Seoul National University Stops Public Disclosure of High School Admission Data
Seoul National University (서울대학교) has decided to cease the public disclosure of admission statistics by high school and district, a practice it has maintained for over 20 years through the National Assembly. This means that parents will no longer have an official way to find out how many students from their child's school were admitted to the university, except for a few schools that choose to disclose their own data. The university stated that this decision is aimed at preventing the promotion of high school rankings, but concerns have been raised that parents may increasingly rely on unverified information from private education institutions.
On March 14, a representative from the office of National Assembly member Seo Ji-young (서지영) reported that Seoul National University refused to provide the requested admission data categorized by high school and region. A university official explained in a phone call that they will not disclose this information starting this year due to potential negative effects, such as promoting high school rankings.
Since the early 2000s, the university has submitted data on the number of admitted students by high school and region to the National Assembly. However, last year, it only provided data on the number of admissions by district, and this year, it has decided not to release even that information. Critics in the education sector have argued that the public disclosure of admission numbers encourages schools to focus solely on sending students to Seoul National University, neglecting character education and contributing to the ranking of high schools and universities.
Despite the ongoing desire among students to attend prestigious universities, the lack of specific information may lead to an increased dependence on private education. Private institutions have been known to unofficially gather and utilize data on university admissions through high schools.
Currently, parents can access information such as average grades and college admission rates for each high school through the information disclosure site '학교알리미' (School Information). However, experts note that the variability in grading systems across schools means this data does not accurately reflect school quality. The site does not provide information on how many students were admitted to specific universities.
Jo Jin-pyo, the head of the career research institute Wise Mentor (와이즈멘토), stated, "Without information on how many students from each high school were admitted to which universities, students will turn to private academies for answers. Since each student has different university goals, it is essential to disclose admission information for all universities, not just Seoul National University, to alleviate students' anxieties."
In some regions, educational authorities have taken steps to ensure transparency regarding college admissions. For instance, the Gangwon Provincial Office of Education (강원교육청) has been publicly sharing the college admission results of high schools in the province since 2022. This year, they reported that out of 9,765 examinees, 34 were admitted to Seoul National University, and 105 were accepted into medical programs (including medical, dental, and oriental medicine schools).
