Admission to higher education
Among other things, admission to higher education requires successful completion of the higher
education entrance examination, known as the College Scholastic Aptitude Test
(CSAT)(대학수학능력시험 , Daehak Suhak Neungluk Siheom). This test, introduced in 2004, falls
under the responsibility of KICE and takes place every year in November. It is made up of five
subjects: Korean language, mathematics, foreign language (English), social studies/science/vocational
training (students choose one of these three subjects) and a second foreign language/Chinese
characters and Classics. Students are allowed to complete some or all tests within the relevant subject
area of their choice. Scores for Korean language, mathematics and foreign language range from 0 to
200, with 100 as the minimum pass mark. For the individual tests within the remaining subjects, scores
range from 0-100 with a pass mark of 50. The total number of possible credits for the entire test is 400.
For admittance, a minimum score of 250 is required. For further details, see the website of KICE under
Addresses.
There is a considerable emphasis on working towards passing the higher education entrance
examination. Many pupils engage private tutors in order to prepare themselves for this exam, which
means that pupils have little interest in extra-curricular activities at secondary school, and tend to
ignore subjects that are not tested in the CSAT. Recently MEST decided to set up an admission
officers system, with universities receiving funding for recruiting admission officers, who are trained to
screen candidates without the use of CSAT.
In addition to the CSAT scores, higher education institutions can also take prep courses, portfolios,
extra-curricular activities, letters of recommendation, etc. into consideration when determining
admissions. At several universities the CSAT scores represents 50% of the total score, while the other
50% consists of high school results (40%) and extracurricular activities (10%). The students needs 122
credits in the high school curriculum for admission to university.
Especially the technical universities do not use CSAT, but demand other evidence, like a
recommendation letter and other document proving that the student has the required academic and
intellectual skills in the field of technology and research. These institutions also organise their own
entrance examinations.
For a number of specializations (including art, languages and mathematics), students may be eligible
for the special selection procedure which aims to identify especially talented students. Student
representatives, students with an excellent student record, working professionals, adults and students
from rural areas also fall under this category.
Graduates from science high schools choose to be admitted to prestigious technical universities, while
many graduates from foreign language high schools want to go abroad for further study in higher
education.
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