KCU Announces 2028 University Admissions Guidelines
CSAT Mock Test Moved to August for Greater Predictability
Clearer Criteria for Special Admissions and Academic Field Recognition
Starting with the 2028 university entrance exam, which will be taken by current first-year high school students, the mock test for the College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT) will be moved forward from early September to late August. This measure aims to increase predictability for university admissions and allow students to develop more stable application strategies.
On August 28, the Korean Council for University Education (KCU) announced that it had finalized the “Basic Guidelines for University Admissions for the 2028 Academic Year” through deliberation and resolution by the University Admissions Committee.
Accordingly, the CSAT mock test for the second half of 2027 will be held in late August. Scores will be announced two weeks after the test date, and applications for early admission will begin on September 20 of the same year, after the results are released.
With the mock test moving from September to August and scores becoming available, students will be better able to predict whether they can meet the minimum CSAT requirements.
The KCU stated, “The university admissions schedule for the 2028 academic year was set comprehensively considering the opinions of universities and high schools, in order to ensure predictability for applicants, support stable application strategies, and promote fair evaluation and stable admissions processes.”
The CSAT will be held on November 18, 2027, and scores will be announced on December 10.
The KCU has also created a standardized “Eligibility Verification Form” for special admissions for rural students, in order to reduce administrative burdens on universities and high schools, as well as the preparation burden on applicants.
Additionally, for special admissions for rural students, local talent, and graduates of specialized high schools, the “graduation date” will now be clearly defined as the date recorded in the elementary, middle, or high school student records, in order to prevent confusion in interpretation.
Furthermore, when graduates of specialized high schools apply for special admissions, the criteria for recognizing the same academic field between universities and high schools have been clarified.
Previously, the determination of whether a university major was in the same academic field as a specialized high school major was based on information provided by each city and provincial education office. However, due to recent changes in the way specialized high schools operate, and the introduction of the 2022 revised curriculum and the high school credit system, the previous method had limitations. The KCU has now established that any subject group (“gyogwa(gun)”) in which a student has earned at least 24 credits in a specialized high school department will be recognized as the same academic field, regardless of the number of such subject groups.
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