On March 26, KAIST announced its admission plan for 2014. To discover creative and outstanding individuals in science and technology who are likely to lead Korea in the future, several changes have been made from last year.

Firstly, 30 of the upcoming 2014 freshmen will be selected based on their national scholastic ability test scores. The candidates will be assessed entirely based on the grade in standard scoring and will be required to take Korean A, Mathematics B, English B, and two different science subjects. If a student chooses Science Subject I, only 90% of the grade will be acknowledged. Each part of the exam is weighed differently according to the following criteria: 1.0 for Korean A, 1.5 for Mathematics B, 1.0 for English B, and 1.5 for science subjects. The intention of this new admission process is to give opportunities to regular high school students who take the national scholastic ability test.

Secondly, the number of KAIST admission candidates a high school principal can recommend will be extended to two students, which has been long suggested by many high schools. In this admission process, a principal can recommend students who have shown outstanding abilities in science and math through self-directed learning, a like for challenges, a love for volunteering, and a strong motivation to study at KAIST. Last year, 131 students were admitted to KAIST through this type of admission.

Thirdly, exceptional candidates with stellar applications will be admitted without an interview as early admissions. Also, three times the number of accepted students will be interviewed in the belief that an interview gives the admissions office a chance to discover students with great potential. Poong-Hyun Seong, Chief of the Admission Office, said, “If students selected based on the national scholastic ability test scores are successful at KAIST, the recruiting number may increase in the future.”

The Admission Office is expecting that these changes will put public education back to its place, perhaps lifting the burdens of private education expenditure from Korean parents.

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