As the employment crisis, once limited to the humanities, has spread to the science and engineering fields, "employment-guaranteed contract departments" that ensure corporate employment are shaking up the landscape of science and engineering college admissions. With the strengths of guaranteed career stability and full tuition support, these departments are drawing the attention of top-tier applicants this year, demonstrating competitiveness on par with medical and pharmaceutical fields.

According to Jongro Academy on September 7, preliminary scores from the September mock test for the 2026 College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT) indicate that the expected regular admission cutoff scores for employment-guaranteed contract departments are nearly equivalent to those for medical and pharmaceutical fields. For example, the expected cutoff scores are 269 points for the Department of System Semiconductor Engineering at Yonsei University, 269 points for the Department of Semiconductor Engineering at Korea University, and 266 points for the Department of Semiconductor System Engineering at Sungkyunkwan University.

These scores are similar to the expected cutoffs for medical schools in Seoul (276-292 points), dental schools (272-283 points), Korean medicine schools (269-276 points), and pharmacy schools (266-279 points). Experts note that top science students are now looking not only at medical and pharmaceutical fields but also at contract departments, stating that these departments have become the top priority in college admissions.

A contract department refers to a department where a company signs a contract with a university to train customized personnel in a specific field. Samsung Electronics has hiring agreements with seven universities: Sungkyunkwan University, Yonsei University (Seoul), Pohang University of Science and Technology, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST), Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (DGIST), and Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST). SK Hynix has hiring agreements with three universities: Korea University (Seoul), Sogang University, and Hanyang University (Seoul).

Enrolled students receive scholarships covering the full tuition and also receive living expense subsidies. Additionally, they are provided with opportunities to participate in domestic and international training and internship programs. This structure is evaluated as a win-win strategy that reduces the risk of talent loss from the company's perspective while providing students with stable education and career assurance.

There are employment-guaranteed contract departments beyond the semiconductor field as well. Notable examples include the Department of Cloud Engineering at Gachon University, which offers employment at Kakao Enterprise; the Department of Smart Mobility at Korea University (Seoul), a contract department with Hyundai Motor Company; the Department of Information Security at Soongsil University, partnered with LG Uplus; and the Department of Display Convergence Engineering at Yonsei University (Seoul), in partnership with LG Display.

This year, Sungkyunkwan University established a new Department of Battery Engineering in partnership with Samsung SDI. Students participate in internships with Samsung SDI and are guaranteed employment upon graduation. The newly established Mobility Systems major at Yonsei University (Seoul) does not guarantee employment upon completion of the undergraduate program, but if students choose the integrated undergraduate-graduate program, they can advance to the master’s program in Mobility Systems Convergence and become eligible for employment at Hyundai Motor Company.

Screenshot of Sungkyunkwan University homepage

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Lee Manki, director of the Uway Education Assessment Research Institute, said, "Some departments offer additional benefits such as overseas training or attending academic conferences during enrollment. Students aspiring to join these companies should carefully review admission information and employment conditions during enrollment on the respective university websites."