Jeonbuk National University Disqualifies All 18 Early Admission Applicants With School Violence Records

Applicants With School Violence Records May Be Disqualified Regardless of Academic Performance
School Violence History Emerges as a Key Factor in University Admissions

Jeonbuk National University announced on December 26 that all 18 applicants with a history of school violence were rejected in the 2026 academic year early admission process. This indicates that a record of school violence has effectively become a decisive factor in university admissions.

At Jeonbuk National University, all applicants who were found to have received level 4 or higher disciplinary measures for school violence across academic record-based, practical skills, and holistic admissions were rejected at the final registration stage. Previously, only certain admissions tracks considered school violence records, but starting this year, the university expanded the scope in line with the government’s strong stance on eradicating school violence.

In the academic record-based admission process, Jeonbuk National University imposed point deductions based on the severity of school violence measures, while in the holistic admissions process, applicants were disadvantaged through qualitative evaluation. The university made it clear that school violence records would be managed as an evaluation criterion, not merely as a reference.

This trend is also evident at other universities. National universities such as Kyungpook National University and Kangwon National University have already been rejecting applicants with a history of school violence, and major universities in Seoul have also disqualified candidates in both early and regular admissions for the same reason. According to the Ministry of Education, among four-year universities that reflected school violence records in the 2025 admissions, approximately 75% of applicants with a confirmed history were rejected.

The Korea National University of Arts, which was at the center of controversy, has also moved to strengthen its policies. The university faced strong criticism after it was revealed that an applicant with a school violence record had been admitted, prompting an official apology from the university at the National Assembly. The president announced a re-evaluation of the admission decision and stated that stricter standards for reflecting school violence records would be established going forward.

The Ministry of Education has mandated that, starting from the 2026 academic year, all universities and all admissions tracks must reflect school violence records. As a result, it is expected that the number of rejected applicants will increase further. Now, even outstanding scores on the College Scholastic Ability Test or school grades cannot guarantee admission if a school violence record is confirmed.