"School Violence Offenders Barred from University"...162 Rejected from Major National Universities

Number of Rejected Applicants Expected to Rise After Regular Admissions Close

It has been revealed that a large number of applicants with a history of school violence have been rejected from major national universities across the country.

On January 3, the office of Democratic Party lawmaker Jin Sunmi, a member of the National Assembly's Education Committee, confirmed that about 90% (162 applicants) with a record of school violence who applied to major national universities in Korea were rejected in the rolling admissions process. Kangwon National University had the highest number of rejected applicants, with a total of 37 failing to gain admission.

This was followed by Gyeongsang National University with 29, Kyungpook National University with 28, Chonbuk National University with 18, Chungnam National University with 15, Chonnam National University with 14, Chungbuk National University with 13, Pusan National University with 7, and Jeju National University with 1. There were no applicants with a history of school violence at Seoul National University.

From the 2026 academic year, all university admissions processes will be required to reflect records of school violence. This measure is part of the comprehensive plan to eradicate school violence announced by the Ministry of Education in 2023. In the 2025 academic year, 147 universities voluntarily reflected these records, but starting with the current admissions cycle, all universities must comply.

School violence measures are classified in the student record from Level 1 (written apology to the victim) to Level 9 (expulsion), depending on the severity of the case. In particular, Level 4 (community service) and Level 5 (special education or psychological counseling) are recorded for two years after graduation; Levels 6 to 8 (suspension, class transfer, or school transfer) are recorded for four years; and Level 9 (expulsion) is recorded permanently.

However, the level of point deduction can be determined autonomously by each university. In severe cases, some universities have made applicants ineligible to apply, while others have deducted up to 200 points. As the regular admissions process is still ongoing, the number of rejected applicants with a history of school violence at national universities is expected to increase further. This year, point deductions will also be applied to the regular admissions process.

Meanwhile, according to data on the status of school violence in elementary, middle, and high schools over the past five years, received by lawmaker Jin's office from the Ministry of Education last September, the number of reported cases of school violence increased from 25,903 in the 2020 academic year to 58,502 in the 2024 academic year, a 2.2-fold increase. During the same period, the number of cases referred to the School Violence Countermeasures Committee due to their seriousness surged more than threefold, from 8,357 to 27,835. Not only direct physical or verbal violence between students, but also psychological and relational violence such as cyberbullying and sexual violence, have been increasing rapidly.