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Results of the 2026 Annual Evaluation for the High School Education Contribution University Support Project. / Ministry of Education

The Ministry of Education and the Korean Council for University Education (KCUE) announced the results of the 2026 annual evaluation for the "High School Education Contribution University Support Project" on May 21, rewarding 18 institutions—including Sookmyung Women's University and Kangwon National University—with the highest "S" grade.

The evaluation marks the second year of the project's fourth cycle, which spans from 2025 to 2026. Launched in 2014, the High School Education Contribution University Support Project aims to strengthen the linkage between university admissions procedures and high school curricula, while bolstering fairness and accountability in the college entrance system. The Ministry of Education currently allocates a total of 58.5 billion won to support 91 participating universities.

According to the evaluation results, 18 universities including Sookmyung Women's University, the University of Incheon, and Hankuk University of Foreign Studies received the top "S" grade. These top-performing institutions will be granted an additional 10% in project funding.

A total of 55 universities, including Konkuk University and Jeonbuk National University, were awarded the "A" grade. Conversely, 18 universities—including Korea University and Hongik University—received a "B" grade after failing to meet this year's evaluation criteria. These institutions will face a 10% reduction in their allocated project funding and will be required to undergo additional administrative consulting from the KCUE.

The evaluation also assessed 16 universities participating in autonomous public-contest programs regarding their level of implementation and first-year performance. The results confirmed that all participating schools performed at an adequate level. These autonomous programs operate across four distinct sectors: admissions officer education and training, high school curriculum support, admissions process improvement, and the expansion of college entrance information disclosure.

The Ministry of Education and the KCUE plan to finalize the evaluation results and individual university funding allocations by early next month, following a formal appeals process.

"We plan to provide continuous support so that the university admissions procedures for the 2027 and 2028 academic years can be reshaped in a direction that stabilizes public education and alleviates the burden of private tutoring," a Ministry of Education official stated.