Korean students prefer Seoul-based universities with broad major options, strong career support
Published: 28 Nov. 2025, 09:49
![High school seniors leave their school compound in Gwangju to warm cheers from their teachers and first-year and second-year students on Nov. 12, a day before the College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT). [NEWS1]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/11/28/f436f15a-79fd-42d2-a6e5-ab299971d92e.jpg)
High school seniors leave their school compound in Gwangju to warm cheers from their teachers and first-year and second-year students on Nov. 12, a day before the College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT). [NEWS1]
“I still don’t know what I like yet, so I want to go to a large university with a wide range of majors. I’d prefer a school with strong job prospects.”
A senior at a high school in Seoul using the pseudonym Park Sun-min named Konkuk University and Chung-Ang University when asked which schools she hopes to attend.
Having taken the 2026 College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT) — also known as the Suneung — on Nov. 13, Park said, “Schools with larger student bodies and campuses located in Seoul appeal to me more.”
“I’ve heard there are many good universities in other regions, but honestly, when I think about commuting distance, campus atmosphere and internship opportunities, it’s hard to choose them.”
Students prefer Seoul-based universities with broad major options and strong career support
As more high school students prioritize campus location and employment outcomes, the landscape of university preferences is shifting.
According to the university reputation survey in this year’s 2025 JoongAng University Rankings, which was conducted on 2,400 respondents, high school students, parents and corporate HR managers all ranked Seoul National University first, Korea University second, Yonsei University third and Sungkyunkwan University fourth.
Teachers listed Seoul National University, Yonsei University, Korea University and Sungkyunkwan University — in that order. From fifth place onward, students, parents, teachers and HR managers have different preferences.
Parents and teachers ranked KAIST fifth, while corporate HR managers chose Hanyang University. However, in the high school student survey, Konkuk University ranked fifth. Konkuk University was ranked 10th, 16th and 13th by parents, teachers and HR managers, respectively.
Kyung Hee University, which ranked sixth among students, placed 14th with parents and 10th with both teachers and HR managers. Dongguk University, Sejong University and Gachon University also ranked notably higher among students than among parents and teachers.
These differences appear to reflect students’ emphasis on the university’s location, range of majors and career guidance.
When asked which factors matter most when choosing a university, 32.9 percent of high school students cited employment rate and career support. Location and living environment were at 11.8 percent, higher than scholarships and tuition costs, which were at 7.3 percent.
“Since I haven’t figured out my aptitude yet, and it’s hard to find a job these days, I’m drawn to universities with broad major options and solid career support,” a high school junior using the pseudonym Lee Jae-hoon said. “The recent increase in admissions that allows free major selection makes universities offering diverse experiences even more appealing.”
Adults favor specialized STEM universities — students, not so much
This trend is also visible in students’ relatively low preference for regional science, technology, engineering and math (STEM)-focused universities. In the surveys of parents, teachers and HR managers, KAIST, Pohang University of Science and Technology (Postech) and Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology all ranked within the top 20. Among high school students, however, Postech ranked 26th and KAIST 27th.
“As the preference for the Seoul metropolitan area intensifies, even excellent universities face limits in attracting talent,” a KAIST professor said, noting that the growing student preference for medical schools and comprehensive universities is another factor.
High school students are largely opposed to the government’s plan to create 10 Seoul National University level campuses.
These perceptions also seem to influence attitudes toward government policy. Among parents, teachers and corporate respondents, 53.5 percent supported the Lee Jae Myung administration’s plan to upgrade regional national universities to the level of Seoul National University to ease the overconcentration in the capital area.
But among high school students, opposition was higher: 40.9 percent opposed the plan, compared to 38.1 percent who supported it. While 54.8 percent of teachers believed the plan would help reduce concentration in the Seoul area, only 33.3 percent of students agreed, with 36.3 percent saying it would not be effective.
When asked whether the plan would increase enrollment in regional national universities, 51.8 percent of parents and teachers said yes. Among high school students, only 39.3 percent agreed, and 30 percent said enrollment would not increase, a higher share than among parents and teachers, which was 21.6 percent.
“This survey shows that the criteria for what constitutes a ‘preferred university’ are changing by generation,” Jung Jong-won, director at the polling agency Research & Research that conducted the survey, said. “Universities and policymakers need to more precisely analyze students’ actual decision-making factors.”
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY LEE HOO-YEON, HEO JEONG-WON AND OH SAM-GWON [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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