Freshmen at ‘In-Seoul’ universities: 29.9% graduated from Seoul high schools
Only 6.8% of freshmen at regional universities are from Seoul
The share of freshmen at four-year universities in Seoul who graduated from high schools in the capital fell below 30%, its lowest level in the past six years.
On Nov. 8, Jongro Academy said its analysis of freshman enrollment data for 224 universities nationwide (general universities, industrial universities and universities of education), published on the Higher Education in Korea website, found that among the 91,985 freshmen admitted to 43 four-year universities in Seoul for the 2026 academic year, 29.9% (27,463 students) had graduated from high schools in Seoul.
Students fill out OMR answer sheets at Bangsan High School in Songpa-gu, Seoul, on September 2, the day of the September mock exam for the 2027 College Scholastic Ability Test.
The share of freshmen from Seoul at universities in the capital area has declined steadily over the past five years. After reaching 32.9% for the 2021 academic year, it fell to 32.5% in 2022, 31.8% in 2023, 31.2% in 2024 and 30.4% in 2025. This year, it fell below the 30% mark, reaching its lowest level in the past six years.
The share of freshmen from Seoul high schools is also declining at top-tier universities, including Seoul National University, Yonsei University and Korea University. Of the 13,609 freshmen admitted to the three universities this year, 31.4% had graduated from high schools in Seoul. That was 0.8 percentage points lower than last year’s 32.2% and the lowest level in the past five years.
Among the three universities, Seoul National University had the highest share, at 35.7%. Of its 3,811 freshmen, 1,359 had graduated from high schools in Seoul. At Yonsei University, the figure was 1,405 out of 4,477 (31.4%), while at Korea University it was 1,511 out of 5,321 (28.4%).
Among 10 major universities in Seoul, the share of freshmen from Seoul high schools was highest at Seoul National University, followed by Yonsei University, Hanyang University (30.8%), Ewha Womans University (29.9%) and Korea University. They were followed by Sungkyunkwan University (28.3%), Chung-Ang University (25.6%), Hankuk University of Foreign Studies (25.5%), Sogang University (23.5%) and Kyung Hee University (22.9%). At seven universities other than Seoul National University, Yonsei University and Hanyang University, the share was below 30%. Meanwhile, 6.8% (14,805) of students from Seoul enrolled at universities outside the capital area this year, also the lowest figure in the past six years.
Hot Picks Today
“Two Spend 500,000 Won in a Flash, Yet Wait Two Hours?” … ‘Dreamland’ Shunned by Kids and Foreign Tourists
Lim Seong-ho, head of Jongro Academy, said, “With university admissions increasingly concentrated at universities in the Seoul area, students from Seoul may be finding it difficult to attend a university close to home and are therefore choosing, out of necessity, to retake the entrance exam.” He added, “Based on the most recently announced figures, for the 2025 academic year, the share of Seoul-area high school seniors who enrolled in four-year universities was 46.2% among students at general high schools, the lowest among the country’s 17 cities and provinces. This may mean that the share of high school seniors taking the entrance exam for a second or subsequent time is the highest in the country.”
This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.
© The Asia Business Daily. All rights reserved. Unauthorized AI training and use prohibited.