Seoul Area Universities Double Additional Admissions... Difficulty Filling New Students

164 General Universities, Additional Recruitment Until 6 PM on the 28th

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo Byung-don] The number of additional admissions for the 2023 academic year at universities in Seoul has doubled compared to last year.

On the 17th, parents are listening to an admissions expert's explanation and reviewing materials at the 'Jongno Academy 2023 College Entrance Early Admission Strategy Briefing' held at the 600th Anniversary Hall of Sungkyunkwan University in Jongno-gu, Seoul. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

According to Jongno Academy on the 20th, an analysis of the additional admissions for the 2023 academic year at four-year universities nationwide revealed a total vacancy of 17,439 students.

By region, Seoul accounted for 767 students (4.4%), Gyeonggi·Incheon 1,093 students (6.3%), and provinces 15,579 students (89.3%). Nine out of ten unfilled freshman vacancies occurred at provincial universities.

Compared to last year, the number of additional admissions increased in Seoul. In the 2022 academic year, the additional admissions in Seoul were only 386, but this year it nearly doubled to 767. This is the highest number of additional admissions in the past five years. Gyeonggi·Incheon also surpassed 1,000, increasing from 933 last year to 1,093 this year.

The number of additional admissions also increased at top universities in Seoul. Hongik University increased from 15 last year to 85 this year, and Kookmin University rose from 11 to 54. Following were △Soongsil University 14→36 △Sejong University 7→36 △Dongguk University 17→35 △Hanyang University 6→28 △Hankuk University of Foreign Studies 0→24 △Chung-Ang University 0→14 △Sookmyung Women’s University 5→9 △University of Seoul 5→8.

Lim Sung-ho, CEO of Jongno Academy, explained, “The decline in the school-age population is threatening freshman recruitment even at Seoul universities,” adding, “Of the 17,439 additional admissions, 89.3% are in provincial areas, indicating a continued difficulty in filling freshman quotas at universities located outside the capital.”

Meanwhile, according to the Korea Council for University Education, from 9 a.m. today until the 28th, 164 general universities nationwide will recruit an additional 17,561 freshmen. Additional recruitment is for freshmen who could not fill the quota even after selecting additional successful candidates in early and regular admissions.

Students who did not register after early admission are transferred to regular admissions, and if the quota is still not filled, additional recruitment is conducted. Compared to last year (160 schools, 17,959 students), the number of additional admissions decreased by 477, but the number of universities increased by four.