56 Excess Admissions Due to University Errors... Ministry of Education to Strengthen Oversight

"Financial Penalties for Large-Scale Excess Admissions"

Recently, the Ministry of Education has stepped up its oversight after it was revealed that the Department of Pre-Medicine at Soonchunhyang University admitted 11 more freshmen than its allotted quota for the 2026 academic year.

On August 3, the Ministry of Education announced plans to revise the "Regulations on Carryover and Handling of Unfilled or Excess Freshmen Quotas," with measures including stricter sanctions against universities that admit more students than permitted. This revision comes in response to Soonchunhyang University's Department of Pre-Medicine admitting 11 students above its recruitment plan, reflecting an increasing trend of excess admissions at various universities. The Ministry emphasized that it recognizes the seriousness of this situation and intends to induce universities to establish tighter management systems for excess admissions.

According to the Ministry, the total number of excess freshmen admissions for the 2026 academic year reached 191, an increase of 56 compared to last year (135). Of these, 135 resulted from tie scores among applicants, while 56 were due to errors made by universities.

The universities where excess admissions due to error exceeded five students include Soonchunhyang University (11 students), Gimcheon University (8 students), and Jungwon University (24 students). These were attributed either to errors made by the staff during the additional admissions process or to mistakes in admissions planning and operations. Additionally, 13 excess admissions due to university error occurred at 10 other universities.

Typically, excess admissions caused by university mistakes arise from staff errors in the selection process for additional successful applicants, or from the failure to properly round off decimal points when calculating the number of students to be selected in special admission tracks outside the regular quota.

The Ministry of Education plans to revise the "Regulations on Carryover and Handling of Unfilled or Excess Freshmen Quotas" so that, if universities admit more students than allowed due to intentional or major errors, the responsible staff members may be subject to disciplinary action. Along with the rule revision, universities will be advised to conduct self-inspections of their tie-score handling criteria and their admissions operation management systems.

Furthermore, starting with the 2027 academic year, if there are large-scale excess admissions resulting from intentional or significant errors, the Ministry will conduct its own investigations and, if necessary, refer the case for legal action. The imposition of penalties linked to government financial support programs is also under consideration.

Hae Sook Lee, policy chief at the Ministry of Education, stated, "If excess admissions occur, next year's recruitment quota will be reduced, which could disadvantage students admitted in other years," adding, "We will closely monitor and manage the situation to minimize excess admissions."

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