[South Korean Education Loses Its Way] Ben Nelson: "Admissions Should Be Based on Each University's Own Criteria"

Ben Nelson, Founder of Minerva University
"A single exam system like the CSAT
cannot select diverse and outstanding talent"
"Korean education is outdated"

"In order to reform South Korea's university admissions system, I believe that universities should not select students through a 'single exam.' Instead, each university should be able to autonomously choose students according to the type of talent they seek."

Ben Nelson, founder and CEO of Minerva University, made this statement in a written interview with Asia Economy, emphasizing that "each university should have its own independent admissions criteria."

Nelson explained that expanding the ways universities select students gives applicants (students) more opportunities to find universities that suit them best. Ultimately, this leads to a system where students do not have to rely solely on the results of a single exam like the College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT). From the perspective of universities, it creates a virtuous cycle in which they can select and educate outstanding students in each field according to their needs.

Founded in 2012, Minerva University has drawn attention as a "successful model for the future of education" that fosters global talent by departing from traditional educational methods. Although only a few years have passed since its first graduating class, Nelson noted that over 90% of graduates are employed or enrolled in graduate school within six months, and a significant number work at organizations such as Google, McKinsey, the World Bank, Amazon, and the United Nations.

Minerva University is known for its highly competitive admissions process. The acceptance rate for new students is around 1%, making it "even harder to get into than Harvard University," whose acceptance rate is in the 3% range. Minerva has ranked first in the World’s Universities with Real Impact (WURI) rankings for three consecutive years since 2022. Its most distinctive feature is that it does not select students based on standardized test scores or ranking.

Nelson stated, "It is more important to properly teach how knowledge should be applied in real life than to assess knowledge at a specific point in time." He also said, "A single, centrally administered exam system (such as South Korea's CSAT) cannot accommodate the selection of diverse types of talent."

As Nelson explained, Minerva University does not select students based on standardized test scores such as the SAT or TOEFL. Instead, it uses its own online assignments and multi-stage evaluations to comprehensively assess applicants’ creativity, logical thinking, problem-solving skills, and character. Nelson said, "In the era of AI, when we cannot know what knowledge will be needed 10 or 20 years from now, critical and creative thinking and communication skills are more important than simple knowledge." This offers significant implications for South Korea's university admissions system, which is accustomed to ranking students based on multiple-choice exams.

Nelson also said, "The biggest problem facing Korean education is that it still relies on an outdated educational model," adding, "I believe that the methods of teaching, the structure of curricula, and the ways of assessment all need to be fundamentally changed." He continued, "An educational system in which all students are racing toward a single outcome is not desirable," and added, "Success depends not on which university you attend, but on your individual talents."

Nelson concluded, "What Korean education needs now is not to follow the old model of prestigious universities, but to maximize each individual's potential and ultimately guide society as a whole in a better direction." He emphasized, "It is time to leap forward with a new form of education that surpasses the existing system."