Out-of-School Youth Show Growing Academic Demand... 6.1%p Increase in University Preparation

Ministry of Gender Equality and Family Announces Survey Results for Over 2,800 Youth
Increase in Qualification Exam Preparation... 3 Out of 10 Have Not Decided on Career Paths
Smoking and Drinking Rates in the 20% Range... Drug Use at 1.2%

Demand for academic support among out-of-school youth—those living outside the formal education system—has been increasing.

The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family announced the results of the "2025 Out-of-School Youth Survey" on April 23. Conducted every two years, the survey targeted 2,362 out-of-school youth from youth support centers, short-term shelters, juvenile detention centers, probation offices, and alternative education institutions, as well as 448 out-of-school youth who took the qualification examination, for a total of 2,811 respondents (sample size).

Photo of college entrance exam preparation materials. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

The period when out-of-school youth drop out was most commonly high school (67.2%), followed by middle school (22.0%) and elementary school (10.9%).

The main reason for leaving school was "psychological or mental issues" (32.4%). For those who dropped out in elementary or middle school, "parental recommendation" was the most cited reason, whereas "psychological or mental issues" were the most common for those dropping out in high school.

Of all respondents, 70.7% (multiple responses allowed) planned to prepare for the qualification exam at the time they left school. This represents an increase of 1.2 percentage points compared to the 2023 survey.

Those who planned to prepare for university admission accounted for 35.7%, up 6.1 percentage points, indicating a growing trend in demand for academic advancement among out-of-school youth.

Regarding future plans, 29.5% hoped to return to regular school (including university admission), and 12.4% planned to prepare for the qualification exam. Additionally, 31.4% said they had not yet decided on their career path.

The most common difficulties experienced after leaving school were difficulty finding a career path (26.9%, multiple responses), difficulty making new friends (26.2%), lack of motivation (24.6%), prejudice or being ignored (22.9%), and difficulty finding information related to university admission (22.4%).

As for career-related difficulties, respondents cited "not knowing how to make a career plan" (42.4%), "not knowing my career aptitude" (41.2%), and "feeling anxious or frustrated when thinking about career paths" (40.9%) as the top challenges.

When asked about preferred vocational education or training, the most common responses were welfare (such as social worker, youth counselor), food and beverage (including beverages, baking and pastry), writer or broadcast writer, medical or rescue (such as nurse, veterinarian, paramedic), and web or graphic designer.

After leaving school, most youth studied for the qualification exam (82.3%), received career counseling (40.3%), underwent psychological counseling or psychiatric treatment (37.2%), learned job skills (36.8%), or attended alternative schools (29.6%).

The ministry stated that it would assess career capabilities for youth experiencing difficulties and connect them with tailored support programs. It also plans to develop and operate AI curricula so that youth can acquire AI competencies and apply them to their own career paths.

On the morning of November 13, last year, when the 2026 College Scholastic Ability Test was held, test takers were preparing for the exam at Yongsan High School in Yongsan District, Seoul. Photo by Joint Press Group

The proportion of youth who experienced depression severe enough to disrupt daily life within the past two weeks was 31.1%, a slight decrease from the 2023 survey (32.5%).

The rate of engaging in physical activity for at least 60 minutes a day, five days a week, was 14.2%, up from 10.8% in the 2023 survey. The obesity rate was 18.7%, a small increase from 17.7% in 2023.

In the past 30 days, 20.4% of out-of-school youth reported smoking on at least one day, and 20.3% reported drinking. The proportion at risk of smartphone overdependence remained similar to the previous survey, at 33.5%.

In the past 12 months, 16.2% had attempted self-harm, 21.1% had considered suicide, and 7.8% had actually attempted suicide. Both the rates of suicidal thoughts and suicide attempts decreased slightly from the 2023 survey (23.6% and 9.9%, respectively).

Since leaving school, 1.2% of youth reported using drugs, an increase of 0.2 percentage points from 2023. The proportion who participated in gambling-type games for money in the past three months was 6.1%, down 2.5 percentage points from 8.6% in 2023.

The percentage of youth with experiences of social withdrawal was 35.1%, a decrease of 7.5 percentage points compared to 2023. Most of these withdrawal periods lasted less than three months (27.1%). The average score for social isolation was 1.96 out of 4, indicating "rarely so," with female youth (2.07 points) scoring higher than male youth (1.83 points).

The ministry announced plans to gradually expand the regions offering its one-stop package services for isolated and withdrawn youth, and to strengthen support through collaboration with the Ministry of Health and Welfare's Youth Future Center.

Minister Won Minkyeong of the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family stated, "We will continue to strengthen support so that out-of-school youth can recover their mental health and systematically plan their academic and career paths."

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