"This Year, the Number of 'GED Graduates' Admitted to 4-Year Universities Hits a 12-Year High"

This year, the number of high school equivalency exam graduates among freshmen at four-year universities reached the highest level in 12 years.

High school equivalency exam candidates are taking the test. (Not directly related to the main article) / Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

On the 30th, Jongno Academy analyzed the university notification data and found that the total number of high school equivalency exam graduates admitted to 222 four-year universities nationwide for the 2024 academic year was 9,256. This is the highest figure in 12 years since the high school equivalency exam graduates began to be publicly disclosed in the 2013 academic year.

The number of high school equivalency exam graduates steadily increased from 4,521 in the 2019 academic year to 5,913 in 2020, 7,221 in 2021, 7,131 in 2022, and 7,690 in 2023. Notably, compared to the 2023 academic year, the 2024 academic year saw a sharp increase of 20.4% in just one year.

The number of high school equivalency exam graduates admitted to Seoul National University, Korea University, and Yonsei University also reached 189, the highest since the 2013 academic year. Expanding to the top 10 major universities, the number of high school equivalency exam graduates increased by 21.6%, from 565 in 2023 to 721 in 2024.

By university, the 2024 academic year saw Gyeongsang National University with the highest number of high school equivalency exam graduates at 215, followed by Jeonbuk National University (192), Dong-Eui University (182), Keimyung University (155), Handong University (151), and Chungnam National University (150).

Jongno Academy analyzed that high school equivalency exam graduates at top-tier universities are presumed to have been admitted mainly through regular admissions or early admissions via essay screening, while in regional areas, they appear to be concentrated in early admissions through student record-based screening.

Jongno Academy stated, "The increase in high school equivalency exam graduates is presumed to be due to more examinees trying to compensate for disadvantages in school grades through comparative grades based on equivalency exam scores or overcoming these disadvantages through regular admissions. However, there may also be considerable maladjustment to high school life, so this situation cannot be viewed solely from an admissions perspective."