Seoul Semiconductor High School, which opens in March next year, drew 4.73 applicants for every seat in its first admissions cycle. Overall competition for Meister high schools in Seoul also rose to 2.66 to 1 this year from 1.60 to 1 a year earlier.
A total of 1,604 students applied for 604 openings at five Meister high schools in Seoul for the 2027 academic year, for an average of 2.66 applicants per seat, the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education said on the 23rd after applications closed. A year earlier, 863 students applied for 540 openings at four schools, an average of 1.60 to 1. Applicants rose by 741 from the previous year, and the application rate climbed to 265.6% from 159.8%, up 105.8 percentage points.
Demand was strongest at Seoul Semiconductor High School, which opens its doors in March. The school received 303 applications for 64 seats, a ratio of 4.73 to 1. It will run departments in semiconductor equipment and semiconductor manufacturing, training specialists for the chip industry through a hands-on curriculum and advanced teaching facilities.
The new school brings the number of Meister high schools in Seoul to five from four. Application rates at all four existing schools also rose from last year. The group comprises Mirim Meister High School, specializing in new media content; Seoul Robotics High School, in robotics; Sudo Electrical Engineering High School, in energy; Seoul Urban Science and Technology High School, in overseas construction and plant engineering; and Seoul Semiconductor High School, in semiconductors. The schools offer specialized curricula tailored to industry demand along with practical, field-based training.
Final admission results for Seoul's Meister high schools will be announced on Nov. 4. The city's 67 vocational high schools will begin accepting applications for special admissions on Nov. 23.
"To train skilled specialists in advanced industries such as semiconductors, we plan to strengthen curricula aligned with industry demand and industry-academia cooperation, and to expand support for career guidance, further study and employment," an official at the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education said.