"Guaranteed Jobs at Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix? No Thanks"...The Choice of 144 Students Who Walked Away from Yonsei and Korea University

A 39.8% Increase From Last Year’s 103 Students

In the 2026 regular college admissions, a total of 144 applicants who had been accepted to corporate-contracted majors at Yonsei University and Korea University ultimately chose not to enroll. It is analyzed that many students opted for medical and pharmaceutical majors or Seoul National University instead of these contracted majors that guarantee employment at large corporations.

On the 22nd, Jongno Academy announced that, in the 2026 regular admissions for corporate-contracted majors at Yonsei University and Korea University, 144 students who had been accepted declined to enroll, an increase of 39.8% compared to last year (103 students).

A view of a medical school in Seoul where a degree conferral ceremony was held. Yonhap News (This photo is not directly related to the article.)

This year, the total number of available seats in the five contracted majors at these universities was 85, up from 72 last year, but the number of students forgoing enrollment exceeded the increase in capacity (18.1%). Corporate-contracted majors are programs established through agreements between universities and companies to cultivate talent; students are guaranteed employment at the partner company upon admission and can also receive scholarship benefits.

By university, the number of students who declined to enroll in Yonsei University’s contracted majors was 68, a 51.1% increase from the previous year. At Korea University, 76 students gave up their enrollment, up 31.0% from last year.

By company, 74 students declined to enroll in Samsung Electronics’ contracted majors (the System Semiconductor Engineering Department at Yonsei University and the Next-Generation Communications Department at Korea University), a 39.6% increase year-on-year. In SK Hynix’s contracted major (the Semiconductor Engineering Department at Korea University), 37 students gave up enrollment, an increase of 76.2%.

This year, the regular admissions quotas for these majors were 32 and 15 students, respectively, and the figures suggest that most of the initially admitted students withdrew, triggering a chain of additional admits who also declined to enroll.

Students Forgoing Regular Admissions Enrollment in Corporate-Contracted Majors at Yonsei and Korea Universities - Jongno Academy, Yonhap News

At Korea University, 12 successful applicants to the Next-Generation Communications Department linked with Samsung Electronics declined to enroll, up 9.1%, while 27 students gave up enrollment in the Smart Mobility Department linked with Hyundai Motor Company, a 3.8% increase from the previous year.

Most students who declined to enroll in the contracted majors are analyzed to have chosen Seoul National University or medical and pharmaceutical tracks. Im Seongho, CEO of Jongno Academy, explained, "These two universities are placed in the Ga admission pool, while Seoul National University is in the Na pool, and most schools of medicine, dentistry, Korean medicine, pharmacy, and veterinary medicine are in the Na and Da pools. It is therefore estimated that students who were accepted both to Seoul National University or medical-related majors and to these contracted majors ultimately chose the former and withdrew."