Ministry of Education to Support High School Credit System... Elective Subjects Can Be Completed with Attendance Alone

Announcement of Support Measures for the Stable Implementation of the High School Credit System on January 28
Assignment of Subject Teachers for Online Content Courses
Gathering Field Feedback through Monitoring and Advisory Committees

The government has decided to relax the credit completion criteria for elective subjects starting this year to ensure the successful implementation of the high school credit system. In addition, students who fail to earn credits on time will be able to obtain them by taking courses on an online platform.

Relaxation Measures for Credit Completion Criteria

The Ministry of Education announced on January 28 support measures for the stable implementation of the high school credit system, following the recent deliberation and resolution by the National Education Commission regarding the relaxation of credit completion criteria in high schools. The high school credit system, which will be fully implemented this year, allows students to choose subjects based on their career paths and aptitudes, and to graduate once they accumulate the required credits by meeting completion standards. First-year students primarily take common subjects, while the proportion of elective subjects increases in the second and third years.

First, starting from the 2026 academic year, the criteria for credit completion will be relaxed. Under the previous credit system, students had to meet both the attendance rate (at least two-thirds attendance) and the academic achievement rate (at least 40%) for each subject in order to complete the subject and earn credits. Under the new relaxation measures, the academic achievement rate requirement will be removed for elective subjects, and only the attendance rate will be applied.

This aims to reduce the burden on students and schools associated with the minimum achievement level support guidance that is implemented when the academic achievement rate is not met. For Creative Experiential Activities, students will be recognized as having fulfilled the credit requirement if they attend at least two-thirds of the total class days for each grade.

The relaxation measures for credit completion criteria will be applied this year to first- and second-year high school students, and from next year, to first- through third-year high school students.

In addition, a platform will be developed to allow students who fail to complete subjects on time to earn credits through online content. The existing “Online Supplementary Course” platform of the Korea Educational Development Institute will be revamped and utilized. Students who need to complete online content can apply through their schools or local education offices, take the courses after school hours or at other available times, and will be considered to have completed the subject if they attend at least two-thirds of the classes. Teachers will be assigned to each subject for students taking online content to provide Q&A, learning counseling, and progress management support.

To enable students to take a diverse range of elective subjects, the conditions for offering elective courses will also be improved. A total of 777 regular teachers will be additionally assigned to online schools and joint curriculum hub schools. In rural and small schools (442 schools), support will be provided for hiring instructors to offer a wider variety of subjects, with a budget of 15.7 billion won.

Additionally, to prevent the accumulation of learning deficits in elementary and middle schools, the National Basic Academic Ability Support Portal will be launched next month. More than 534 specialized teachers for basic academic ability will be recruited, and the “one classroom, two teachers” system will be expanded to provide customized guidance during classes. This system was implemented in 4,481 schools, accounting for 37% of all schools last year, and is planned to be implemented in 7,200 schools, or 60% of all schools, by 2027.

Basic academic ability guidance for first-year high school common subjects will be operated in connection with the minimum achievement level support guidance. To ensure the effectiveness of the minimum achievement level support, teaching support materials for common subjects will be distributed through the Edunet website. For students with low academic achievement rates in elective subjects, related teaching materials will continue to be developed and distributed to support improvement in academic achievement.

The number of characters allowed in the school life record book entries written by homeroom teachers will be reduced. The “Behavioral Characteristics and Overall Opinion” section will be reduced from 500 to 300 characters, and the “Career Activities” section of Creative Experiential Activities will be reduced from 700 to 500 characters. For the “Detailed Abilities and Special Notes by Subject” section, it will be possible not to enter information if deemed unavoidable by the Academic Performance Management Committee.

The Ministry of Education will develop and distribute subject introduction videos for all 137 high school elective subjects starting this month. In addition to high school credit system briefings, support will be provided for high school students and parents to receive professional counseling in areas where they need assistance.

The Ministry of Education will also regularize consultations with provincial and metropolitan education offices and the Korea Institute for Curriculum and Evaluation, while strengthening inter-agency cooperation. Through various consultative bodies, such as the high school credit system monitoring group and the high school education development advisory committee, the ministry will continue to gather feedback from the field and further improve the system.

Minister of Education Choi Kyojin stated, "These improvement measures focus on enhancing field acceptance while preserving the intent of the system, in line with the needs of schools and the recommendations of the National Education Commission," adding, "We will continue to actively support the system's rapid stabilization by consistently reflecting feedback from the field."