"Popular Among Top Students"... Contract Departments That Lead Directly to Major Corporations After Graduation

Most Contract Departments Select Students Through Comprehensive Screening
High Fill Rates... Medical School Quotas May Impact Admission Results

As employment difficulties spread to science and engineering fields, interest is focusing on contract departments that guarantee employment. In particular, contract departments attract high-ranking examinees' attention as they are often operated in connection with large companies such as SK Hynix, LG Display, and Hyundai Motor Company.

According to Jinhaksa on the 18th, the selection for advanced field employment-conditioned contract departments for the 2026 academic year will be conducted at 13 universities, totaling 18 departments.

The photo is not related to the specific content of the article. Photo by Mun Honam.

This year, with the addition of a contract department at Sungkyunkwan University, the number of recruitment units increased by one compared to the previous year. Sungkyunkwan University announced that it signed an agreement with Samsung SDI in July last year to establish the 'Battery Engineering Department' and plans to select about 30 freshmen annually for 10 years starting from the 2026 academic year.

Since the agreement was signed after the announcement of the 2026 academic year admission plan (hereinafter referred to as the admission plan), it has not yet been reflected in the publicly available admission plan. To find out which admission process will be used to select freshmen, you need to check the recruitment guidelines announced later.

Most Selections Made Through Comprehensive Student Record Screening

Out of a total of 780 students, about 600 are selected through early admission, making the proportion of early admission selections large. Specialized science and engineering universities such as KAIST select about 90% through early admission. General universities select about 70% through early admission and about 30% through regular admission.

The admission process that selects the most students is the comprehensive student record screening. All universities select through comprehensive screening, and the proportion is the highest. The admission process that selects the fewest among general admissions is the student record curriculum screening, conducted only at Gachon University, Sogang University, Yonsei University, and Hanyang University. Soongsil University is the only one that also selects through a special talent screening, but only those who have won awards in information security-related competitions recognized by Soongsil University can apply.

High Fill Rates... 'Medical School Quotas' May Affect Admission Results

Since these departments are popular among top-ranking examinees, admission results and fill rates tend to be high. Especially in regular admissions, many examinees apply simultaneously to Seoul National University or medical-related fields, resulting in a high no-show rate.

For example, Yonsei University's Department of System Semiconductor Engineering has shown the highest fill rate among Yonsei University's recruitment units in regular admissions over the past three years. However, since the competition rate is also relatively high compared to other departments, caution is needed not to recklessly apply to higher-ranking departments just because of the high fill rate. This year's medical school quota issue may act as a variable in contract department admission results.

Woo Yeon-cheol, director of the Jinhaksa Admission Strategy Research Institute, explained, "In a period of severe employment difficulties, employment-conditioned contract departments that guarantee employment at large companies after graduation are inevitably attractive," adding, "Besides guaranteed employment, there are many benefits such as scholarships, internship programs, and overseas research institute visits, which attract great interest from examinees."

However, he said, "While the benefits are great, the fact that you must work at the respective company is something that must be fully considered," and "Since your career path is decided upon admission, careful consideration of your aptitude should be prioritized."