Student Record Commercial Use Ban Looms; Seoul Education Office Expands Admissions Counseling

With the ban on the commercial use of student records taking effect on July 29, the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education is expanding its public college admissions counseling services. This initiative aims to support 2,040 students and their parents for the 2027 academic year's early admissions period, an increase of 540 participants from the previous year.

The expansion comes as private admissions consulting firms have begun suspending services that predicted early admissions success based on student records. This move follows the amendment to the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, which prohibits the trading and use of student records for commercial purposes starting July 29. The Seoul education office seeks to mitigate the resulting information gap and reduce anxiety among students and parents.

To provide this enhanced support, the office has assembled a team of 114 current teachers with over 20 years of experience in college admissions guidance and 100 members from the Seoul Career and College Admissions Planning Support Group. These experts will participate in various counseling sessions, including face-to-face consultations at the "Early Admissions Special 1-on-1 Counseling Center" held at the Jamsil Students' Gymnasium from July 29 to August 1.

During these special centers, teachers will offer personalized advice on university and major selection strategies based on individual student performance and school profiles. Applications for these sessions were closed on July 13 via online pre-registration. Additionally, online video counseling sessions for 600 students and parents will be held from August 21 to September 4, covering various academic fields including humanities, natural sciences, medicine, and arts/physical education.

The office is also extending evening hours for ongoing counseling services. In-person consultations are available until 6:30 PM on weekdays, and video consultations are offered until 8:20 PM. Students and parents can apply through the Seoul Career and College Admissions Information Center website. The office has also released four types of early admissions guidance materials, including a "2027 Early Admissions Guidance Handbook" and analyses of university admission requirements and outcomes, available on its website. The "Ssen Jin hak Nachim pan" (Strong Admissions Compass) web and app service, which uses a traffic light system to indicate potential university placements based on student scores, is also available.