Over 10,000 students left South Korea’s top universities without degrees

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More than 10,000 students left South Korea’s top universities without degrees — Korea Herald

In South Korea, more than 10,700 students at the country’s three most prestigious universities left before obtaining a degree in 2021–2025. The institutions are Seoul National University, Korea University and Yonsei University, collectively known as SKY, Korea Herald reports, citing an analysis by the education academy Jongro Academy

More than 2,000 cases annually

According to the Higher Education in Korea information disclosure system, 10,736 cases of discontinued studies were recorded at these universities over five years. The figure includes both students who officially withdrew and those who did not renew their registration or return after a leave of absence

The number of such cases exceeded 2,000 for four consecutive years. In 2025, it fell by 19.4% to 2,012, compared with a five-year high of 2,496 cases in 2024. The data do not explain why students left the universities or show where they enrolled or transferred afterward

Figures by university and field of study

In 2025, Korea University had the highest number of students leaving, with 836 people. Yonsei University recorded 801 such cases, while Seoul National University recorded 375

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Among those who left their studies in 2025, students in natural science fields accounted for 1,297 people, or 64.5% of the total. Humanities fields accounted for 654 cases, or 32.5%, while arts and sports programs accounted for 61 cases, or 3%

Yonsei University’s College of Engineering recorded 132 cases, while Korea University’s College of Life Sciences and Biotechnology recorded 44. At Seoul National University, 26 students each left electrical and computer engineering programs and advanced convergent studies programs

Medical schools

Jongro Academy head Lim Sung Ho suggested that some students in natural science fields may have reapplied to Seoul National University or medical schools. At the same time, the data cited do not establish exactly how many students enrolled in medical institutions after leaving the universities

The 2024 peak coincided with an increase of about 1,500 places in medical school admissions for the 2025 academic year. In 2026, admissions were returned to the previous level of 3,058 places. For the 2027 academic year, medical school admissions are to be expanded by another 490 places under a program to train regional doctors

Source: ua.news