With School Grades Weighing on Applicants, Essay Admissions Become a 'Chance to Turn Things Around'—Half Applied

[Financial News] More than half, or 54.1%, of applications for general early admissions at the 44 universities offering essay-based admissions were submitted to essay-based programs, according to the data. Essay-based admissions accounted for 22.5% of the total available places.
The 2027 academic year's early-admission essay examinations will begin in earnest on October 3, starting with the University of Seoul (UOS), Sungshin Women's University and Hongik University.
Jinhak said on the 30th that the average competition rate for essay-based admissions at these universities rose to 48.14 to 1, up from 43.45 to 1 the previous year. Applications for student-record-based academic performance admissions accounted for 12.8%, while those for holistic student-record admissions made up 33.1%. The share for essay-based admissions alone was higher than the combined 45.9% for the two other types. The analysis covered only general admissions, excluding programs requiring separate qualifications, such as regional talent and equal-opportunity admissions.
Woo Yeon-cheol, head of Jinhak's Institute of Admissions Strategy Research, said, "Because essay-based admissions place little practical weight on school grades, they are a representative admissions route used as a 'chance to turn things around' by applicants who feel burdened by their grades." He analyzed, "This year in particular, the increase in repeat CSAT takers coincided with the special circumstance that it is the final year under the current admissions system, making this concentration even more pronounced."
Among individual majors, the highest competition rate was recorded by the humanities track of Kyung Hee University's pre-Korean medicine program. A total of 3,111 applicants applied for five places, producing a rate of 622.2 to 1. Sahmyook University's Department of Pharmacy followed at 563.4 to 1, ahead of Ajou University's Department of Pharmacy at 527 to 1 and Sungkyunkwan University's premedical program at 524.6 to 1. Several medicine and pharmacy programs recorded rates exceeding 500 to 1.
Among natural sciences programs excluding medicine and pharmacy, contract-based semiconductor departments posted high competition rates. Sogang University's Department of System Semiconductor Engineering, an SK hynix contract-based department operated under a corporate agreement, recorded the highest rate at 297.67 to 1. Hanyang University's Department of Semiconductor Engineering followed at 211 to 1.
In the humanities track, Kookmin University's Business Administration major in the Division of Business Administration recorded the highest rate for the second consecutive year, at 389.09 to 1. Kookmin University's Media major in the Division of Media and Advertising followed at 361.5 to 1, while Hanyang University's Department of Media and Communication posted 337.2 to 1.
On October 3, UOS, Sungshin Women's University and Hongik University will administer essay exams for natural sciences programs, while Sungshin Women's University and Hongik University will hold exams for humanities programs on October 4. On October 10, Yonsei University will administer its exam, followed on October 11 by The Catholic University of Korea, excluding its medicine and pharmacy programs, and Chung-Ang University's creative-format program. Dankook University, Sangmyung University and Seokyeong University will also hold essay exams before the CSAT.
The minimum CSAT requirement is a condition requiring applicants to earn certain grades or higher on the CSAT, separately from their essay scores, in order to be admitted. Woo advised, "Although the initial competition rate for essay-based admissions may appear high, the effective rate can fall to one-quarter or less once students absent from the essay exam and those who fail to meet the minimum CSAT requirement are excluded." He added, "Preparing for the essay exam is important, but applicants to universities with a minimum CSAT requirement should make meeting that requirement their top priority for the remaining period to improve their chances of admission." 

[email protected] Kim Man-gi Reporter