The biggest problem with college admissions policy of South Korea is its frequent changes and complex systems (e.g., Equal Opportunity Admissions, Regional Quotas, Principal’s Recommendations, etc.).
High school teachers and parents constantly need to study the admissions process. For families with multiple children—especially those born between 2003 and 2008—each child faces a completely different system, leading to significant societal confusion and fatigue. To address this issue, the "4-Year Admissions Policy Notice System" was introduced. This system aims to reduce confusion by announcing college admissions policies four years in advance. But is this system being fully implemented? Even the admissions policies for the 2026 academic year remain undecided (due to issues related to medical school admissions).
The Ministry of Education is not independent from political regimes and social issues. As a result, education policies and college admissions policies have changed frequently, and the burden has fallen entirely on students and parents. Moreover, every time a societal issue arises, the admissions process or its ratios are altered.
☑ When the proportion of admissions based on standardized test scores(Korean SAT) was high, it was considered unreasonable to evaluate students based solely on a single day's exam. In response, the Early Admissions system was introduced to evaluate students' consistent efforts throughout three years of high school.
☑ As the Early Admissions system expanded, cases of admissions fraud involving children of the social elite were revealed. This led to criticisms of the system’s lack of fairness, prompting calls to increase the share of Regular Admissions, where admission is based solely on standardized test scores. (Ironically, Regular Admissions makes it even harder for underprivileged students to succeed, as the system heavily favors those with financial resources.)
☑ Increasing the share of Regular Admissions in top universities in Seoul has led to a rise in student dropouts and the collapse of public education. Now, there are calls to increase the share of Early Admissions again.
These frequent changes in admissions policies stem from an unrealistic pursuit of a perfect and fair system. However, achieving such a system is impossible. What we perceive as "fair" is often just a misconception of fairness.
College admissions prioritize what benefits one's own child, making social integration difficult. With a potential change in Yoon’s Administration, I’m already worried about the aftermath in admissions policies.
