The variety of gifted and science highschool graduates who entered the so-called “four science and technology institutes” — the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST), Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (DGIST), and Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST) — within the 2026 admissions cycle reached the very best degree in three years. The admissions business views this because the mixed results of elements together with the numerous drawback such college students face in grade level averages when making use of to medical colleges, improved therapy for science and engineering fields, and the growth within the semiconductor business.
According to an evaluation by Jongro Academy launched on the nineteenth, 844 gifted and science highschool graduates enrolled on the 4 science and expertise institutes this yr, up 7.9%, or 62 college students, from a yr earlier. By faculty, KAIST had probably the most gifted and science highschool freshmen at 598, adopted by UNIST (99), GIST (81), and DGIST (66). Over the previous three years, the variety of such freshmen on the 4 institutes has trended upward total: it fell from 813 within the 2024 cycle to 782 the next yr, affected by a 1.5-fold enhance in medical faculty admission quotas, earlier than rising sharply once more this yr.
This enhance in gifted and science highschool freshmen was additionally clearly noticed at universities operating science and engineering specialised departments or semiconductor contract departments that assure employment after commencement. Seoul National University, which established an “advanced convergence department” within the 2023 cycle, noticed its gifted and science highschool freshmen rise from 503 in 2024 to 554 in 2025, and to 576 this yr. At Sungkyunkwan University, which runs a semiconductor contract division in partnership with Samsung Electronics, associated freshmen elevated from 224 to 236, whereas at Hanyang University, which runs a semiconductor contract division with SK hynix, associated freshmen rose from 90 to 108.
In addition, at Kyungpook National University, which runs a cell contract division with Samsung Electronics, associated freshmen elevated from 10 to 19, and at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies (HUFS), which runs a synthetic intelligence (AI) division, the associated determine rose from 5 to fifteen. “In the 2026 cycle, science high school and gifted school graduates showed a strong preference for science and technology institutes or science and engineering departments,” stated Lim Sung-ho, head of Jongro Academy. “Expectations of high income levels tied to the semiconductor business outlook and policies to nurture science and engineering fields appear to have had an effect.”
However, some analysts say that within the 2027 cycle, the pattern of gifted and science highschool graduates getting into science and engineering fields might decline because of the growth of medical faculty quotas following the introduction of a regional doctor system. Because of the drawback in grade level common calculations, gifted and science highschool graduates discover it troublesome to enter medical colleges by early admission, so most enter by common admission. Some analysts additionally recommend that the variety of gifted and science highschool graduates who drop out or take depart from present science and engineering universities to purpose for medical faculty might enhance.
Meanwhile, an examination of college admission figures for autonomous highschool and international language highschool graduates confirmed sturdy showings by Korea University and HUFS. Among autonomous highschool graduates, together with these from autonomous personal excessive colleges, 699 entered Korea University, adopted by Sungkyunkwan University (647), Seoul National University (584), Hanyang University (532), and Yonsei University (501). Among international language highschool and worldwide highschool graduates, HUFS had probably the most enrollees at 538, adopted by Sungkyunkwan University (320), Korea University (319), Ewha Womans University (289), and Seoul National University (288). “Some universities are increasing their intake from these schools by strengthening interview evaluations in early admission, thereby favoring graduates of special-purpose high schools or autonomous private high schools who are relatively disadvantaged in grade-based admissions,” Lim stated. “I understand that HUFS attracts many applicants from foreign language and international high schools in early admission through learning curricula specialized for graduates of these schools.”