90 percent of applicants with school violence records rejected by major universities during early admissions

A total of 162 applicants with records of school violence were rejected in the early admissions process for the 2026 academic year at major regional national universities, data showed.

Paper airplanes saying “school violence out” lie on the ground at Hanbit Square at Cheonggyecheon in Seoul after being launched by participants as part of a campaign against school and cyber violence in 2023. [YONHAP]

A total of 162 applicants with records of school violence were rejected in the early admissions process for the 2026 academic year at major regional national universities, data showed.

Based on data on school violence disciplinary records in the 2026 early admissions process at 10 regional national universities, 180 applicants with school violence records applied to nine national universities excluding Seoul National University, according to an analysis released Friday by the office of Rep. Jin Sun-mee of the liberal Democratic Party.

Of them, 162 applicants — or 90 percent — were rejected after points were deducted due to their school violence records. Kangwon National University recorded the highest number of rejections at 37, followed by Gyeongsang National University with 29, Kyungpook National University with 28, Jeonbuk National University with 18, Chungnam National University with 15, Chonnam National University with 14, Pusan National University with seven and Jeju National University with one.

A total of 18 applicants were admitted despite receiving point deductions: eight at Kangwon National University, seven at Chonnam National University, two at Chungnam National University and one at Gyeongsang National University.

Under the education authorities’ policy mandating point deductions for perpetrators of school violence, universities have been required to reflect past school violence records in all admissions tracks starting with this year’s admissions cycle. The level of point deductions is left to each university’s discretion.

Most universities apply different levels of point deductions depending on the severity of disciplinary measures recorded in a student’s school transcript. Disciplinary actions for school violence are classified into nine levels, ranging from Level 1, a written apology to the victim, to Level 9, expulsion. At some universities, including Jeju National University, applicants who received serious penalties such as a transfer or expulsion for school violence are deemed “unqualified” in all admissions tracks and are barred from admission altogether.

The mandatory consideration of school violence records, introduced from the perspective of victims to prevent school violence, is being fully reflected in this year’s admissions process,” said a Ministry of Education official. “With the implementation of this system, we expect heightened awareness of school violence to help restore a sense of community within schools.”

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 BO-RAM [kim.minyoung5@joongang.co.kr]