The questions candidates mix up most when filling in regular-round applications are "how many times can I apply?" and "how much can I undo once I am accepted?" Unlike the early-admission round, the regular round has no overall cap but a set of three groups (ga, na and da), and once you register after being accepted your eligibility changes. This article puts the rules for applying, registering and supplementary recruitment in order, based on the Korean Council for University Education's "2027 Basic Guidelines for University Admissions" (revised 31 July 2026) and the implementation-plan calendar. Each university's admissions guide takes priority, so check the notices of the universities you apply to as well.

In the regular round you apply once per group, three times at most

When you apply to a university that recruits by group in the regular round, you may apply only once per group.
One choice each in the ga, na and da groups makes three applications at most, which is a different structure from the six of the early round.
You cannot apply to two universities in the same group, or to two programs in the same group within one university. That includes applying across the general and special tracks.
If the groups differ, you may apply to different universities, and to several programs within one university.

To prevent confusion, one program is recruited in only one group, and may not be split across two or more groups such as ga-na, ga-da, na-da or ga-na-da.
A university as a whole can span several groups. For the 2027 admission year, 141 universities recruit in the ga group, 146 in na and 137 in da.
Find out which group a department is in from the program table in the admissions guide.

The 2027 regular-round dates run like this

Application receipt is at least three days between Monday 4 and Thursday 7 January 2027, set by each university.
Screening periods are 11-17 January for ga, 18-24 January for na and 25-31 January for da, seven days each.
Results are announced by Friday 5 February, and registration of accepted applicants runs from Wednesday 10 to Friday 12 February, three days.
The whole flow after the CSAT is laid out on one page in our post-CSAT calendar.

If you register after a regular-round acceptance, you cannot apply for supplementary recruitment

A person who is accepted in the regular round and registers cannot apply for supplementary recruitment. Here registration includes not only the first registration but also any additional registration made during the waitlist stage.
So the plan "register for now and look for something better in supplementary recruitment" is blocked by the rules.
There is one way out. A person who gives up the regular-round registration by 16:00 on the closing date for waitlist registration (18 February) may apply for supplementary recruitment.
The implementation plan puts the waitlist registration deadline at 22:00, but the cut-off for giving up and regaining supplementary eligibility is six hours earlier, at 16:00.
Industrial universities and junior colleges follow a separate standard: their applicants may apply for supplementary recruitment even without giving up a regular-round registration.

Early-admission acceptances block the regular round and supplementary recruitment, registered or not

First-round and waitlisted acceptances at early-admission universities cannot apply for regular-round or supplementary recruitment, whatever they intend about registering.
That means there is no route of giving up an early acceptance in order to aim at the regular round, so the decision has to be made before the December announcements.
The dates and the double-registration issue are covered in our article on why early-round winners cannot apply in the regular round.

If you get a waitlist offer, tell the first university you are giving up before you move

If you receive a waitlist offer from another university after registering, the rule is to state clearly to the university where you registered first that you are giving up, and then register at the new one.
Someone who registers at several universities at once is classed as a double-registration violator, and the acceptance can be cancelled. Admissions guides must say so.
If you hold an offer from a university you will not attend, you are asked to tell it right away. Telling it late costs the next candidate in line a chance.
Regular-round waitlist offers run from 13 to 17 February, with the daily announcement deadline at 18:00. The website may post until 14:00; between 14:00 and 18:00 only individual notification is allowed.

Supplementary recruitment is over in eight days, 19 to 26 February

Universities submit their vacancies after the regular-round waitlist to the council by 18:00 on 18 February, and announcements of the recruitment and the numbers may be made only after that.
Screening may begin at 9:00 a.m. on 19 February, and application, screening, results and registration must all finish within the eight days from 19 to 26 February.
The deadline for notifying results is 18:00 on 26 February and the registration deadline is 22:00.
When a university recruits in several rounds, it may open the next round only if vacancies remain from the previous one, so the number of places can change from day to day.

What happens to the money if you change your mind

If an admitted person states before the semester start date that they are giving up admission, the university must treat them as having given up registration and refund the tuition paid in full. The refund follows Article 6(2) of the Rules on University Tuition.
The application fee is different. Once receipt closes, an application cannot be cancelled and the fee is generally not refunded, so see our article on application fee waivers and refunds for that part.

What to check before the regular round

1) Check from the program tables that you have one choice per group and no duplicate in the same group. 2) Write the registration timing and the cut-off for giving up (18 February, 16:00) on your calendar. 3) If supplementary recruitment is part of your plan, decide first whether to register in the regular round.
For score calculation, see our article on converted scores by university.
This article summarizes the council's basic guidelines and implementation plan and does not replace each university's admissions guide. Check the latest notices on the council's admissions information portal and from the universities you apply to.