A quarter of students accepted by South Korea¡¯s most elite institutions this year have rejected offers of admission, indicating that pragmatism may outweigh prestige in students¡¯ choice of university.

The so-called SKY universities ¨C which include Korea University, Seoul National University (SNU) and Yonsei University ¨C are among the top-ranked and most heavily subscribed in the country. But recently, increasing numbers of students have turned down the opportunity to attend them.

This year, 25.7 per cent of students offered a spot at SKY universities decided not to enrol.

At Yonsei, 596 students, or 35.6 per cent of the incoming class, received offers after being waitlisted, Korea¡¯s JoongAng Daily newspaper .

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At Korea University, 468 waitlisted students, or 28.5 per cent of first years, were offered admission, up 96 students from 2022. Seoul National made offers to 134 people on its waitlist ¨C 10 per cent of the incoming class and up 16 students, according to the report.

Academics believe the trend has much to do with a stagnating economy, which has made stable career paths more appealing, motivating students to choose offers of admission into medical schools and engineering degrees at non-SKY universities over spots in humanities and even engineering courses at SKY.

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John Lie, a professor of sociology at the University of California, Berkeley, said that for many students, the calculus is about finding a job.

¡°At the top there are people who have a global outlook [where] the ultimate trophy is Harvard, not SNU, [but] there are many more who stress career prospects,¡± he said.

As a result, an offer from a top engineering programme like the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) ¨C a prestigious though non-SKY university, known for its industry links ¨C seems ¡°a lot more attractive¡± to students than one from Korea University or Yonsei, he said.

Sangwoo Lee, a research fellow at the UCL Institute of Education, agreed that a faltering economy has made it more difficult for all recent graduates to find stable and permanent jobs, something that¡¯s true ¡°even for SKY university¡± alumni.

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He noted that recent changes to the university entrance exam could also be playing a role in the phenomenon. Last year, Korea¡¯s College Scholastic Abilities Test (CSAT) exam was reconfigured, requiring all students to take a more difficult mathematics section ¨C and giving the upper hand in admissions to those strong in maths and sciences.

¡°It has become possible for students who studied natural science in high school to apply to humanities or liberal arts at universities with fewer restrictions,¡± Dr Lee said.

¡°However, humanities or liberal arts at SKY universities tend not to be the first choice of those who studied natural science as most students also apply to a medical school. In other words, the school of humanities or liberal arts at SKY universities is like an ¡®insurance¡¯ mechanism for the best performing students.¡±

While Dr Lee conceded that today¡¯s incoming students have shown a ¡°soaring preference for medical schools¡±, he doubted that the trend could in the long term undermine the prestige of Korea¡¯s top institutions.

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¡°They are still the dream schools for almost all students in South Korea, regardless of their academic achievements,¡± he said.

pola.lem@timeshighereducation.com