Semiconductor contract departments' regular admissions cutoff surpasses College of Natural Sciences at Seoul National University

[Financial News] The regular admissions cutoff for semiconductor contract departments at universities in the Seoul metropolitan area, which guarantee employment at Samsung Electronics and SK hynix, surpassed the College of Natural Sciences at Seoul National University for the 2026 academic year. The average CSAT score of successful applicants at five universities was 96.2 points, higher than the 95.8 points for the College of Natural Sciences at Seoul National University. The cutoff is now approaching the level of regional medical schools, shaking up the top tier of science-track admissions.
According to Jongno Academy on the 21st, the average scores in Korean, math and inquiry sections of the CSAT for students admitted through regular admissions to semiconductor departments at universities in Seoul, including Yonsei University, Korea University, Hanyang University, Sungkyunkwan University and Sogang University, came to 96.2 points for the 2026 academic year. That slightly exceeded the 95.8-point average for successful applicants to the College of Natural Sciences at Seoul National University.
By university, Hanyang University Department of Semiconductor Engineering recorded the highest score at 98.0 points, followed by Korea University at 97.0, Sungkyunkwan University at 96.0, and Sogang University and Yonsei University at 95.0 each. By hiring partner, the average for Korea University, Sogang University and Hanyang University, which are linked to SK hynix, was 96.7 points, 1.2 points higher than Yonsei University and Sungkyunkwan University, which are tied to Samsung Electronics, at 95.5 points.
These contract departments are also threatening the cutoff levels of medical schools, which attract the very top science-track students. The average regular admissions score for regional medical schools in the 2026 academic year was 97.2 points, lower than Hanyang University Department of Semiconductor Engineering and roughly on par with the Department of Semiconductor Engineering, Korea University. The gap with medical schools in the Gyeongin area at 99.0 points and Seoul-area medical schools at 98.8 points is not large either.
The admissions industry believes that in the 2027 regular admissions cycle, when medical school quotas are expanded with the introduction of the Regional Physician System, semiconductor contract departments could even surpass the average cutoff for medical schools.
Lim Seong Ho, CEO of Jongno Academy, analyzed, "If students are admitted to both a semiconductor contract department and a medical school, it will be worth watching which one they choose. Depending on that choice, there could be significant changes in the cutoff lines for both contract departments and medical schools." He added, "Given the current situation, if students are accepted to both a contract department and the College of Engineering, Seoul National University, more of them may choose the contract department," and predicted that the cutoff for the College of Natural Sciences at Seoul National University could fall further than last year.

ahnman@fnnews.com An Seung-hyun Reporter