Seoul Major Universities' Regular Admissions Increase by 1,715 Compared to Last Year
Decrease in High School Seniors but Overall Quota Rises, Raising Concerns of Under-enrollment at Regional Universities Again
[Asia Economy Reporter Han Jinju] In the 2023 university admission process, which will apply to current high school sophomores, major universities in Seoul will select more than 40% of their students through regular admissions. Non-metropolitan universities have increased the number and proportion of early admissions to secure new students. With the total number of recruits increasing by about 2,500, the possibility of repeated difficulties in filling new student quotas has grown.
On the 29th, the University Admission Committee of the Korea Council for University Education announced the 2023 university admission implementation plans for 198 universities nationwide.
Sixteen universities located in Seoul increased the proportion of regular admissions based on the CSAT from 37.6% in 2022 to 40.5%. The number of regular admission slots at major Seoul universities will increase by 1,715, from 19,296 in 2022 to 21,011 in 2023. The number of regular admissions at 41 universities in the Seoul area will rise from 30,038 to 31,969. As the scale of regular admissions expands, the importance of the CSAT is expected to grow for mid-to-high level students.
The increase in the regular admission ratio at major Seoul universities reflects the Ministry of Education’s recommendation to expand regular admissions at 16 Seoul universities by 2023. Seoul National University’s regular admission slots will be 1,395, with the proportion increasing from 30.1% to 40.2%. The increase in admission numbers by university is as follows: △Chung-Ang University 490 △Seoul National University 366 △Kyung Hee University 206 △Sookmyung Women’s University 175 △University of Seoul 117.
Nationwide, universities will select 78.0% of students through early admissions and 22% through regular admissions. Early admissions increased by 10,064 students (2.3 percentage points) compared to the previous year, while regular admissions decreased by 7,493 students (2.3 percentage points). The number and proportion of students by admission type are: △School record-based admissions 154,716 (44.3%) △Comprehensive student record admissions 81,703 (23.4%) △CSAT-based admissions 69,911 (20.0%) △Essay-based admissions 11,016 (3.2%) △Practical skills/performance-based admissions 27,164 (7.8%) △Others 4,614 (1.3%).
The total number of recruits for the 2023 university admissions is 349,124, an increase of 2,571 compared to 2022. The number of high school seniors in 2023 is 447,233, a decrease of 4,904 from the previous year, and with the recruitment quota significantly increasing, there are signs of a repeat of under-enrollment. The number of early admission slots at non-metropolitan universities increased by 8,669, with the selection ratio rising by 3.9 percentage points.
Kim Byung-jin, director of the Etoos Education Evaluation Research Institute, explained, "Overall, early admission slots have increased, but non-metropolitan universities have drastically reduced regular admission slots, and the selection ratio at metropolitan universities remains the same."
Lim Seong-ho, CEO of Jongro Academy Haneul Education, analyzed, "The concentration of both early and regular admissions in the Seoul area is expected to intensify. If regional universities fail to fill their quotas through early admissions, the scale of unfilled regular admissions could increase as it did this year, potentially leading to a significant expansion of additional recruitment."
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