71-to-1 Drops to 13-to-1... Focus on the Real Competition Rate in Early Admissions Applications

[Financial News] Applications for early admissions to universities for the Class of 2027 will open on the 7th, and students are being urged to pay close attention because deadlines differ from one university to another. There are concerns that some applicants may miss the chance to apply altogether if they wait until the last minute and run into payment delays. In addition, even if the headline competition rate reaches dozens to one, the real competition rate can fall sharply depending on whether applicants meet the minimum CSAT requirements for each track. That makes it essential to carefully review the detailed conditions for each university before applying.

According to MegaStudyEdu Co. Ltd. on the 1st, applicants should not give up too quickly based only on the initial competition rate. Last year, Korea University (KU)'s essay-based admissions track had an initial competition rate of 71.85-to-1, but the real competition rate fell to 12.99-to-1 when only applicants who met the CSAT minimum requirement of a combined grade of 8 across four areas were counted. Sogang University also saw its rate drop from 107.09-to-1 to 33.19-to-1, while Kyung Hee University (KHU)'s liberal arts track fell from 92.9-to-1 to 19.4-to-1.
Nam Yungon, head of the admissions strategy research center at MegaStudyEdu Co. Ltd., said, "For essay-based admissions, it is better to apply after checking whether you can meet the minimum academic requirement rather than giving up based only on the initial competition rate."
Applicants should also check each university's deadline, which should not be overlooked during the application process. Korea University and Yonsei University will close applications at 5 p.m. on Sept. 9, while Seoul National University will close at 6 p.m. the same day. Ewha Womans University's deadline is 5 p.m. on Sept. 10, and University of Seoul (UOS) will accept applications until 6 p.m. that day. Most other major universities will close between 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. on Sept. 11.

The real competition rate for school-record-based admissions also changes significantly depending on whether applicants meet the minimum academic requirement. Many major universities, including Korea University, Sogang University and Chung-Ang University, apply CSAT minimum requirements to this track. As a result, the real competition rate among applicants who meet those requirements is often lower than the initial rate. Nam said, "Korea University's school recommendation track has seen a higher pass rate for the minimum requirement this year because the number of subjects counted in the science and social studies section has been reduced to one." He added, "You can only estimate the real competition rate by carefully checking each university's minimum academic requirement."
For comprehensive admissions, the range of eligible majors is limited because universities evaluate whether completed courses match the intended major. Nam said, "At universities that select multiple majors within the same field, checking changes in the competition rate until the very end can improve your chances of admission."
Experts also warned that students should not become so focused on early admissions applications that they neglect regular admissions and CSAT preparation. The period after the September mock exam is the last chance to prepare both for meeting the CSAT minimum requirement and for regular admissions.
Kim Byung-jin, head of the admissions evaluation research center at Etoos Education, said, "Students who urgently need to meet the early admissions minimum requirement should first focus on strategic subjects where they are near the grade cutoff, while those targeting regular admissions should start with weak areas that carry a high weighting." He added, "Organizing the types of mistakes you repeatedly make on mock exams and setting your own rules for behavior in the test room can help reduce psychological pressure in the real exam."

[email protected] Kim Manki Reporter