The results of the 2024 university entrance exam in South Korea reveal a significant shift in students' preferences, with artificial intelligence (AI) and engineering majors emerging as the most sought-after programs in the science stream, while business administration remains the top choice in the humanities.

According to a recent analysis by Jongno Academy, which examined the top three highest-scoring programs at ten leading universities, including Seoul National University, Yonsei University, and Korea University, AI and semiconductor-related programs outperformed other science majors, excluding medical and pharmaceutical sciences. In the humanities, business administration consistently ranked as the most competitive major.

Among the top 39 science programs in the 10 universities, AI and semiconductor-related programs accounted for five, the largest number. Computer science programs followed with four, and electrical engineering, chemistry, and chemical engineering programs each had three.

The popularity of AI and semiconductor programs has surged in the past two years. While computer science and electrical engineering programs were the most competitive in 2021, and computer science and chemical engineering programs topped the list in 2022, it was in 2023 that semiconductor and AI programs began to dominate.

In the humanities, business administration programs claimed six of the top 31 spots in 2024, followed by economics, media, statistics, and public administration programs with three each. Business administration has been the most competitive humanities major in recent years, except in 2023 when political science and international relations took the top spot.

Jongno Academy attributed these trends to the challenging job market. Im Sung-ho, the CEO of Jongno Academy, explained, "The increasing difficulty of finding employment has led to a higher concentration of students in humanities programs such as business, economics, and media. In the science stream, there is a growing preference for newly established government-funded programs in AI and semiconductors, as well as corporate-sponsored programs."

The data suggests that South Korean students are increasingly aligning their educational choices with the demands of the rapidly changing job market, with a strong emphasis on STEM fields and business-related disciplines.

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