Daegu junior colleges see higher competition ratios in early admissions

Competition ratios at major junior colleges in Daegu rose this year in the first round of early admissions, driven by strong demand in engineering and health-related programs.

Yeungjin University received 13,896 applications for 1,885 spots, posting an average competition ratio of 7.4 to 1, up from 5.8 to 1 last year, the school said Friday.

Applications to semiconductor electronics and AI-integrated mechanical engineering programs surged 49 percent year-on-year to 5,142, compared with 3,451 last year.

The most competitive track was the specialized high school admissions category for the nursing department, where 294 applicants vied for 10 seats, yielding a ratio of 29.4 to 1.

Daegu Health College drew 12,181 applicants for 1,691 seats, recording an average ratio of 7.2 to 1, up from 6.1 to 1 last year.

In the specialized high school track, the nursing department posted the highest ratio at 50.6 to 1, followed by physical therapy at 34.8 to 1 and environmental health at 28 to 1.

In the general high school track, beauty coordination led at 48.8 to 1, followed by emergency medical services at 24.8 to 1 and nursing at 17 to 1.

Yeungnam University of Science and Technology received 12,581 applications for 1,842 seats, for an average ratio of 6.83 to 1, up from 5.8 to 1 last year.

By department, physical therapy recorded the highest ratio at 20.23 to 1, followed by health and medical administration at 16.42 to 1, sports rehabilitation at 15.75 to 1 and companion animal health at 14.5 to 1.

Keimyung College University also saw its average ratio rise to 3.85 to 1, from 3.47 to 1 last year.

The dental hygiene department attracted the most applicants, with 395 students competing for 29 quota seats at a ratio of 13.62 to 1. The emergency medical services department drew 303 applicants for 23 seats, posting a ratio of 13.17 to 1.

"Even as the school-age population continues to decline, we saw more applicants than last year — and it is particularly meaningful that about 90 percent of all applicants were school-age students aged 25 or younger," said Lee Ji-hoon, head of admissions at Yeungjin University.