Amid severe employment challenges and high living costs, an increasing number of students are opting for regional national universities instead of pursuing admission to schools in Seoul. Recent data shows that both the competition rates and admission cut-off scores for these universities have reached record highs over the past five years. Starting with the upcoming 2027 academic year, the government's policy of free tuition for regional national universities and the initiative to create 10 new Seoul National Universities are expected to further accelerate this trend.
According to an analysis by Jongno Academy on September 3, the competition rate for early admissions to regional national universities for the 2026 academic year stands at 8.65:1, the highest in the last four years. The competition rate for regular admissions also reached 5.68:1, the highest since the 2022 academic year.
The average admission cut-off scores for early admissions, based on the final registrants (70% cut-off), have also surged to 3.69 for humanities and 3.58 for sciences, marking the highest levels in five years and indicating a narrowing threshold for entry into these universities.
The competition rates for regular admissions at the nine regional national universities have increased from 4.67:1 in the 2022 academic year to 5.68:1 in 2026, despite a gradual decrease in the number of available spots. The number of applicants has remained stable, ranging between 55,000 and 57,000.
Similarly, early admission competition rates have shown an upward trend, rising from 8.92:1 in 2022 to 8.65:1 in 2026 after a slight dip in 2024.
As more students apply, the admission cut-off scores have also risen. For humanities, the average cut-off scores for early admissions were 3.75 in 2022, 3.71 in 2023, 3.91 in 2024, and 3.88 in 2025, before jumping to 3.69 in 2026.
The sciences saw an even larger increase, with cut-off scores rising from 3.80 in 2022 to 3.58 in 2026, the highest in five years.
For the 2026 academic year, the highest average admission score for humanities was 3.01, while the highest for sciences reached 2.87, indicating that even students with scores in the second tier are facing challenges.
Experts attribute the growing preference for regional national universities to the youth employment crisis and the desire to minimize opportunity costs. With the reality that attending a university in Seoul comes with high tuition and living expenses, and no guarantee of employment after graduation, students are increasingly turning to regional national universities for a more cost-effective option.
This trend is expected to intensify with the start of early application submissions for the 2027 academic year on September 7. The recent announcement of the government's free tuition policy for national universities and the allocation of significant funding for the initiative to create 10 new Seoul National Universities (including Pusan National University, Chungnam National University, and Jeonnam National University) has heightened interest among students and parents.
Lim Seong-ho, head of Jongno Academy, stated, "Students who are eligible for admission to both Seoul universities and regional national universities will show significantly more interest in the latter. There is a very high likelihood that students from regional areas will prefer regional national universities over private institutions." He added, "The issue of free tuition will be a decisive factor influencing application patterns and rising admission cut-off scores starting from the 2027 academic year."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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