New Admissions Programs to Target Science Students

From as early as next year, universities can choose applicants through special admission programs after signing contracts with science high schools and gifted and talented science high schools.

The number of the two types of high schools will increase to 30 from 21 by 2012. That of students will double for gifted and talented education.

The Education, Science and Technology Ministry announced the measures Friday in the first gifted and talented educational forum organized by the Korea Educational Development Institute in Seoul.

From next year, the ministry will expand special admission programs given the excellence of students attending math and science high schools for the gifted and talented, after they sign contracts with universities.

Universities this month will receive the authority to decide the number of students to admit and select students after reaching agreements with gifted and talented schools. The selection will be based on research proposals, advanced placement scores and research results of the students achieved in high school.

Accordingly, those attending science and gifted and talented science high schools can get into college more easily with research proposals and advanced placement scores and less emphasis on grade point average.

The number of students at science and gifted and talented science high schools will also rise from 3,900, or 0.2 percent of the high school student population, to 8,000 (0.5 percent).

In addition, admission tests at the two types of high schools will change to reflect creativity and interest in math and science. They will test students over multiple rounds and have in-depth interviews, and new ways to select students on the local or national level are under consideration.

“As universities are allowed to choose students as they want and national competitiveness is linked to how many math and science talents they produce, we will increase systematic support by introducing special admission programs,” a ministry official said.

“[The schools] can come up with various admission programs independently, like one which uses GPA for 10 percent and research proposals and accomplishments for 90 percent.”

The government will also support college tuition and research funding for talented math and science students to continue their research started in high school. A combined bachelor’s-master’s program will also be part of educational support for the gifted and talented.

ceric@donga.com