HIGHER EDUCATION

• Admission Requirements

• Length

• Assessment and Promotion

• Grading Scale

There are seven types of higher education institutions in the Republic of South Korea: colleges and universities offering four-year undergraduate (and six-year programmes in dentistry and medicine) programmes; graduate schools (for postgraduate study); teachers’ colleges; two- to three-year junior colleges; a correspondence university; miscellaneous schools; and open colleges.

 

ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS

Admission to higher education is by entrance examination and the student’s secondary school records.  A minimum overall weighting of 40% must be achieved in order to be admitted.  Colleges and universities are also free to use the Scholastic Ability Test for Colleges, a nationally standardized entrance examination, or their own examination, or a combination of two or more tests.

 

Admission to postgraduate study requires completion of a bachelor’s degree and in most cases an entrance examination. Doctoral study requires completion of a master’s degree, fluency in English and at least one other foreign language. 

 

LENGTH

Two years of study is required to receive a diploma from a junior college or open college. First-degree programmes leading to a Bachelor’s degree normally require four years of study and 140 credits. Degrees in dentistry and medicine require 180 credits and approximately six years of study. Master’s degrees require two to three years of study and 24 credits; doctoral degrees require an additional two to three years of study beyond the masters and 36 credits.

 

ASSESSMENT AND PROMOTION

Students are continuously assessed on the basis of coursework, examinations, and projects.

 

GRADING SCALE

The following numerical scale is used by a number of higher education institutions; the grading scale may vary depending on the institution:

It should be noted that students are rarely failed in Korean secondary schools as this would prevent them from passing to the next grade.

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Revised: May 06, 2004 .
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