Rich Kids' Chances of Entering SNU Still Improving

The children of the wealthy in the capital have increasingly better chances of winning a place at Seoul National University than poorer youngsters elsewhere.

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A report by the state-run Korea Development Institute said in 2000, 90.3 out of every 10,000 high school graduates in Seoul went on to the prestigious university, and that rose to 94.9 in 2011. In contrast, 69.9 out of every 10,000 high school graduates in six other major cities went to SNU in 2000, plunging to a mere 42.7 in 2011.

The disparity more than doubled.

It was also evident among students from different neighborhoods in Seoul. Among the 22 districts in the capital, the affluent Gangnam and Seocho areas south of the Han River accounted for the highest number of students entering SNU in 1999 and 2011.

Some 173 out of every 10,000 high school students in Gangnam went to SNU last year, and 150 from Seocho. In sharp contrast, Gangdong in the western part of the capital saw only 74 entering SNU.

Fifteen districts in Seoul sent fewer than 50.2 out of every 10,000 high school students to SNU, which is below the national average.

In 2011, 65.7 percent of new students at the university came from the Gangnam, Seocho and Songpa south of the Han River.

The main reason behind the disparity is the heavy concentration of private crammers in Seoul and other metropolitan areas, and the gap in spending power of parents in those areas.

According to the KDI report, it cost W420,000 (US$1=W1,091) on average to send one student to a private crammer in Seoul, compared only W245,000 outside the capital.

"Each W100,000 increase in spending on private crammers led to a 0.04 point improvement in the college entrance exam results, while a 20 percent decline in a parent's economic status or surrounding conditions of a student led to 10 percentage point drop in their chances of being admitted to a four-year university, KDI said.