As Korea's early-decision (susi) application window opened in early September, parents are asking again how much weight universities actually give to a school violence disciplinary record on a student's file. The short answer: starting with the 2026 admission cycle, every admission track -- school-record, exam-based, essay, and skills-based -- is required to factor in school violence disciplinary actions. But how long a record stays on file depends on the type of action, and some can be removed through review just before graduation, so the first step is figuring out exactly which action category applies to your child.

Retention periods differ by action type

Under the School Violence Prevention Act, disciplinary actions range from category 1 to category 9, and how long each stays on the school record varies accordingly. Categories 1-3 (written apology, no-contact order, school community service) are automatically deleted at graduation with no review required. Categories 4-5 (community service, special education or counseling) are retained for two years after graduation in principle, but can be deleted at graduation through a review by the school's dedicated school-violence committee that weighs the student's degree of reflection and positive behavior change. The same review option applies to categories 6-7 (suspension from class, class reassignment). Category 8 (transfer) is retained for four years with no deletion review available, and category 9 (expulsion) is retained permanently with no deletion option at all.

Who requests the pre-graduation review, and when

The deletion review for categories 4-7 doesn't happen automatically. It's typically conducted by the school's dedicated school-violence body in the student's final semester before graduation, so if your child received one of these actions, it's worth asking the homeroom teacher or student affairs office early in the graduating year whether your child qualifies for review and what the process looks like. If the review doesn't happen before graduation, the two-year retention period applies as-is and continues to factor into college admissions during that time.

How this actually factors into admissions

Starting with the 2026 cycle, school violence disciplinary actions must be considered not just in school-record-based tracks but also in essay-based, skills-based, and exam-based (jeongsi) admission -- reviewed through documents or an interview. Exactly how much weight it carries isn't standardized, though, since each university publishes its own evaluation criteria in its admission guidelines -- some universities publish numeric point deductions by action category, while others offer a chance to explain the circumstances during an interview. Checking the specific university's guidelines directly is the only way to know for certain.

What to check before submitting susi applications

With susi applications already open, if a disciplinary record is still on file, the order of operations is to first check how each target university's guidelines handle school violence records, then plan your application strategy around that. A university that weighs school documents 100% and one that gives significant weight to an interview -- where there's a chance to explain -- can produce very different outcomes for the same record. Understanding what admissions interviews actually focus on when there's no personal statement can help you gauge what to prepare if an explanation opportunity comes up.

If you're disputing the finding itself -- check the appeal window first

If you disagree with the disciplinary decision itself, there's a set window for challenging a school violence committee's ruling through an administrative appeal or lawsuit. Missing that window means the action is finalized and stays on the school record, so the appeal deadline should be the very first thing you check upon receiving the decision notice. If that window has already closed, your best move shifts from disputing the finding to managing the retention-period and deletion-review process described above.

Preparing for jeongsi (regular admission) is different, but not exempt

Even if you're focused on jeongsi, you're not in the clear -- starting with the 2026 cycle, exam-based tracks must also factor in school violence records. Jeongsi generally weighs documents less heavily, but just as converted-score formulas differ by university, how each university handles school violence records in jeongsi also varies by whether they require an interview or documents. It's worth checking this when you narrow down your jeongsi target list.

Worth checking alongside this

While mapping out your susi strategy, it's also worth reviewing the 6-application susi limit and 3-application jeongsi limit and how binding a susi acceptance is -- useful to know if you need to adjust your target list because of a school violence record.

Steps in order

1. Find out which action category your child received and how long it stays on the school record.
2. If it's categories 4-7, ask the school whether a pre-graduation deletion review applies and how to request it.
3. Check each target university's admission guidelines for exactly how school violence records are factored in.
4. If you're disputing the disciplinary finding itself, check the appeal deadline first.

Retention periods for school violence records and how they're factored into admissions can change with legal amendments and vary by each university's guidelines. For accurate details, check directly with your child's school and the admissions office of each target university.