The Korean Council for University Education announced the finalization of the Basic Guidelines for College Admissions for the 2029 academic year, following a review of opinions from universities nationwide and local education offices, as well as deliberation by the University Admissions Committee. These guidelines focus on minimizing confusion in the college admissions process by incorporating measures such as recognizing students’ efforts in taking courses under the high school credit system, establishing remedies for computer errors, and relaxing residency requirements for special admissions programs for rural and fishing village students.
First, with the full implementation of the high school credit system, new guidelines have been established to prevent students at small schools or those located in rural, agricultural, or fishing communities from being at a disadvantage. Colleges and universities are encouraged to reflect in their admissions evaluations the efforts students make to take courses—which their high schools may find difficult to offer—through online schools or joint educational programs. This measure is intended to prevent unreasonable discrimination based on the curriculum structure of a student’s high school and to guarantee students’ freedom of course selection.
Remedial measures have also been put in place to prevent applicants from suffering harm due to unexpected computer system errors during the application period. In the event of a computer system failure, universities must establish their own remedial measures—such as allowing the retroactive submission of missing documents through an internal committee.
The residency requirements for the Special Admissions Program for Rural and Fishing Village Students have also been partially relaxed. Previously, students were required to meet the residency requirements in the designated area from the date of admission until their high school graduation. However, to reduce confusion and disputes among students and parents, it has been decided to grant eligibility on an exceptional basis—limited to admitted students who are scheduled to graduate—if they maintain residency in the area until the day they register at the university following admission. However, students who have already graduated must still meet the residency requirement from the date of admission through the date of graduation, as was previously required.
Guidelines regarding the enrollment and withdrawal procedures for admitted students will also be further strengthened. Universities must clearly inform admitted students about enrollment requirements, the prohibition on dual enrollment, and the procedures and methods for withdrawing from enrollment. This measure is intended to minimize the risk of unintentionally depriving the next-in-line applicants of their chance to be admitted and to address the issue of unfilled spots at universities.
The 2029 college admissions schedule will follow a similar timeline to previous years to ensure predictability for applicants. The application period for early admission will run for at least three days between September 18 and 21, 2028, and the selection process will last a total of 88 days, from September 22 to December 18. The announcement of early admission results will be completed by December 19. The registration period for admitted students runs from December 20 to 22, and notifications of admission to fill vacancies due to non-registration will be issued by 6:00 p.m. on December 28.
Applications for the regular admissions period will be accepted for at least three days between January 2 and 5, 2029. The regular admissions process will be conducted over 8 days for each group: Group A from January 8 to 15, Group B from January 16 to 23, and Group C from January 24 to 31; acceptance notifications will be announced by February 6. Subsequently, registration for admitted students will take place from February 7 to 9, and notifications regarding admission to fill vacancies due to non-registration will continue until 6:00 p.m. on February 19.
The supplementary admissions process will take place over an 8-day period from February 21 to 28, 2029, covering everything from application submission to the selection process, the announcement of accepted students, and enrollment. For the flexible admission period targeting overseas Koreans and foreign nationals, the application period for the March enrollment will run from July 3, 2028, to February 28, 2029, and the application period for the September enrollment will run from March 1, 2029, to August 31, 2029.
Specific details regarding the basic guidelines for college admissions for the 2029 academic year can be found on the website of the Korean Council for University Education and the College Admissions Information Portal.
