Move over med schools: Semiconductor majors are cram schools' new focus

Employment-linked semiconductor majors at universities are rapidly gaining popularity due to the chip industry's dramatic growth, and cram schools have wasted no time in jumping on the trend.

Some of Korea's top high school students have even begun preparing for semiconductor majors well before college admissions, taking classes arranged by cram schools, or hagwon. 

The average College Scholastic Ability Test score across Korean, mathematics and elective inquiry subjects of students accepted to employment-linked semiconductor majors this year at top Seoul universities — including Yonsei University, Korea University, Hanyang University, Sungkyunkwan University and Sogang University — was 96.2, according to Jongro Academy on Monday.

That figure is approaching the average score of 97.2 for students admitted to regional medical schools, traditionally one of the most sought-after destinations for top academic achievers.

The employment-linked majors are jointly operated by universities and semiconductor companies, offering graduates jobs at the partner companies if they meet certain graduation requirements, including a minimum grade point average. Samsung Electronics partners with seven universities, while SK hynix partners with three.

Education experts say more of Korea's highest-performing students, many of whom traditionally aimed for medical school, are now considering semiconductor programs as an alternative.

The field's growing popularity comes as high salaries and large performance bonuses in the industry have made headlines nationwide.

Summer classes for records, experience

The recent boom has also fueled demand for extracurricular activities that can strengthen high school students' academic records and help during the university admissions process.

A semiconductor academy that previously catered primarily to university engineering students, allowing them to experience manufacturing processes in a virtual environment, has expanded its offerings to include a summer intensive course for high school students, set to begin in August. 

A representative from another academy also noted the trend. "Growing interest in the semiconductor industry has increased enrollment in our programs by about 50 percent compared with last year," they said.

Hagwon in the afterschool education hubs of Daechi-dong in southern Seoul and Mok-dong in western Seoul have long offered classes that prepared students for admission to what has traditionally been a top five list of preferred majors: medicine, dentistry, traditional Korean medicine, pharmacy and veterinary medicine. However, many have begun adding semiconductors to that list. Even admissions consulting firms specializing in semiconductor programs have emerged.

One coding academy in Daegu is offering Python programming and data science courses for high school students as part of a three-year roadmap for admission into semiconductor programs.

"Consultations from parents about semiconductor programs have increased more than fivefold from a year earlier, so we reorganized the academy around university admissions," the head of the coding academy said.

"The increase in IT courses in high schools following the full implementation of the high school credit system last year has also contributed to the trend," the representative added, referring to the system that allows students to choose school subjects according to their career paths.

Schools see changing career ambitions

Teachers say the shift is becoming increasingly visible in public schools as well.

"Grades and extracurricular records in mathematics, physics and IT are important for admission to semiconductor programs, so we operate afterschool programs to help students build experience in those fields," said a high school teacher in Guro District, western Seoul.

Another teacher, from a science-focused high school in Seoul, said that while most top-performing students previously hoped to enter medical school, a noticeable increase in the number applying to semiconductor programs has recently emerged.

Admissions information sessions at semiconductor-focused Meister high schools have also been filling up early. The average competition rate for admissions to gifted high schools — with many known to later enroll in science and engineering majors — for the 2027 academic year reached 6.21 applicants per place, the highest since duplicate applications among gifted schools were prohibited in 2022.

"Amid a difficult job market, there are increased expectations for stable working conditions and generous performance bonuses after graduation, leading more students to apply for semiconductor programs," said Park Joo-ho, president of Daelim University and a former professor of education at Hanyang University.

"However, industrial demand and technological conditions can change at any time, and educational institutions cannot guarantee long-term job security, so students should make career decisions carefully."

BY LEE AH-MI [[email protected]]