policy
KAIST will select 150 students from regular high schools, excluding those from special purpose schools, on the basis of their principals" recommendations and interview results beginning in the next school year in an effort to diversify admissions, President Nam-Pyo Suh said on Thursday (March 5).
Award-winning records at math or science competitions will not be put into account in admissions to prevent after-school tutoring aimed at winning such contests.
President Suh unveiled the new admission plan at a news conference in Seoul. "We expect the principals to recommend students with special talents or potential rather than high grades," Suh said. Established under a special law in 1971, KAIST is given full liberty to recruit freshmen students in whatever method it deems right, without being required to use the scholastic ability test scores of applicants as the basic criteria.
KAIST plans to initially select 1,000 students across the country based on recommendations. Admission officers will single out 300 for further review. Out of the 300, the final 150 students will be chosen through in-depth interviews.
"Years of receiving principal recommendations would accumulate a database on high schools nationwide. If a student recommended by a principal turns out to be no good, we might not pick more students from that school," President Suh said.
Over 80 percent of students admitted to KAIST this year were graduates of elite institutions, mostly science high schools. Only 20 percent came from regular high schools. The 150 additional openings next year will be allotted to only those attending ordinary high school.
Ten percent of the 150 openings will be assigned to students from rural areas and another 10 percent will go to students from low-income households.
"One high school was not able to send even a single student to KAIST for the last 10 years. I"m sure there are talented students in that school. If we give the school a chance, the education system will be upgraded," President Suh said.
KAIST-affiliated Korea Science Academy, a Busan-based high school for gifted students, will also adopt similar admission policy of recruiting students solely on the basis on recommendation and interview results from 2011.
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