "burdened with preparation for non-curriculum activities."^[20] In addition, more than 300 cases of unauthorized correction or manipulation of student records have been detected in the three years prior to November 2017, causing heavy workload among teachers, and contributing to the perception that it is a record for college admissions rather than for students' growth development.^[21]

Opinion polls also show that the public's perception of the comprehensive student record screening system is not good. In a survey conducted by Realmeter, 14.6 percent of respondents said "the comprehensive student record screening should be abolished completely" and 36.2 percent said it should be reduced. The current maintenance and expansion responses were 19.3 percent and 18.0 percent, respectively. 32.1 percent of the respondents cited "a drastic reduction in non-curriculum activities" as one of the things that need to be improved regarding the comprehensive student record screening. 21.2 percent wanted to "strengthen the disclosure of information at universities," 18.7 percent wanted "monitor fairness at external agencies" and 14.2 percent wanted "reducing the influence of schools and homeroom teachers.^[22]

Regular admission

Regular admission takes place after the results of the College Scholastic Ability Test are announced. In regular admission, a total of three applications can be applied for each recruitment category (Ga, Na, and Da-category, and in the past, there was also the La-category),^[23] one for each on-time recruitment in accordance with the six-time limit for early admission (except for industrial universities, colleges, and other universities). In some cases, students are selected by mixing the results of the CSAT scores with the school records, and in other cases, students are selected only by reflecting 100% of the CSAT. In some universities, all colleges of the universities recruit students from the same category, and some universities select students from different categories.^[24]

 

CSAT report

Standard scores and percentiles of the College Scholastic Ability Test are mainly used for regular admission, but in some cases, grades are also utilized. Also, English and Korean history, which are conducted on an absolute evaluation basis, will be reflected in grades unconditionally.^[25][26]

In a survey conducted by Realmeter, 55.5 percent of the respondents said regular admissions centered on the CSAT should account for more than 60 percent. 22.3 percent of the respondents said the proportion of regular admissions should be between 10 and 40 percent, while 17.7 percent said it should be around 50 percent.^[22]

Special admission

Special admission is a former system in which four-year universities recruited students with excellent College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT) scores in advance of regular admission. It was conducted early in the introduction of the College Scholastic Ability Test, and screening began before the results of the College Scholastic Ability Test were announced.

Special recruitment was abolished in 2002 when the College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT) was switched to a nine-grade system.^[27]

Additional recruitment

Additional recruitment is conducted for four-year colleges only if they fail to recruit students even after the regular admission process, and is usually conducted at local universities or some special admissions that are difficult to recruit students.^[28]

University examination

The tests conducted by each university to select the students they want in early or regular admissions are called university examinations. The widely-known types of university exams include essay tests, interview tests, practical tests, and major aptitude tests. Taking university exams in the form of so-called "main exams" before 1994 is prohibited by the Ministry of Education's "three no" policy.^[29] However, some government officials have raised the possibility of resurrecting the "main exams" system.^[29]

Recruitment screening

General screening

The general screening is a method of selecting ordinary students from within the quota by using student records, the College Scholastic Ability Test, and the university examination.

Special screening

The special screening can be largely divided into two types: the special screening system in the quota and the extra-quota special screening.

Special screening system within the quota

The special screening system within the quota includes special talent screening for employed people and students who have performed well in music, art, sports, and other specialties.^[30] Most universities usually select and implement their own standards when implementing the special admission system within the quota. In this case, it is conducted in consideration of the school's ideology (especially private universities) or characteristics. In other words, the special screening system within the quota can be largely divided into three types: the employed screening, specialty screening, and independent standard screening by universities. It is mainly being recruited from early admission. Occasionally, regular admissions may be conducted, but the number is small compared to early admissions. However, as major universities in Seoul increase the proportion of regular admissions, the Special screening system within the quota tends to be abolished.^[31]

Extra-quota special screening

The extra-quota special screening is divided into five categories:

