Yonsei University to hold extra round of early admissions tests following leak controversy

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Yonsei University to hold extra round of early admissions tests following leak controversy

Published: 28 Nov. 2024, 17:10 Updated: 28 Nov. 2024, 17:45

Test-takers of Yonsei University's 2025 early admissions exam leave the university's campus after taking an essay exam on Oct. 12. [YONHAP]

Yonsei University will hold an extra round of early admissions entrance exams for natural sciences students next month following controversy over a leaked essay question that raised concerns about the validity of its previous exam.

"There will be another round of essay exams on Dec. 8 as a follow-up to the original test held on Oct. 12 for those applying to the schools' natural sciences departments through early admissions for next year," the school said in a statement Wednesday.

The decision to hold an additional exam follows a collective lawsuit filed by a group of test-takers seeking to invalidate the initial essay exam due to the leak.

Rather than invalidating the original test, the school has decided to double the number of students accepted by holding another round of essay testing, meaning the total number of students admitted through early admissions in the natural sciences departments could double.

Yonsei University plans to select 261 successful candidates through Dec. 8, the same number of successful candidates as the initial essay exam.

As all 9,666 students who took the original test are eligible to participate in the second round of testing, there could be an overlap in the students selected through the two tests, in which case the total number of accepted students will be reduced.

Results for the initial Oct. 12 exam will be announced on Dec. 13, with additional acceptances following any registration withdrawals from initial successful candidates to be named by Dec. 18. The results of the Dec. 8 exam will be announced on Dec. 26, with no plans for accepting additional successful candidates.

Regarding the expanded acceptance numbers, the university said the final acceptance number is expected to remain close to the original quota of 261, as many students are likely to surrender their spots due to overlapping admissions offers from other universities.

According to Jongno Academy, a college entrance exam preparatory institution, the ratio of additional successful candidates to the original quota for Yonsei’s 2024 early admissions to natural sciences exceeded 120.5 percent, indicating that more students were given a chance to enroll than the original recruitment quota of 259 last year.

The Ministry of Education, however, has warned that "any over-enrollment would be considered the university’s responsibility" and hinted at the possibility of reducing Yonsei’s recruitment quota for 2027 admissions if such an issue arises.

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The feud between test-takers and the university began as essay questions for the 2025 early admissions to the natural sciences departments were shared online an hour before the exam on Oct. 12 as one of the test supervisors distributed the essay questions earlier.

Test-takers and their parents filed suit against the university, questioning the exam's fairness and demanding the school scrap the original test.

Despite demands for a re-examination, however, the university refused the request, arguing that the leak did “not damage the fairness of the admission process.”

However, the situation took a turn when a court on Oct. 15 granted an injunction filed by affected students, halting further evaluation of the initial exam.

While announcing the added round of entrance exams Wednesday, the school also apologized, acknowledging criticism over its delayed response to the situation. It is the second public apology by the school following an apology issued on Oct. 13, a day after the controversial exam was held.

“We humbly accept the criticisms for not taking immediate follow-up actions,” the university said in a statement. “We sincerely apologize to all test-takers and their parents who were emotionally affected.”

The university is set to defend its case in a lawsuit seeking a complete invalidation of the original exam at the Seoul Western District Court on Dec. 5.

BY WOO JI-WON [[email protected]]