Late-Blooming College Freshmen Double Compared to 10 Years Ago

Students Aged 26 and Over, 4,105 to 8,435 in 10 Years
Highest Proportion of Late Entrants Since 2006
Late Entrants in Junior Colleges Up 2.4%p in 10 Years

On the 2nd, students who started the new semester at Yonsei University in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, are moving forward./Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Jinju] The number of freshmen aged 26 and older entering university late has more than doubled compared to 10 years ago.

On the 22nd, Jongno Academy analyzed the age of university entrants for the 2021 academic year and found that among 329,306 entrants, 8,435 (2.6%) were adults aged 26 or older, more than twice the 4,105 in the 2011 academic year. The proportion of adult entrants aged 26 and older was the highest since the 2006 academic year (1.8%) and increased by 1.2 percentage points from the previous year (1.4%).

In the case of junior colleges, while the number of freshmen has sharply declined due to a decrease in the school-age population, the number of freshmen aged 26 and older was 24,398 (14.6%), which is lower than 10 years ago (30,389, 12.2%), but the proportion increased by 2.4 percentage points.

Over the past 10 years, the school level with the largest increase in adult entrants aged 26 and older was technical colleges such as Polytech University (14.3%). The number of entrants in this age group at technical colleges increased from 622 in the 2011 academic year to 1,082 in the 2021 academic year, and the proportion doubled from 7.1% to 14.3%.

Cyber universities, by their nature, tend to have many adult learners; last year, the number of adult entrants aged 26 and older was 24,843 (72.0%). Although this number increased compared to 10 years ago (19,454 students), the proportion decreased by 3.1 percentage points from 75.1%.

By region, the areas with the highest proportion of adult entrants aged 26 and older last year were Jeonnam (8.5%), Gyeongbuk (8.2%), Gwangju (6.3%), and Busan (5.2%). For junior colleges, the highest proportions were in Jeonnam (42.8%), Gyeongbuk (34.2%), Gangwon (23.0%), Jeonbuk (22.9%), and Busan (21.4%).

With the school-age population expected to sharply decline until the 2024 academic year, it is anticipated that local universities and junior colleges will continue to face difficulties in recruiting freshmen. The number of junior college entrants was only 166,707, about half of the 322,687 in the 2001 academic year. Universities are making efforts to secure freshmen by attracting international students and increasing adult admissions.

Oh Jong-woon, Evaluation Director at Jongno Academy, explained, "Since 2020, there has been a trend of baby boomers retiring from active duty and seeking a second career or pursuing studies they have always wanted." He added, "It is expected that universities and junior colleges will actively prepare departments and various learning programs for adult admissions, so the number of adult entrants is likely to increase further."