Subject Requirements for Natural Sciences Vary by Department for 2028 Admissions
Seoul National University and Korea University Take Different Approaches to Math and Science Designations
Humanities Departments Have Virtually No Designated Required S
Major universities have announced subject requirements linked to the high school credit system for the 2028 college admissions process, and these requirements vary significantly by department within the natural sciences, which is expected to cause confusion for current first-year high school students preparing for entrance exams. In contrast, it has been confirmed that humanities departments have virtually no designated required subjects.
On September 28, Jongro Academy analyzed the designated elective subjects linked to majors under the high school credit system at seven major universities-Seoul National University, Korea University, Sungkyunkwan University, Sogang University, Hanyang University, Chung-Ang University, and Kyung Hee University-and found clear differences among the universities. Yonsei University, Ewha Womans University, and Hankuk University of Foreign Studies have not yet announced their requirements.
2023 Public Hearing on the 2028 College Entrance Examination System Reform Draft. Photo by Jo Yongjun
In the natural sciences, there were significant differences starting with the designated mathematics subjects. Seoul National University specified "Geometry" and "Calculus II" as core recommended subjects for most departments, while Korea University designated Geometry for only some departments or did not specify mathematics subjects at all. For science subjects, Seoul National University explicitly listed Physics, Chemistry, and Biology by department, but Sungkyunkwan University and Sogang University did not specify any science subjects. Chung-Ang University and Kyung Hee University designated different subjects such as Physics or Chemistry depending on the department.
Medical, dental, and Korean medicine schools also had different standards at each university. Seoul National University College of Medicine required "Biology" as a mandatory subject, whereas Korea University did not designate any required science subjects. Kyung Hee University made Physics, Chemistry, and Biology all mandatory, while Hanyang University required students to complete at least one of these subjects.
On the other hand, it was found that humanities departments have almost no designated required subjects. Only Seoul National University’s humanities departments specified that students must take at least one subject among a second foreign language or classical Chinese, while the other universities did not set any core recommended subjects for humanities departments.
Lim Seongho, CEO of Jongro Academy, commented, "There is a significant difference in designated subject requirements between the humanities and natural sciences under the high school credit system, which could make the process more confusing for natural sciences applicants. Based on the standards announced by the universities, students in the natural sciences will need to decide on their target university and department at an early stage."
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