• special screening for vocational high school graduates,
• special screening for agricultural and fishing village students (which mainly targets towns and townships, and sometimes includes the government's "new vital areas" of Namwon City, Gimje City, Naju City, Taebaek City, Mungyeong City, and Sangju City according to university standards),
• special screening for special education targets for disabled people,
• special screening for overseas Koreans (The rule also applies to North Korean defectors and foreigners. Even foreign nationals cannot apply for this admission if one of their parents holds Korean nationality. However, if one of the parents is Chinese, even if the other is Korean, it is possible to apply for this status), and
• special screening for students who are socially marginalized or have a special home environment. It is mainly conducted on regular admission, but recently, it is increasingly conducted on early admission.^[32]

See also

• Education in South Korea
• List of universities and colleges in South Korea
• College Scholastic Ability Test
• Education curriculum in South Korea
• Education system in South Korea
• Preliminary examination
• Achievement tests
• High school subjects in South Korea
• Layout table
• Japanese college entrance system

References

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2. 권오진, 기자 (2020-04-29). "2022학년도 대입 정시 1.3%p 증가...서울 주요 16개대 수능 전형 30%↑ [Increase by 1.3%p on regular admissions for 2022 school year... a 30% increase in the number of major 16 universities in Seoul]". www.ytn.co.kr (in Korean). Retrieved 2020-11-05.
3. 이효석, 기자 (2020-04-13). "고3 동아리·봉사 등 '비교과활동' 9월 초중순까지 수시에 반영(종합) [Extracurricular activities, such as high school senior clubs and volunteer work, will be reflected in early admission until September]". 연합뉴스 (in Korean). Retrieved 2020-11-05.
4. 최현준, 기자 (2007-06-18). "주요 사립대, 비교내신제 재수생에 확대 [Major private universities, expanding the number of repeaters the comparative school records system.]". www.hani.co.kr (in Korean). Retrieved 2020-11-05.
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11. 허현정, 기자. "연세대 수능 최저 폐지, 다른 대학들은 "글쎄요" - 매일신문 [Yonsei University's the lowest grading system Abolition, Other Universities Say "Well"]". news.imaeil.com. Retrieved 2020-11-05.
12. 임주영, 기자. "대입 수시모집 총정원 62% 선발…미등록 충원 도입 [62% of the total number of students selected by the university entrance examination... Introduction of unregistered recruitment]". news.naver.com (in Korean). Retrieved 2020-11-05.
13. 이민정, 기자 (2017-04-27). "2019년 대학입학전형, 대입정원 76% 수시로…학생부·논술 더 중요해져 [2019 College Entrance Examinations, 76% of the College Entrance Quota From early admission...Student record, essay writing becomes more important.]". 중앙일보 (in Korean). Retrieved 2020-10-07.
14. 이정윤, 기자 (2017-08-07). "'교사 추천서 작성법' 걱정을 덜어드립니다 [It relieves you from worrying about 'how to write a teacher recommendation letter'.]". 독서신문 (in Korean). Retrieved 2020-11-05.
15. 이인표, 기자. ""고교간 내신 불균형 가장 큰 문제" ["The biggest problem of imbalance in high school grades."]". news.naver.com (in Korean). Retrieved 2020-11-05.
16. 지창욱, EBS칼럼위원 (2020-08-26). ""글쓰기 자신 있다면 2~3등급도 상위대학 논술전형 고려" ["If you are confident in writing, consider essay screening for top universities with 2 to 3 grades."]". 강원도민일보 (in Korean). Retrieved 2020-11-06.
17. 김수진, 기자 (2020-07-29). "예체능계열 아니어도 가능한 특기자전형, 지원 시 주의사항은? [Special talents that are not required for art and physical education. What are the precautions for applying?]". www.edudonga.com (in Korean). Retrieved 2020-11-06.
