{
  "id": 5245320,
  "title": "Competition for regional national universities hits 5-year high amid free tuition push",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/03/competition-for-regional-national-universities-hits-5-year-high-amid",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-03T04:42:03.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Korea Times",
    "slug": "the-korea-times",
    "url": "https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/southkorea/education/20260903/competition-for-regional-national-universities-hits-5-year-high-amid-free-tuition-push"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": null,
  "summary": "The competition for admission to regional flagship national universities in South Korea has reached its highest level in five years, driven by the government's push for free tuition. According to Jongro Academy, a private university admissions prep institution, the competition rate for regular admissions based on the Korea's College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT) hit 5.68 to 1 in 2026, up from 4.67 to 1 in 2022. Early admissions, which prioritize high school academic performance and extracurricular activities, saw an even higher rate of 8.65 to 1 in 2026. The nine affected universities include Kangwon National University, Gyeongsang National University, Kyungpook National University, Pusan National University, Chonnam National University, Jeonbuk National University, Jeju National University, Chungnam National University, and Chungbuk National University.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "The Korea Times",
        "title": "Competition for regional national universities hits 5-year high amid free tuition push",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/03/competition-for-regional-national-universities-hits-5-year-high-amid-5247178",
        "published": "2026-09-03T04:52:03.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}