[2026 Early Admission] Korea Polytechnic University Overhauls Screening with 'Competency-Based' Evaluation

1,176 Students to Be Admitted Through Early Admission Process

Korea Polytechnic University will admit 1,176 students, which is 69.9% of the total quota, through its early admission process for the 2026 academic year. In particular, the comprehensive student record screening has been completely overhauled into a new competency-based evaluation system.

The number of students to be admitted by each admission type is as follows: 280 for the essay-based selection, 198 for the academic excellence track and 176 for the regional balance track under the student record-based selection, 200 for the creative talent track, 47 for the convergence talent track, and 57 for the opportunity balance track under the comprehensive student record screening, 2 for the specialized high school graduate (in-quota) and 76 (out-of-quota), and 120 for the early employment contract department.

Starting from the 2026 academic year, the comprehensive student record screening has revised the weighting of evaluation criteria to reflect the high school curriculum. For the creative talent track, the first stage document review is weighted at 30% for academics, 55% for career, and 15% for community, while the second stage interview is weighted at 30%, 40%, and 30% respectively. Since this process involves both document review and interviews, balanced preparation is essential. The convergence talent track (School of Interdisciplinary Studies) is assessed 100% on documents, with a weighting of 45% for academics, 40% for career, and 15% for community. The opportunity balance track is also selected 100% based on documents and uses the same weighting as the convergence talent track. Eligible applicants include students from rural areas, national merit recipients, and basic livelihood security recipients.

The essay-based selection consists of 80% essay test and 20% academic records. The test focuses on short-answer mathematical essays based on Mathematics I and II, with each question being independent and within the high school curriculum. There is no minimum standardized test requirement, and the essay test will be held on November 23, after the national college entrance exam. The test lasts 80 minutes, consists of nine questions in total, and the difficulty level is adjusted to match regular midterm and final exams.

Seojong Hyun, Director of Admissions and Public Relations, Korea Polytechnic University

The academic excellence track is the only admission type with a minimum standardized test requirement. For engineering majors, a combined grade of 7 or better in two out of four subjects is required, while for the School of Business Administration, a combined grade of 8 or better is needed. Students who take Calculus or Geometry receive an additional grade boost. The regional balance track can be applied for with only a high school recommendation and does not require a minimum standardized test score, making it advantageous for those focusing on school grades. Both tracks evaluate applicants based on the highest grades in four subjects: Korean, Mathematics, English, and Social/Science Studies.