Vocational Colleges Allow Occasional Admissions

The Ministry of Education and Human Resources Development announced its ‛Basic Policy for accepting new students for vocational colleges in 2004` on April 21.

In examinations for entrance to vocational colleges in the 2004 school year, an occasional flurry of applications was seen for the first time and special selection for graduates of vocational high schools was also newly established. The school calendar will not be affected by the reduction in the period of additional admission for new students.

The Ministry of Education and Human Resources Development revised the Act for higher education, in which students accepted to a vocational college in an occasional reception of applications for admission are not allowed to apply to other vocational colleges or 4-year universities. The Act introduced the occasional reception of applications for admission to entrance policies for vocational colleges in order to minimize difficulties for those schools.

Vocational colleges will start accepting new students based on `occasional reception of applications` for admission from September 1 to December 9. As for the special selection that accepts students based on specialty or student talents, it is recommended that over 55% of the total admissions be for day classes and over 65% of the total admissions be for night classes.

Admissions by special selection other than that for the entrance quota has increased and the types of special selection have diversified. The special selection for graduates of vocational high schools, which makes allowances for 3% of the entrance quota in addition to the entrance quota, has been established for the first time.

Also, students from agricultural and fishing villages, foreigners, Korean residents abroad, part-time registration students, and graduates of vocational colleges are eligible for special selection.

The Ministry of Education and Human Resources Development is going to shorten the period of additional admissions originally slated for the end of March to March 13, in order to avoid administrative difficulties due to the delay in examinations for entrance to vocational colleges.

The Korean Vocational College Educational Conference Group will collect and announce guidelines for entrance to each vocational college by the end of May and operate an information center that offers new students information for entrance to those schools.

In-Chul Lee inchul@donga.com