18. 박하정, 기자 (2017-07-10). "학생부 종합 전형, 왜 '금수저 전형'이라고 불릴까? [Student comprehensive screening, why is it called the "gold spoon screening"?]". SBS NEWS (in Korean). Retrieved 2020-09-24.
19. 노유진, 기자 (2017-10-24). "[취재파일] 학생부종합전형을 위한 '스펙' 만들어 드립니다 [[Report file] We will make 'Spect' for the comprehensive student record admission process.]". SBS NEWS (in Korean). Retrieved 2020-09-24.
20. 이재영, 기자 (2017-08-29). ""수능 절대평가하려면 '금수저·깜깜이 전형' 학종 개선해야" ["In order to fully evaluate the CSAT, we need to improve the 'Golden Spoon and Black Skills' academic category."]". hankyung.com (in Korean). Retrieved 2020-09-24.
21. YTN, news (2017-11-05). "생활 없고 기록만 남은 학교생활기록부 [a school record with no life and only records left.]". www.ytn.co.kr (in Korean). Retrieved 2020-10-07. {{cite web}}: |first= has generic name (help)
22. 최영은, 기자. ""'학종 전형 폐지·감축' 50.8%…정시 비중 높여야" ["The abolition and reduction of the comprehensive student record screening system" 50.8%..."We need to increase the weight of the regular admissions"]". KBS 뉴스 (in Korean). Retrieved 2020-10-07.
23. 조선일보. "[교육부] 특차 폐지등 2002부터 대입제도 전면재검토 [A Full Review of the College Entrance System from 2002]". www.chosun.com (in Korean). Retrieved 2020-11-14.
24. 심윤희, 논설위원 (2020-11-13). "[핫이슈] '정시에 내신 반영'으로 입시판 뒤흔든 서울대 [Seoul National University, which shook up the university entrance system due to the reflection of school records in the regular admission]". 매일경제 (in Korean). Retrieved 2020-11-14.
25. 남지원·김지혜·최미랑, 기자 (2017-11-24). "[2018 수능]입시 최대 변수는 '영어 절대평가'···최상위권-상위권 극명히 갈려 [2018 CAST] The biggest variable in the entrance examination is the English Absolute Evaluation,··The top-to-upper ranks sharply divided". news.khan.co.kr (in Korean). Retrieved 2020-11-05.
26. 김형욱, 기자 (2018-07-08). "출제형식 작년 비슷… 영어·한국사 절대평가 [The questions were similar to last year's... absolute evaluation of English and Korean history]". 중부일보 - 경기·인천의 든든한 친구 (in Korean). Retrieved 2020-11-05.
27. 우관섭, 기자. "2002大入 특차모집 폐지 [Abolish the special recruitment of college entrance exams from 2002]". news.naver.com (in Korean). Retrieved 2020-10-07.
28. 김봉구, 기자 (2018-02-22). "[2018 대입] 건국대·동국대 등 157개大 8591명 '추가모집'…26일까지 [2018 College Entrance] 'Additional recruitment' of 8,591 students from 157 large universities including Konkuk University and Dongkuk University. ...until the 26th". hankyung.com (in Korean). Retrieved 2020-11-05.
29. 한상용, 기자. "이주호 "대학입시 3불 정책 유지" [Maintaining the three-no policy for college entrance system]". news.naver.com (in Korean). Retrieved 2020-10-03.
30. 연합, 뉴스. "예체능특기자 3백72명 지원 [372 applicants who have performed well in music, art, sports and other specialties]". news.naver.com (in Korean). Retrieved 2020-11-05.
31. 권오진, 기자 (2019-11-28). "서울 16개 대학 수능 비중 40% 이상...논술·특기자 전형 폐지 [6 universities in Seoul 40% or more of the College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT)... Abolish essay writing and special talent screening]". www.ytn.co.kr (in Korean). Retrieved 2020-11-14.
32. 장성환, 기자 (2020-10-27). "서울권 대학들, 학령인구 감소에도 정원 외 모집으로 입학생 확보 [Universities in Seoul, despite the decrease in the number of school-age population, secure students by recruiting extra-quota special screening]". 교수신문 (in Korean). Retrieved 2020-11-05.

External links

• Korean Council for University Education
• Korean Council for University College Education
• University Admissions Information Center