Increase from 80,000 to 90,000 Over the Past Five Years
Active Reattempts Among Top Students at Major Seoul Universities
There are predictions that the number of students retaking the college entrance exam, known as "bansusaeng," will reach a record high for the 2027 academic year. Several factors are at play, including the transition to a new high school grade system, changes to the College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT), and an increase in medical school admissions quotas. As these factors converge, it is possible that up to 100,000 students will opt to reattempt the admissions process.
A student is entering the lecture building at Korea University College of Medicine in Seongbuk-gu, Seoul.
According to an analysis released by Jongro Academy on March 2, the number of bansusaeng students has steadily increased over the past five years. The figures rose from 82,006 in the 2022 academic year, to 81,116 in 2023, 89,642 in 2024, 93,195 in 2025, and 92,390 in 2026. If this trend continues, the number could approach 100,000 for the 2027 academic year.
The 2027 academic year will also be the last year the current nine-grade high school record system is applied. Under this system, the top 4% of students receive the highest grade, and the next 11% receive the second-highest grade. However, starting from the 2028 academic year, a new five-grade system will be introduced, in which the top 10% will receive the highest grade and the next 34% the second-highest, broadening the categories. As a result, students with top grades are expected to retake the exam this year to avoid potential disadvantages under the new system.
It is expected that some students currently enrolled at major universities, including Seoul National University, Yonsei University, and Korea University, as well as those in medical, dental, Korean medicine, and pharmacy schools, will reattempt the college entrance exam for the 2027 academic year. According to recent dropout statistics, in 2025, the number of dropouts from the three major universities in Seoul was 2,496, and this figure rises to 8,683 when expanded to the top ten universities. The number of dropouts from medical, dental, Korean medicine, and pharmacy schools also stood at 1,004, showing an increasing trend over the past five years.
In addition, the government's introduction of a regional doctor system, which will increase medical school admissions quotas by 490 for the 2027 academic year, is cited as another factor that could boost the number of bansusaeng students. Although the regional doctor system requires graduates to serve in the region of their alma mater for ten years, the high level of competition for medical school admission is expected to contribute, at least in part, to the rise in students retaking the exam.
Furthermore, students who failed to enter their desired universities last year due to the difficulty of the CSAT are also expected to use this last opportunity to reattempt. Jongro Academy stated, "Multiple factors are interacting, including the transition in the school record system, the expansion of medical school admissions quotas, changes to the CSAT, and last year's CSAT difficulty. This could lead to continued increases in both student dropouts and bansusaeng numbers among currently enrolled university students."
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