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South Korea’s leading universities have begun rejecting applicants with histories of school bullying, marking the first time the country’s top institutions have enforced such a policy.Despite strong academic records, two students were denied admission to Seoul National University (SNU) last year, not for their grades, but for past involvement in school bullying.They were among 45 applicants across six major national universities whose admissions were revoked due to histories of school violence, signaling a growing emphasis on character in South Korean university admissions. The two students rejected by Seoul National University had applied through their College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT) scores. Although they demonstrated strong academic performance, records of school violence from their earlier years in elementary, middle, or high school resulted in their disqualification, as cited by the Korea JoongAng Daily. Kyungpook National University also announced that it had rejected 22 applicants with records of school violence for the 2025 academic year.Pusan National University rejected eight applicants, six from the early admissions round and two from the regular cycle, due to deductions related to school violence. Kangwon National University reported five rejections during early admissions, while Jeonbuk National University recorded five cases in total.In South Korea, university admissions follow two primary routes: early admissions, which assess applicants based on school records and interviews, and regular admissions, which depend mainly on College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT) scores.School violence sanctions are divided into nine levels, ranging from written apologies and restrictions on contact or retaliation to community service, counseling, suspension, class reassignment, school transfer, and expulsion. At Kyungpook National University, deductions are applied based on severity: 10 points for minor sanctions, 50 for moderate cases, and 150 for the most serious offenses.Starting next year, all Korean universities must deduct points for applicants with records of school violence, regardless of admission type. The policy comes after public outrage over the son of former prosecutor Chung Sun-sin, who was transferred for bullying but admitted to SNU with only a two-point deduction on his CSAT score.As the new policy takes effect, however, concerns are mounting over a rise in disputes and legal challenges. An increasing number of students accused of bullying are hiring lawyers and filing administrative lawsuits to overturn disciplinary actions. “Some schools reflect school violence history only through qualitative assessments, regardless of the admissions track,” Kang Kyung-sook, a member of the national assembly, was quoted as saying by the Daily. “There needs to be improvement in the way national universities apply these standards.”
