Universities expand offerings for undecided major students

Universities will be admitting more undecided major students in the upcoming years, with some planning to establish a new college for the students.

A family takes a photo in front of Seoul National University's main gate in Gwanak District, southern Seoul, during the university's matriculation ceremony in March last year. The university is planning to create a new college for undecided major students in the 2025 academic year. [YONHAP]

Universities will be admitting more undecided major students in the upcoming years, with some planning to establish a new college for the students.

Seoul National University plans to create a new college for undecided major students in the 2025 academic year, aiming to allocate a quota of 400.

Students will be admitted without a major and choose one in their sophomore year, although they will not be able to choose majors in the colleges of nursing, education or medicine.

Its college of liberal studies, which currently admits undecided students with a quota of 123, will be moved under the new college when the change takes place.

"Creating a college for undecided major students has been decided since President Ryu Hong-lim started his term in February last year," a spokesperson for Seoul National University said. "How we will operate the college and specific quotas will be finalized after discussions within the university."

The change means that around 15 percent of the university's admissions quota will be allocated to undecided major students. Excluding colleges that train students for fields that require a national license — the colleges of medicine, dentistry, nursing and education — the university has a student quota of around 2,600.

International students are not regulated by the admissions quota. This also includes other admissions tracks for North Korean defectors, students from rural areas and low-income families.

Hanyang University also plans to increase the number of undecided major students by creating the HY Inter-college.

HY Inter-college will admit students starting in the 2025 academic year, with a quota of 250.

"It will have around 330 students if you include students admitted beyond the admissions quota," a spokesperson for Hanyang University said. "We are in the process of finalizing how the system will work."

Like Seoul National University's undecided major program, admitted students will be able to choose any major except those in the colleges of nursing, education or medicine.

Other universities are also moving fast to admit more undecided major students, as the change could lead to government funding.

According to a draft of the University Innovation Support Project plan for 2025 and 2026, the Ministry of Education plans to offer funding to universities that increase the number of students they accept as undecided majors. The draft will be finalized around February.

To be eligible for the funding, universities will need to submit their admissions plans for undecided students by April, although the Education Ministry spokesperson said it can "extend the period if necessary."

A spokesperson from Yonsei University said the school recently created a committee to discuss plans to admit undecided major students.

Korea University's spokesperson said the school's admissions team, office of academic affairs and office of planning & budget is also in discussion to increase the number of undecided major students.

Currently, the university's school of interdisciplinary studies allows students to freely choose their majors, but has a quota of 95.

Sungkyunkwan University could revive its undecided major program.

The university had an undecided major program, but changed it to the school of global leader in 2012, putting it under the college of social sciences. The program now offers interdisciplinary courses focusing on law, politics and economics.

"We are looking in to creating an undecided major program, and there is a chance that we will be starting it in the 2025 academic year," a spokesperson for Sungkyunkwan University said.

BY SEO JI-WON, LEE TAE-HEE [lee.taehee2@joongang.co.kr]