The variety of freshmen from gifted colleges and science excessive colleges who entered the so-called 4 science and expertise institutes within the 2026 school admissions cycle reached its highest stage prior to now three years. The 4 science and expertise institutes—the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, the Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology, the Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology, and the Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology—are research-focused universities working as greater training establishments underneath the Ministry of Science and ICT, not like common universities underneath the Ministry of Education.
The admissions trade attributes this to a mix of things, together with the substantial drawback gifted and science highschool graduates face of their grade level averages when making use of to medical colleges, together with improved remedy for STEM fields and a growth within the semiconductor trade. In reality, when gifted and science highschool college students enter medical fields, they not solely face disadvantages of their grades however in some instances should repay numerous budgets supplied whereas attending their colleges, which means college students at these colleges face appreciable penalties when in search of to enter medical college.
According to an evaluation by Jongro Academy and The Seoul Economic Daily launched on the twentieth, 844 gifted and science highschool graduates enrolled on the 4 science and expertise institutes this 12 months, up 7.9% (62 college students) from the earlier 12 months.
By establishment, KAIST ranked first with 598 freshmen from gifted and science excessive colleges, adopted by UNIST (99), GIST (81), and DGIST (66). Looking on the variety of gifted and science highschool graduates coming into the 4 institutes over the previous three years, the determine fell from 813 within the 2024 educational 12 months to 782 the next 12 months—affected by a 1.5-fold improve in medical college admission quotas—earlier than rising sharply once more this 12 months, exhibiting an total upward development.
This improve in gifted and science highschool freshmen was additionally evident at universities working STEM-specialized departments or semiconductor contract-based applications that assure employment after commencement. Seoul National University, which established its “Advanced Convergence Department” within the 2023 educational 12 months, noticed its gifted and science highschool freshmen rise from 503 in 2024 to 554 in 2025, reaching 576 this 12 months. At Sungkyunkwan University, which runs a semiconductor contract-based program in partnership with Samsung Electronics, associated freshmen elevated from 224 to 236, whereas at Hanyang University, which operates a semiconductor contract-based program with SK hynix, associated freshmen grew from 90 to 108.
In addition, at Kyungpook National University, which runs a cellular contract-based program with Samsung Electronics, associated freshmen rose from 10 to 19, and at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, which operates a man-made intelligence (AI) division, associated college students elevated from 5 to 15. “In the 2026 academic year, a strong preference for the science and technology institutes or STEM departments emerged among students from science and gifted high schools,” mentioned Lim Sung-ho, CEO of Jongro Academy. “This appears to be influenced by high expectations for income levels in the semiconductor industry and STEM development policies.”
Gifted colleges are ruled by the Act on the Promotion of Education for the Gifted relatively than the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. Above all, as a result of their curriculum differs from that of common excessive colleges, most college students enter universities by way of the great scholar document screening, particular expertise screening, or essay screening. In addition, gifted colleges start accepting functions from April to May and choose about 800 college students throughout eight colleges, whereas science excessive colleges start accepting functions in August and choose about 1,600 college students throughout some 20 colleges, leaving a robust notion that admission to gifted colleges is comparatively harder than to science excessive colleges.
Meanwhile, school admissions figures for graduates of autonomous excessive colleges and international language excessive colleges, Korea University and Hankuk University of Foreign Studies confirmed energy. Among graduates of autonomous excessive colleges such as autonomous non-public excessive colleges, 699 entered Korea University, adopted by Sungkyunkwan University (647), Seoul National University (584), Hanyang University (532), and Yonsei University (501). Among graduates of international language and worldwide excessive colleges, Hankuk University of Foreign Studies had essentially the most enrollees at 538, adopted by Sungkyunkwan University (320), Korea University (319), Ewha Womans University (289), and Seoul National University (288).
A survey of admission traits for special-purpose and autonomous highschool college students additionally highlighted Sungkyunkwan University’s rise. Sungkyunkwan University ranked second in freshmen from science excessive colleges, and likewise posted excessive rankings amongst gifted colleges (fifth), autonomous excessive colleges (2nd), and international language and worldwide excessive colleges (2nd). In specific, Sungkyunkwan University’s freshmen from gifted colleges stood at simply 21 in 2024, rating ninth total, however jumped to 43 this 12 months, rising to fifth total. Its rating in freshmen from international language and worldwide excessive colleges additionally rose from fifth to 2nd in two years. “Sungkyunkwan University has many advanced departments and contract-based programs related to semiconductors and artificial intelligence (AI), and it operates screening tracks favorable to special-purpose high school graduates, such as the science talent track within the comprehensive student record screening—this appears to have produced such results,” a college official mentioned.