A total of 551,864 people applied to sit the College Scholastic Ability Test, or CSAT, for 2027 admissions, the Korea Institute for Curriculum and Evaluation said Tuesday.
The total was down 2,310 from 554,174 applicants last year, driven largely by a sharp decline in current high-school students. The number of current students fell 16,506, or 4.4 percent, from a year earlier.
By contrast, so-called N-su students — graduates and qualification-exam holders seeking another shot at college admission — increased by about 14,000 to 196,473, the highest since 198,025 registered for the 2004 academic-year exam.
Graduates alone numbered 173,706, also the highest in 23 years, while 22,767 qualification-exam holders applied, marking the largest number in 32 years.
Private education institute Jongro Academy estimated that about 99,000 of the graduate applicants are "ban-su" students who entered university this year but are taking the CSAT again in hopes of gaining admission to a different school.
Current high-school students accounted for 64.4 percent of all applicants, while graduates and qualification-exam holders made up 35.6 percent.
The surge in repeat test-takers comes as this year's exam will be the last under the current CSAT system and as South Korea introduces a regional doctor program that is expected to add another incentive for applicants seeking medical-school places.
Starting with the 2028 admissions cycle, the CSAT will be reorganized under a more fully integrated testing system eliminating the current distinction in elective subjects between humanities- and science-track students.
AJP Takeaways
- Nearly 200,000 repeat and non-school applicants registered for the Nov. 19 CSAT, the highest in 23 years, even as total applicants edged down.
- Current high-school applicants fell 4.4 percent from a year earlier, raising competitive pressure from older test-takers who now make up 35.6 percent of the pool.
- The surge comes in the final year of the current CSAT format, with regional doctor admissions and looming 2028 exam changes adding incentives for graduates to try again.
Copyright ⓒ Aju Press All rights reserved.