"Due to Declining School-Age Population"... University Early Admission Competition Rates Lower Than Last Year

Competition Rates Drop at 15 Major Seoul Universities and 10 National Teachers' Colleges Nationwide
Only Yonsei University and Newly Established Korea University Admissions See Increase in Essay Schedule After CSAT

The above photo is not related to the article. / Photo by Kim Hyunmin kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Hyun-joo] The results of the 2021 academic year university early admission application submissions showed a decline compared to the previous year in most cases.

According to Jongro Academy Haneul Education, the final competition rate for early admission applications at 15 universities in Seoul, including Konkuk University, Kyung Hee University, Korea University, Dongguk University, Sogang University, Seoul National University, University of Seoul, Sungkyunkwan University, Sookmyung Women's University, Yonsei University, Ewha Womans University, Chung-Ang University, Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, Hanyang University, and Hongik University, was 16.37 to 1, down from 17.83 to 1 the previous year.

Korea University and Yonsei University were the only top-tier universities to see an increase in competition rates compared to the previous year. Korea University recorded 9.54 to 1 (previous year 8.44 to 1), and Yonsei University recorded 18.06 to 1 (previous year 16.96 to 1). Seoul National University’s regional balanced selection track was 3.09 to 1 (previous year 3.26 to 1), and the general track was 6.85 to 1 (previous year 8.42 to 1), showing a decline compared to the previous year. This is analyzed to be due to a decrease in the school-age population and a reduction in the number of test takers in the Science Inquiry II section.

Provided by Jongno Academy Haneul Education

Lee Manki, director of the Uway Education Evaluation Research Institute, said, "Yonsei University’s essay test schedule was postponed until after the CSAT, and since the test date did not overlap with other universities, the competition rate for the essay track rose significantly." He added, "Korea University’s newly established general track - suitability for major type allows overlapping applications with the general track - academic excellence type, and since it does not apply the minimum CSAT score requirement, it showed a high competition rate."

The overall average competition rate for early admissions at 10 national education universities nationwide was 4.91 to 1, down from 5.79 to 1 the previous year. The overall average competition rate for early admissions at nine regional national universities, including Kyungpook National University, Pusan National University, and Jeonbuk National University, also decreased to 7.94 to 1 from 8.89 to 1 the previous year.

Oh Jong-woon, evaluation director at Jongro Academy Haneul Education, analyzed, "The overall decline in the school-age population seems to have led to the drop in competition rates," and added, "In the case of education universities, the number of applicants appears to have decreased due to difficulties in elementary school teacher employment."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.