"To Re-enter University"... Number of Dropouts Hits Record High at 100,000

Clear Rise in Dropouts from Seoul and Gyeongin Universities
Transfers and Re-Examinations on the Rise
A “Second Round of Admissions” Emerging at Universities

The number of students who dropped out of four-year universities last year reached an all-time high.

On the 3rd, at Geumcheon High School in Geumcheon District, Seoul, where the 2026 College Scholastic Ability Test mock exam was held, 12th-grade students are preparing for the test. This is unrelated to the article. Photo by Dongju Yoon

According to Jongno Academy on September 4, a total of 100,817 students left four-year universities nationwide during the 2024 academic year. This is the highest figure since records began in 2007, and for the second consecutive year, the number has remained in the 100,000s, following the previous year’s 100,056.

By region, universities in Seoul saw the largest increase, with 19,663 students dropping out, up 7.7% from the previous year. Universities in the Gyeongin area recorded 13,233 dropouts, a 3.3% increase, while regional universities outside these areas saw 67,921 dropouts, a 1.6% decrease.

The university with the highest number of dropouts was University A in Daegu-Gyeongbuk, where 1,523 students left last year alone. All of the top five universities with the most dropouts were located outside the Seoul metropolitan area, but there were also three universities in Seoul where more than 1,000 students dropped out. Notably, the number of dropouts at regional universities has been declining for three consecutive years, while the numbers have continued to rise at universities in Seoul since 2014 and in the Gyeongin area since 2022.

Jongno Academy believes that the majority of these students likely left their original universities to enroll in other institutions.

Lim Sung-ho, CEO of Jongno Academy, explained, "There is a clear trend of students who are not satisfied after entering universities in Seoul or the Gyeongin area transferring or retaking exams to move to higher-ranked universities. This means that after taking the College Scholastic Ability Test in their third year of high school, students are facing a 'second round of admissions' even after entering university."