Seoul National University to Select 40% of Students through Regular Admissions for 2023 Academic Year... Introduction of Subject Evaluation

Early Admission 59.3%, Regular Admission 40.7%... Regular Admission Rate Up 9.8%p
History Department and College of Engineering Newly Established, Medical School Interview Strengthened
Introduction of Curriculum Evaluation... Regional Balance 40 Points, General Selection 20 Points in Regular Admission

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Jinju] Seoul National University will increase the proportion of the College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT) admissions to 40% in the 2023 academic year regular admissions. A curriculum evaluation has also been introduced in both the regular general admissions and regional balance admissions. The university will establish a new recruitment unit called the 'School of History' in the College of Humanities and a 'Broad College of Engineering' in the College of Engineering.

On the 29th, Seoul National University announced the '2023 Academic Year University Freshman Admission Plan.'

Seoul National University will select 3,282 students through the regular quota admissions. The number of recruits by admission type is ▲565 for early admission regional balance, ▲1,408 for early admission general, ▲130 for regular admission regional balance, and ▲1,179 for regular admission general.

Up to 190 students will be selected outside the quota. By type, ▲86 for early admission special balanced opportunity type I, ▲86 for regular admission special balanced opportunity type II, and up to 18 for regular admission special balanced opportunity type III. Combining both quota and non-quota, a total of 3,472 freshmen will be admitted in 2023.

The number of early admission students within the quota decreased by 300 compared to 2022, while the number of regular admission students within the quota increased by 307. The total number of early admission students including quota and non-quota is 2,059 (59.3%), and regular admission students are 1,413 (40.7%). The proportion of regular admissions increased by 9.8 percentage points compared to the previous year.

Seoul National University plans to establish a new 'School of History' by integrating the Department of Korean History, Department of East Asian History, and Department of Western History in the College of Humanities. The College of Engineering will create a new recruitment unit called 'Broad College of Engineering' and select 40 students through the regular admission regional balance track.

Students admitted through the Broad College of Engineering can choose one department among Aerospace Engineering, Electrical and Information Engineering, Computer Engineering, Chemical and Biological Engineering, and Industrial Engineering after completing one semester.

The College of Medicine will strengthen interviews for the early admission regional balance track. Multiple interview rooms will conduct interviews based on situations or prompts and document-based interviews to evaluate the qualities, aptitude, and personality necessary for studying medicine. This will likely increase the burden on applicants aiming for medical school, as they will need to prepare for interviews similarly to the general admission track.

Seoul National University will introduce a regional balance track in regular admissions, selecting 130 students. From 2023, the evaluation method will change from a comprehensive scoring system to a stepwise screening process. The minimum CSAT score criteria will also be lowered. Previously, applicants needed to be within grade 2 in three out of four subjects (Korean, English, Math, and Science), but in 2023, the sum of grades in three subjects must be within 7. This is good news for general high school students applying through the regional balance track.

There are also changes in the regular general admissions selection method. The first stage (twice the number of candidates) will be based 100% on CSAT scores, and the second stage will be based on 80 points from CSAT and 20 points from curriculum evaluation.

The curriculum evaluation will be conducted in the regular admission regional balance track (40%) and general track (20%) using an absolute evaluation method where two evaluators assign grades in three stages (A, B, C). It assesses the student's fulfillment of curriculum requirements and is expected to have less influence compared to the CSAT.

Lee Mangi, Director of the Education Evaluation Research Institute, said, "The first stage of the general track is evaluated solely by CSAT, so the importance of CSAT remains unchanged. However, it may affect the lower 10-20% near the cutoff line. In the general track, 100% of the first stage and 80% of the second stage are based on CSAT, and in the regional balance track, 60% is based on CSAT, so CSAT remains the key factor in regular admissions decisions."

Oh Jongwoon, Evaluation Director at Jongro Academy Haneul Education, explained, "Top high school sophomores preparing for the 2023 Seoul National University admissions should focus on student records for early admissions and CSAT for regular admissions. It is also important to prepare for curriculum completion, grades, and detailed curriculum notes in student records to meet the new curriculum evaluation criteria introduced in regular admissions."

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