"Choosing Science Over Medicine? Surge in STEM Preference Drives Gifted High School Applications to Record High"

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The number of applicants for gifted high schools nationwide for the 2027 academic year has reached an all-time high since the ban on duplicate applications between schools was implemented.

According to Jongro Academy on May 29, the number of applicants for the 2027 academic year at seven of the eight nationwide gifted high schools that disclosed their competition rates (as of the application deadline on May 26) reached 4,155, an increase of 8.6% compared to the previous year. The average competition rate rose to 6.21 to 1, up from 5.72 to 1 last year. Both the number of applicants and competition rates are at their highest levels since the ban on duplicate applications between schools began in the 2022 academic year.

As SK hynix recorded its highest-ever sales, operating profit, and net profit in the third quarter of 2024, driven by high-bandwidth memory (HBM) effects, employees are leaving the SK hynix headquarters in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province on the 25th. Photo by Jinhyung Kang

By school, Sejong Academy for Science and Arts recorded the highest competition rate at 7.55 to 1, followed by Daegu Science High School at 7.32 to 1, Incheon Academy for Science and Arts at 6.81 to 1, Daejeon Science High School at 5.88 to 1, Gyeonggi Science High School at 5.67 to 1, Gwangju Science High School at 5.46 to 1, and Seoul Science High School at 5.43 to 1.

In terms of the number of applicants by school, Sejong Academy for Science and Arts saw the largest increase, rising by 147 from 487 last year to 634 this year, a 30.2% jump. During the same period, Daejeon Science High School increased by 64 from 465 to 529 (13.8%), Daegu Science High School by 73 from 586 to 659 (12.5%), and Gyeonggi Science High School by 55 from 625 to 680 (8.8%).

This trend of increasing applications to gifted high schools is analyzed to be in line with the growing preference among middle school students for science and engineering fields over medical schools.

Jongro Academy CEO Lim Sungho stated, "Despite the introduction of the local doctor program this year, which could have increased the popularity of medical schools, the number of applicants for gifted high schools, which are virtually ineligible for medical school admissions, has risen. The recent increase in interest in semiconductor contract departments at Samsung Electronics and SK hynix has also had some influence."

For the 2027 university entrance, Samsung Electronics and SK hynix’s semiconductor contract departments will recruit a total of 460 students at ten universities nationwide. Samsung Electronics will select 350 students at seven universities, including Yonsei University, Sungkyunkwan University, and KAIST, while SK hynix will recruit 110 students at three universities, including Korea University, Sogang University, and Hanyang University.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.