Tough CSAT expected to tighten nationwide college admissions

This year’s College Scholastic Ability Test, or CSAT, was regarded as more difficult than usual, a factor expected to push up admissions cutoff scores for medical schools in the natural sciences track and business administration programs in the humanities track during the upcoming regular admissions period. Standardized scores, which measure the gap between an individual’s raw score and the overall test-taker average, tend to rise when the exam is more challenging.

In this year’s regular admissions round, performance in Korean language and English—the two most challenging sections of the CSAT—has emerged as the key factor likely to determine admissions outcomes.

● Admissions cutoffs for medical schools rising sharply

According to a Dec. 5 analysis by Jongro Academy using standardized scores for Korean language, mathematics, and inquiry sections out of 600 points, the expected admission cutoff for the School of Medicine at Seoul National University is 423, up 8 points from last year’s 415. Yonsei University’s School of Medicine is projected at 422, and Korea University’s College of Medicine at 418, rises of 9 and 7 points, respectively, compared with 2025.

Megastudy Education predicts cutoff scores of 422 for Seoul National University’s School of Medicine, 419 for Yonsei University’s School of Medicine, and 417 for Korea University’s College of Medicine. Jongro Academy estimates that the eight medical schools in Seoul will have cutoffs ranging from 423 to 414, while the 27 regional medical schools are expected to fall between 420 and 408 points.

Admissions cutoff scores for major universities in Seoul are also widely expected to rise. Jongro Academy projects that in the natural sciences track, Seoul National University’s Advanced Convergence Department will have a cutoff of 407 points. It estimates 402 points for Korea University’s Department of Semiconductor Engineering and Yonsei University’s Department of System Semiconductor Engineering, and 398 points for Sogang University’s Department of System Semiconductor Engineering and Hanyang University’s Department of Semiconductor Engineering. The School of Korean Medicine at Kyung Hee University is projected at 412 points, while Chung-Ang University’s College of Pharmacy is expected to have a cutoff of 408 points.

In the humanities track, Seoul National University’s Business School is projected at 406 points, with its Department of Korean Language Education estimated at 402 points. Korea University’s Business School and Department of Economics, along with Yonsei University’s Business School, are all expected to have cutoffs of 403 points. Sogang University’s Business Administration Department is projected at 399 points, Sungkyunkwan University’s Social Sciences Program at 397 points, and Hanyang University’s Department of Public Policy at 395 points. Chung-Ang University’s Public Leadership Program is estimated at 391 points, while Ewha Womans University’s School of Medicine for humanities-track applicants is projected at 409 points.

● English grades expected to be decisive

Because the English section of this year’s CSAT was notably difficult, English scores are expected to play a major role in determining admissions outcomes in the regular admissions round. The proportion of students who earned Grade 1 in English was 3.11 percent, which did not reach the 4 percent benchmark that defines Grade 1 in the relative evaluation system. Im Sung-ho, chief executive of Jongro Academy, said applicants may cluster toward universities that assign relatively low weight to English scores and added that the degree of English score deductions is likely to exert significant influence on admissions decisions.

The maximum standardized score for Korean language rose to 147 points, up 8 points from last year, and standardized scores for the inquiry section also increased slightly. Because the standardized score for Korean language increased sharply, performance in that section is expected to serve as a critical reference point for students deciding whether to aim higher or lower in choosing which universities to apply to. The phenomenon known as satam-run, in which natural sciences track students select social studies instead of science inquiry to earn higher marks, is also expected to influence admissions results in the regular round.

Meanwhile, in response to controversy over the difficulty of the English section, the Korea Council of English Language and Literature Societies, an alliance of 36 academic organizations, argued that the absolute evaluation system for English on the CSAT should be abolished. The council stated that the absolute evaluation format was flawed from the outset and that its structural limitations have now reached a breaking point.

Industry observers say that since English was switched to an absolute evaluation format, top-performing students have not invested significant time in the subject and that the private English education market has contracted compared with other subjects.


김민지 minji@donga.com