Seoul General High School Students Rank Lowest in Four-Year University Enrollment... Why?

Intense Competition and High Living Costs Are Key Factors
Students Reject Regional Universities and Choose to Retake the Exam

The rate at which students from general high schools in Seoul advance to four-year universities was the lowest in the nation.

On the morning of the 13th, when the 2026 College Scholastic Ability Test was held, examinees were preparing for the exam at Yongsan High School in Yongsan-gu, Seoul. Photo by Joint Press Corps

According to an analysis by Jongro Academy of data from the School Information Disclosure System, the four-year university enrollment rate for general high schools in Seoul for the 2025 academic year was 46.2%, the lowest among the 17 provinces and metropolitan cities nationwide. In contrast, North Gyeongsang Province recorded the highest rate at 80.2%, resulting in a gap of about 30 percentage points between the Seoul metropolitan area and non-metropolitan areas. The four-year university enrollment rates in Incheon and Gyeonggi, both part of the metropolitan area, were 54.5% and 55.7% respectively-higher than Seoul but still below the national average of 63.5%. Analysts attribute this gap to the difficulty metropolitan students face in choosing regional universities and the intense competition for admission to universities in Seoul.

In fact, students in Seoul tend to invest more time in retaking the college entrance exam, rather than enrolling in regional universities where tuition and living expenses are higher. The rate of enrollment in junior colleges is also higher in the metropolitan area, with Incheon at 24.8% and Seoul at 18.0%, making junior colleges a more realistic option for metropolitan students.

By region within Seoul, Seongdong-gu had the lowest four-year university enrollment rate in the country at 40.1%, followed by Gangbuk-gu at 41.0%, Seocho-gu at 41.9%, Songpa-gu at 43.4%, and Dongjak-gu at 43.5%. The results for Seoul students varied significantly depending on housing costs and the structure of private education in each district.

On the other hand, some non-metropolitan areas such as Jeju have high junior college enrollment rates, with students making quick career decisions by choosing universities with lower financial burdens. Jongro Academy stated, "The current university enrollment rates reflect the economic structure of students' places of residence rather than academic performance," and added, "For metropolitan students, the costs associated with attending regional universities have led to a fixed pattern of retaking the exam or choosing junior colleges."

The overall university (four-year + junior college) enrollment rate for general high school students nationwide was 64.2% in Seoul, 75.7% in the Gyeongin region, and 85.7% in non-metropolitan areas. While 4 out of 10 students in the metropolitan area do not go directly to university and instead choose to retake the exam or pursue other options, the non-metropolitan university non-enrollment rate remains around 20%, highlighting a clear regional disparity.