Decrease in 'Rolling Admission Carryover' Over 3 Years... "Additional Admissions Expected to Increase This Year"

"Uncertainty in Regular Admissions... Universities Fill Quotas Through Early Admissions"

As the 2024 academic year college admissions early decision process is underway, an analysis has emerged showing a decrease in the number of early decision rollovers over the past three years. Due to factors such as the 'medical school concentration phenomenon,' cross-application between humanities and sciences, and a decline in the school-age population, universities have found it increasingly difficult to recruit students through regular admissions, leading them to try to admit as many early decision students as possible through multiple rounds of additional acceptances. This trend is expected to continue this year, with an increase in additional early decision acceptances.

According to Jongro Academy on the 17th, the number of students rolled over from early decision due to failure to fill early decision quotas at universities in the Seoul area has shown a decreasing trend over the past three years: 2,751 in 2021, 1,519 in 2022, and 1,150 in 2023. In particular, the decrease was more pronounced in the natural sciences, with 1,248 in 2021, 719 in 2022, and 455 in 2023. During the same period, the number of rollovers in the humanities also declined, with 1,503, 800, and 695 respectively.

On the 8th, the day of distribution of the 2024 College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT) score reports, students in the third-grade classroom at Daegu Gyeongbuk Girls' High School are checking their CSAT score reports. [Image source=Yonhap News]

The number of early decision rollovers at the top 10 major universities, including Seoul National University, Yonsei University, and Korea University, also decreased from 782 in 2021 to 596 in 2022 and 471 in 2023. In 2023, Seoul National University had 32 rollovers, Korea University 147, Yonsei University 136, Ewha Womans University 50, and Sungkyunkwan University 43.

By department, the universities with the highest number of early decision rollovers in 2023 were Seoul National University of Education's Elementary Education Department with 83 in the humanities, Ewha Womans University Humanities Division with 22, and Yonsei University Economics Department with 15. In the natural sciences, Korea University’s Computer Science Department had 24, Korea University’s Electrical and Electronic Engineering Department 23, and Yonsei University’s Integrated Science and Engineering (ISE) Department 16.

Regional universities also saw a decrease in early decision rollovers. The number of early decision rollovers at regional universities was 27,722 in 2023, down from 28,390 in 2022.

Jongro Academy analyzed that the annual decrease in early decision rollovers is because even if some students withdraw from early decision, many applicants have already applied to multiple universities in the Seoul area and natural sciences, allowing universities to fill vacancies through additional acceptances. Students can apply up to six times in early decision, and universities assign preliminary numbers to students who meet conditions but were not initially accepted. In the past, even if quotas were not met, universities would close admissions at earlier numbers, but recently there is a tendency to accept additional students further down the list when quotas remain unfilled.

Parents are listening to the instructor's explanation at the 2024 Early and Regular Admission Expected Scores Disclosure and Student Support Strategy Seminar held in July this year at Sejong University in Gwangjin-gu, Seoul. [Image source=Yonhap News]

Jongro Academy viewed that with the integrated CSAT allowing cross-application between humanities and sciences and the intensifying medical school concentration phenomenon, universities face significant challenges in recruiting students. Although many students are expected to withdraw from early decision due to failing to meet the CSAT minimum grade requirements amid the recent 'difficult CSAT,' only about 30% of universities require minimum CSAT grades for early decision, so additional acceptances under other conditions may be easier than before.

Im Seong-ho, CEO of Jongro Academy, advised, "If early decision rollovers decrease, the increase in regular admission quotas will be smaller, potentially raising competition rates in regular admissions compared to previous years. Students who have received preliminary numbers in early decision should be aware of the possibility of additional acceptance and respond thoroughly to phone notifications."

Meanwhile, the 2024 academic year college admissions early decision process will begin announcing additional acceptances from the 22nd, with notifications concluding on the 28th.

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