The popularity of education universities with highest competition of 21 to 1

Although some teachers complain that their authority as a teacher has been determined, a teacher is still a very popular job. Universities of education that produce teachers for primary schools enjoy especially high competition for the admission as students in those universities are higher opportunity to be appointed as teachers compared to those in colleges that produce middle and high school teachers. For this reason, a swarm of 3rd graders in high schools with top grades are applying for those universities.

The recent 10-year competition at 10 education universities and department of elementary education in 13 universities such as Ewha Women’s University, Jeju National University, Korea National University of Education has gradually increased.

In 2006, the admission competition of those universities stood at approximately 1 to 1 or 3 to 1 for their regular admission. In 2015, however, most universities showed 3 to 1 or higher with the highest competition of 21 to 1.

Unlike education universities classified as a group “Na”, department of elementary education in Ewha Women’s University and Korea National University of Education under a group “Ga” and the one in Jeju National University under a group “Da” have recorded the competition higher than 10 to 1 as a large number of test takers are applying for them.

As a large number of applicants with high grades is applying, the passing grades of education universities are significantly high as well. While merely 46 percent of students are admitted through nonscheduled admission procedures in the case of education universities, other universities select a whopping 70 percents through unscheduled admission process. This means that more than half of recruitment is selected through regular admission which bases more on scholastic aptitude test for university admission.

According to experts on college admission examination, test takers who score 375 out of 400 could apply Seoul National University of Education and Gyeongin National University of Education. For other education universities, the score should be 355 or higher. Compared to regular universities, the possible application grades for Seoul and Gyeongin National Universities of Education are as high as the high-ranking popular departments of top 10 universities in Seoul. Other education universities’ grades are as high as the ones of top 15 universities.

The competition is even fiercer in unscheduled admission since test takers who wish to be elementary school teachers are “good students” who have early started to manage their high school records.

The experts also say that those with school records of at least Grade 2 on Korean, math, English and social studies (or science) can apply for those education universities. It is even higher for Seoul and Gyeongin National Universities of Education with Grade 1.5 or higher. This means that they should hardly miss Grade 1 in school tests. Some education universities, in particular, put gender restriction. They say, for example, that “either gender cannot exceed 70 percent of the total recruitment.” Given the fact that more female students than male ones apply for education universities, girls are supposed to have higher passing mark.

“The popularity for education universities are expected to continue as people prefer stable jobs,” said Lee Man-gi, director of Uway Education. “Applicants, however, should be careful because the appointment rates for teachers could go down as the number of school age children could decline.”

baron@donga.com