A new study suggests that students from higher socioeconomic backgrounds in South Korea are significantly more likely to take multiple gap years and enter university. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
SEOUL, May 30 (Korea Bizwire) — A new study suggests that students from higher socioeconomic backgrounds in South Korea are significantly more likely to take multiple gap years (“N-sus”) and enter university through standardized test-based admissions — raising concerns that recent reforms aimed at fairness may be deepening educational inequality.
According to a report published by senior researcher Namgoong Ji-young and colleagues at the Korean Educational Development Institute (KEDI), students whose parents occupy higher social strata are much more likely to defer enrollment or retake college entrance exams in pursuit of admission to top universities.
The study analyzed data from a national longitudinal education panel, revealing that 10.8% of 2021 university entrants took leaves of absence or withdrew from school — with 40.5% citing retesting as their primary reason.
Among these so-called “N-su students,” the rate of re-attempts rose markedly with parental status: only 10.7% of the lowest-income students pursued retesting, compared to 35.1% in the highest quintile.
A student strolls through the cram school district of Daechi-dong in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, South Korea, absorbed in a book. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
Moreover, 69% of high-status students who retested were admitted through the College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT)-based “regular admissions” track, while the equivalent figure for the lowest-status students was just 35.8%. Participation in private education, as well as admissions into metropolitan and medical universities, was also notably higher among affluent families.
The report contends that the government’s expansion of regular admissions — implemented in 2020 after a high-profile college admissions scandal — has inadvertently reinforced the advantages of wealthier students. The policy required 16 major Seoul universities to raise their CSAT-based admissions ratio to 40%, aiming to enhance fairness and meritocracy.
“On the surface, regular admissions appear fair because selections are based purely on exam scores,” Namgoong wrote. “But in reality, students with economic support can better afford private tutoring and multiple retesting cycles.”
The researchers argue that overreliance on CSAT scores has led to rising dropout rates in both high schools and universities, as students disengage from public education in favor of high-stakes test prep.
To address the growing gap, the report recommends reevaluating the 40% CSAT quota for Seoul-based universities, transitioning the CSAT into a qualification exam, and strengthening holistic admissions that value student diversity and potential over test scores alone.
M. H. Lee (mhlee@koreabizwire.com)
