10 state-run universities in South Korea reject 162 applicants over school bullying records

SEOUL – A total of 162 applicants with school bullying records were rejected by 10 of South Korea’s leading state-run universities during early admissions in 2026, data released by a ruling party lawmaker’s office showed.

Citing figures from Democratic Party Representative Jin Sun-mee, media reported on Jan 2 that about 90 per cent of the 180 applicants with documented

bullying records

failed to gain admission to the public universities under the Presidential Council of the Korean Flagship National Universities.

Seoul National University reported that it had no applicants with such records.

Kangwon National University rejected the largest number, at 37, followed by Gyeongsang National University with 29, Kyungpook National University with 28 and Jeonbuk National University with 18.

Chungnam National University rejected 15 applicants, Chonnam National University 14, Chungbuk National University 13, Pusan National University seven and Jeju National University one.

The sharp rise in rejections is attributed to a government directive requiring universities to

reflect penalties for school bullying

across all admission tracks starting in 2026. Previously, such penalties were applied mainly to student-record-based admissions, but they are now also applied to essay-based and practical skills examinations.

The Education Ministry allowed universities to independently determine the level of penalties based on the severity of the offence. Some national universities reportedly barred applicants entirely in serious cases, while others deducted up to 200 points from total scores.

Private universities have also taken a stricter stance. Kyung-in Women’s University said on Dec 30 that it rejected all three applicants with bullying records, while Inha University confirmed it rejected all such applicants as well.

Several major private universities announced explicit penalties in their admission guidelines. Sungkyunkwan University and Sogang University said applicants who received Level-2 disciplinary measures or higher would receive zero points, effectively disqualifying them.

Ewha Womans University restricted applications from students with bullying records in its student-record-based admission track, while Hanyang University disqualified applicants who received Level-8 or Level-9 disciplinary actions from all admission tracks.

In North Gyeongsang province and Daegu, the number of students rejected due to bullying histories rose sharply, from 66 in 2025 to 160 in 2026.

The total number of students rejected due to school bullying records is expected to increase once results of regular admissions are released on Feb 2.

According to a report released by the National Assembly’s Education Committee in November 2025, universities rejected 298 applicants with bullying records in 2024, out of a total of 397 applicants who disclosed such histories.

“School violence is an act that cannot be tolerated under any circumstances, and universities are reflecting this principle strictly in admissions,” an officer at a national university said. THE KOREA HERALD/ASIA NEWS NETWORK