Families who assume high school admissions happen in December miss a whole set of schools. Applications to early-round schools, science high schools among them, open in late August. The first gate opens before the second semester of Year 9 has even started. And where you apply first changes what remains available in December. Here is the early/late split together with the double-application rule.

High school admissions are split into early and late rounds

Admissions are divided by when schools select students. The early round covers science high schools, arts and physical-education high schools, Meister high schools and vocational high schools. The late round covers foreign language and international high schools, autonomous private high schools (national and metropolitan), and general high schools.

What separates the school types is set out in the comparison of high school types. Here the focus is on the constraints created by when a school selects.

Early-round applications open in late August

For the 2027 intake, science high school applications run between mid-August and early September, on dates set by each metropolitan or provincial office of education. Daejeon opens earliest on 18 August; Seoul, Incheon and Sejong from 24 August; Gyeonggi from 24 to 28 August; Busan from 1 to 3 September. The dates differ by region.

What matters is the date in your own region. Preparing from an article or forum post written for another region can cost you the entire application window. Vocational and Meister high schools also belong to the early round, but their timing varies by region and by school.

Late-round applications cluster in early December

Late-round applications begin in early December. For the 2027 intake, national autonomous private high schools open first, from 2 December, with metropolitan autonomous private high schools and international high schools from 3 December, and foreign language high schools also from 3 December. General high schools selected by the superintendent take applications over several days in early December.

So there are two application seasons: one in late August, one in early December. What you do in the three months between them is the real scheduling question.

The double-application ban — August limits December

This is the key rule. You cannot apply to two or more early-round schools at the same time. Applying to two science high schools, or to a science high school and an arts high school together, is not allowed.

A heavier clause follows. If you are accepted by an early-round school, you cannot apply to or be assigned to a late-round school in the same year, whether or not you enrol. "We will try for the science high school and fall back on a general high school" is only half right. You may move to the late round after a rejection, but you cannot change your mind after an acceptance.

Students who did not apply in the early round, or who were rejected, may apply in the late round; that is not a double application. So an early-round application should follow a decision that you will attend if accepted.

What happens to general high schools if you apply to an autonomous or foreign language school

Within the late round you may apply to an autonomous private, foreign language or international high school and to general high schools as well. The stage at which you may enter the general-school process is limited, however, so applicants typically join from the second stage rather than the first.

Outcomes then diverge sharply by region. In equalisation areas, a rejection still leaves a place in a general high school within the district. In non-equalisation areas, if no school inside the district is under-subscribed, a student can be assigned far from home. If you are unsure which system applies where you live, start with how school districts and assignment work.

Self-directed learning admission runs in two stages

The self-directed learning track used by foreign language, international and autonomous private high schools generally has two stages. Stage one screens applicants down to a multiple of the intake using subject grades, attendance and other documents; stage two applies an interview to decide the final list. Foreign language high schools mainly look at English subject grades in stage one.

The interview examines how the applicant has studied on their own, their career plans and personal qualities. At this point external certification scores and outside awards are not counted, and mentioning them in the interview is restricted. The rule exists to keep private tutoring out of the process.

Weightings and document requirements differ from school to school, so there is no substitute for reading the admissions guidelines of the school itself.

Grades count up to the first semester of Year 9

Subject grades used in high school admissions generally run from Year 8 through the first semester of Year 9, with the semesters and subjects counted varying by region and school type. How far Year 7 results enter the calculation differs by region, so the treatment of Year 7 grades is the more accurate place to check.

The point to hold on to is that the grades are already fixed by the time you apply. What you have to work with in late August is the Year 9 first-semester report and the attendance record; after that, only interview preparation can still change.

Three places to check

First, the high school admissions plan published by your metropolitan or provincial office of education. It is issued every year and is the reference document for that year's dates and assignment method. Second, the national high school information portal (hischool.go.kr), where school-by-school admissions information is available. Third, the teacher in charge of admissions at your school, who knows local conditions and recent assignment outcomes best.

In short, the order is this: read your region's plan → decide on an early-round application (August) → if rejected or not applying, prepare for the late round (December) → confirm how assignment works in your area. The decision that comes before any date is whether you will attend the early-round school if it accepts you.