[2022 Early Admission] Applications Open from September 10... Expansion of Student Record-Based Screening as a Variable

Check University and Admission Schedule in Advance
This Year’s Recruitment Share Decreases by 1.3%p
Student Record-Based Admissions Increase by 1,746
Consider Minimum CSAT Scores for Safe Applications

The 2022 academic year college admission early decision recruitment will take place from September 10 to 14. This year, the proportion of early decision admissions has decreased, and major universities in Seoul have newly established or expanded the Student Record Curriculum Screening. With the number of students selected through the Student Record Curriculum Screening at 15 universities increasing by 1,746 compared to last year, it is necessary to devise strategies considering various variables.

According to the University Education Council, the total number of new students recruited by universities for the 2022 academic year is 346,553. The proportion of early decision admissions is 75.7% (262,378 students), which is 1.3 percentage points lower than last year. By type, the number of recruits is 42.9% (148,506 students) for the Student Record Curriculum Screening and 22.9% (80,507 students) for the Student Record Comprehensive Screening.

Early decision admissions include various screening types such as △Student Record Comprehensive △Student Record Curriculum △Essay △Special Talent, and the process varies depending on the university and screening type. When preparing for early decision, applicants should check the eligibility and schedule for each university and screening type in advance.

Applications for early decision will be accepted from September 10 to 14, and universities will accept applications for at least three days during this period. The start and end dates of application acceptance may vary by university, and in the process of checking the competition rates for the universities applied to, applicants may accidentally miss the deadline for other universities. Therefore, applicants must be fully aware of the application schedules of the universities they wish to apply to and complete their applications within the period. When considering screenings that conduct university-specific exams, attention should be paid to when these exams are held relative to the College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT) date. If university-specific exams are held before the CSAT, applicants will have the burden of preparing for both simultaneously. Since passing early decision means applicants cannot apply for regular decision, extra caution is needed when applying to screenings where all processes are completed before the CSAT.

The Student Record Curriculum Screening generally selects students based on quantitative evaluation of curriculum grades, except for some universities, making it more predictable compared to the Student Record Comprehensive Screening or essay screening. Therefore, when establishing a safe application strategy, the first priority should be to determine whether the minimum CSAT score requirements are met. However, this year, major universities in Seoul have newly established the Student Record Curriculum Screening, increasing the number of recruits. Students who would have applied for the Student Record Comprehensive Screening in previous years may apply for the Student Record Curriculum Screening, which could reduce the number of competitors with strong curriculum grades in the Comprehensive Screening. This means that students with relatively lower curriculum grades may also have opportunities. It is expected that there will be more chances for confident or ambitious applications even within the Student Record Curriculum Screening.

The limitation of the Student Record Comprehensive Screening method to activities within high school and the increase in the number of recruits through the Student Record Curriculum Screening are meaningful in that students can make appropriate applications and challenge their desired universities based on academic performance, which is the focus of their efforts. Students whose abilities are not reflected in curriculum grades but who demonstrate interest and passion in various fields through activities are more likely to be accepted.

Woo Yeon-cheol, head of the Admission Strategy Research Institute at Jinhaksa, advised, "First and foremost, applicants should consider factors such as last year’s admission results, changes in the number of recruits, screening types, and minimum CSAT score requirements to determine safe and confident applications through the Curriculum Screening. For the Comprehensive Screening, the most important criterion should be whether the applicant is suitable for that screening type."

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