One in four Koreans considers the College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT) the most trusted measure for university admissions, a survey showed. Korea's college admissions system is largely divided into four tracks: subject-based admissions centered on each high school's written exams, comprehensive student record evaluation that examines students' specialties, essay-based admissions that account for only 3.6% of total admissions, and regular admissions based on CSAT scores. A significant portion of the public favors regular admissions based on the CSAT, the most quantified evaluation system.
When the Korean Educational Development Institute (KEDI) asked 4,000 citizens on Wednesday, "What do you think should be reflected most in college admissions?" 25.8% of respondents chose the CSAT first. It was followed by character and volunteer activities (24.8%), specialty and aptitude (23.8%), high school grades (18.3%), and interviews (2.1%).
Notably, parents whose children recently went through college admissions showed higher preference for the CSAT. Among parents of college students, 29.3% said the CSAT should be reflected most, followed by character and volunteer activities (24.6%), specialty and aptitude (24.3%), high school grades (18.8%), and interviews (1.4%).
The public's view that the CSAT should weigh most heavily in college admissions stems from a strong perception that "the CSAT is at least fair," despite criticisms such as that it merely "ranks students in line."
In fact, comprehensive student record evaluation includes too many qualitative assessment factors, such as detailed subject notes and personal statements, leading to substantial complaints among rejected applicants who say "it is hard to understand why they were rejected." Since admission outcomes are often determined by admissions consulting, including student record management, low-income students with strong academic abilities inevitably question the fairness of this track.
Subject-based admissions have also faced persistent criticism for failing to account for differences in academic levels between high schools, making them inappropriate for evaluating actual college-level ability. Unlike the CSAT, which displays standardized scores and percentile rankings, subject-based admissions often determine school record grades by a margin of just one question, fueling fairness disputes. The CSAT, by contrast, is considered free from fairness issues because students compete on the same problems at the same time on the same day, with all percentile rankings and standardized scores disclosed.
However, the admissions policies of universities and the government appear to run counter to public opinion. According to the 2028 college admissions plan released by the Ministry of Education last month, early decision admissions account for 80.8% of the total, diverging from the public's view of admissions fairness. While only 18.3% of respondents in the KEDI survey said high school grades should be weighted most heavily, a striking 45.3% of total admissions for the 2028 academic year will be selected through grade-based subject admissions. The selection ratio for comprehensive student record evaluation, frequently used by students from special-purpose high schools and autonomous private high schools, stands at 24.3%—nearly matching the 23.8% of respondents who said specialty and aptitude should be the top priority in college admissions.
"In comprehensive student record evaluation, the influence of subject notes and overall opinions written by teachers is so significant that a power dynamic forms between high school teachers and students. Because the quality of comprehensive evaluation entries varies greatly depending on teachers' tendencies and school atmosphere, students from non-elite school districts also have substantial complaints," an admissions industry official said. "In subject-based admissions, due to the new 'five-tier school record system' applied starting with current second-year high school students, competition is so intense that students at general high schools aiming for top-tier universities are even considering dropping out if they receive grades below the second tier (top 10% to 34%)." The official added, "Ultimately, except for students optimized for early decision admissions, there is an inevitable perception that the CSAT, which has almost no qualitative factors, is fair. However, as more students who entered through regular admissions based on high CSAT scores are recently taking leaves of absence or dropping out to enter medical school, top-tier universities including Seoul National University are reducing their regular admissions quotas, making it increasingly difficult to enter university through regular admissions."
