Jongro Academy Analyzes 2026 Applicants to Seven Schools
"Gifted High Schools: Disadvantaged Internal Grades and Difficult CSAT Preparation"
The number of applicants to the seven national science high schools for gifted students for the 2026 academic year was the lowest in the past five years.
On June 1, Jongro Academy analyzed the number of applicants to seven out of eight national science high schools for gifted students (excluding Korea Science Academy, which did not disclose its competition rate) and found that the number of applicants for the 2026 academic year was 3,827, marking the lowest figure in the past five years.
A banner related to medical school entrance exams is displayed on the exterior wall of an academy in the academy district of Daechi-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul. Photo by Kang Jinhyung
The number of applicants to the seven science high schools for gifted students was 4,029 in the 2022 academic year, 4,152 in 2023, 3,918 in 2024, and 3,985 in 2025. Since the 2022 academic year, duplicate applications between schools have not been allowed, so these figures represent the number of unique applicants.
The average competition rate is also on a downward trend. Over the past five years, the competition rates were 6.02:1 in 2022, 6.21:1 in 2023, 5.86:1 in 2024, and 5.96:1 in 2025, dropping further to 5.72:1 for the 2026 academic year.
Among the seven schools, only Daejeon Science High School (26.4%) and Gyeonggi Science High School (4.3%) saw an increase in applicants. The school with the largest year-on-year decrease in applicants was Sejong Science and Arts High School for Gifted Students, which dropped by 22.9% from 632 in 2025 to 497 in 2026. This was followed by Seoul Science High School (-9.9%), Incheon Science and Arts High School for Gifted Students (-5.8%), and Gwangju Science High School (-5.4%).
The school with the highest competition rate for the 2026 academic year was Incheon Science and Arts High School for Gifted Students at 6.95:1, while the lowest was Daejeon Science High School at 5.17:1. Although the number of third-year middle school students increased by 5.9% compared to the previous year, the number of applicants to science high schools for gifted students actually decreased by 4.0%.
Jongro Academy diagnosed that this phenomenon is related to the concentration of top students on medical school admissions. In order to apply to medical school through early admissions after attending a science high school for gifted students, students must recalculate their internal grades based on the general high school criteria, which puts them at a relative disadvantage compared to general high school students. In addition, due to the nature of the curriculum at science high schools for gifted students, it is practically impossible to prepare for the College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT) while enrolled, so many students aiming for medical school choose not to apply to these schools.
Im Seongho, CEO of Jongro Academy, said, "Although it cannot be said that the number of applicants to science high schools for gifted students is rapidly decreasing at present, if the preference among top students for medical schools or medical-related departments continues, it could not only lead to a further decline in applicants but also affect the recruitment of outstanding students."
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