About one in four Koreans believe universities should place the greatest emphasis on the College Scholastic Ability Test, or Suneung, when selecting students for admission, a survey found Sunday.
A recent public opinion poll of 4,000 adults nationwide, conducted by the state-run Korea Educational Development Institute, found that 25.8 percent said the CSAT should be the most heavily weighted factor in university admissions.
Volunteer work and character assessment came next, with 24.8 percent, while 23.8 percent cited specialty and aptitude. High school grades ranked lowest among the listed options, at 18.8 percent.
It was the first time in three years that the CSAT topped the list in the institute's survey.
Meanwhile, nearly half of respondents (48.9 percent) said they expect little to no change in Korea's academic credentialism in the future, the poll found.
ylee221@heraldcorp.com
