December 10: Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education Proposes "Future-Oriented College Admissions System"
Essay-Type and Written-Response Assessments to Be Introduced in CSAT for 2033 Admissions
"CSAT to Be Gradually Abolished... Transition Needed to
Starting with the 2028 college admissions process, which will apply to current first-year high school students (born in 2009), universities in the Seoul metropolitan area will reduce their regular admissions quota from the current 30-40%, thereby decreasing reliance on the College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT). For the 2033 admissions cycle, targeting current fifth graders (born in 2014), essay-type assessments will be introduced into the CSAT, and both the CSAT and school grades will transition to an absolute grading system. Ultimately, the CSAT will be abolished for the 2040 admissions cycle, which will apply to children who are five years old this year (born in 2021).
On December 10, Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education Superintendent Chung Geunsik held a press conference at the Seodaemun District Office of Education and proposed this “future-oriented college admissions system.” He explained that the current CSAT-centric admissions system cannot resolve issues such as the normalization of public education and the problem of excessive private education expenses. He further emphasized that, given the rapid decline in the school-age population, the need to cultivate talent for the artificial intelligence (AI) era, and the implementation of the high school credit system, reforming the college admissions process is inevitable.
Superintendent Chung stated, “The era of digital transformation and the looming demographic cliff caused by a sharp decline in the school-age population demand a new educational paradigm that goes beyond traditional selection methods.” He continued, “We must create a learning environment where children can experience ‘collaboration’ rather than ‘competition’ and focus on their own ‘growth’ rather than comparisons with others.”
The main points of the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education’s college admissions reform include: ▲ restructuring the school grade evaluation system, ▲ revising the CSAT, ▲ improving the admissions selection process, and ▲ reforming high school education. In particular, to ensure the stable operation of the high school credit system introduced this year, a three-stage overhaul is deemed necessary, starting with the 2028 admissions cycle for current first-year high school students, followed by the 2033 and 2040 cycles.
According to the proposal, the 2028 admissions cycle will immediately convert the grading of “career and interdisciplinary elective subjects” to an absolute grading system. The high school credit system was designed on the premise of absolute grading, so the current practice of dual grading with relative evaluation should be abolished to align with its original intent.
The recommendation for universities in the Seoul metropolitan area to maintain a certain percentage of regular admissions will also be abolished. Previously, the Ministry of Education had recommended that the 16 major universities in Seoul allocate at least 40% of their admissions to regular selection after controversy over alleged admissions favoritism involving the children of former Justice Minister Cho Kuk. Removing this recommendation means the CSAT will have less influence on college admissions.
Additionally, the scope of the “regional balanced selection” system, which restricts applications to special-purpose high schools such as autonomous private high schools, foreign language high schools, international high schools, science high schools, and gifted schools, will be expanded to further reduce the influence of these schools. This aims to ease the hierarchy among high schools. The proposal also calls for legal grounds to be established through revisions to the Enforcement Decree of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act to facilitate the conversion of autonomous private, foreign language, and international high schools into general high schools.
Superintendent Chung stated, “An increase in regular admissions has not only led to high school students dropping out to prepare for the CSAT but also caused university students to drop out, increasing the burden of private education due to the rise in repeat test-takers. Now, high school education should focus on student growth and competency development, with a college admissions system that allows students to pursue paths suited to their aptitudes.”
On the 13th, the day of the 2026 College Scholastic Ability Test, a mother is encouraging her examinee child at Yongsan High School in Seoul. 2025.11.13 Photo by Kang Jinhyung
The comprehensive overhaul of the admissions system will begin with the 2033 cycle, targeting current fifth graders. From this point, both school grades and the CSAT will use an absolute grading system, and essay-type assessments will be introduced and expanded.
The current nine-level relative grading system for the CSAT (excluding English, Korean history, and second foreign languages) will be replaced by a five-level absolute grading system. The admissions process will be completely restructured to focus on student records, with the CSAT serving only as a supplementary factor.
Essay-type assessments will be implemented for both school grades and the CSAT. For school grades, the proportion of essay-type questions in each subject’s written exams will rise from 30% in the 2027 cycle to 40% in 2028, and 50% in 2029. After the 2030 cycle, when current fifth graders enter high school, this proportion will increase to over 50%. The goal is to shift toward competency-based evaluation to measure the multifaceted abilities required by the times. The Office of Education is developing an AI-based automated scoring model to support this change.
Essay-type assessments will also be introduced into the CSAT. Alongside multiple-choice questions that assess basic academic achievement, essay-type questions will be added to evaluate students’ thinking skills, inquiry processes, and problem-solving abilities. The proportion of essay-type questions will increase from 30% in the 2033 cycle to 40% in 2035, and to over 50% in 2037.
Furthermore, the current dual-track admissions system (early and regular admissions) will be unified, and the admissions process will take place after students complete their regular curriculum in the second semester of their third year of high school. This aims to reduce the phenomenon of empty classrooms among high school seniors. In connection with the national policy of “creating 10 Seoul National University-level institutions,” the proposal also suggests introducing region-based selection systems for national universities outside the metropolitan area to prioritize students who meet the competencies sought by these institutions.
Through these stages, the ultimate goal is to completely abolish the CSAT in college admissions. This is planned for the 2040 admissions cycle, when the high school-age population (ages 15-17) is expected to drop to half its current level. This will apply to children who are five years old this year.
Superintendent Chung stated, “In the 2040 admissions cycle, the high school-age population will plummet to about half of what it is today. At that point, the need for differentiation in college admissions for the purpose of ‘selection’ will become meaningless.”
At this stage, the CSAT will be abolished based on the successful implementation of the high school credit and achievement evaluation systems, and a college admissions support system focused on students’ growth records will be established. Universities may use cross-curricular, problem-bank-style interviews or essay-type assessments as supplementary materials in their admissions process, but whether and how to use them will be left to the discretion of each university.
Superintendent Chung strongly urged, “I call for the establishment of a broad-based governance structure involving the National Education Commission, the Ministry of Education, universities, and civil society, so that today’s proposal does not remain just a single opinion.” He added, “Let us all work together to ensure that college admissions become not the final stage of education for nurturing future talent, but a new starting point that opens the path to growth.”
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