KU graduates outperform other graduates on the 59th national bar exam

Korea University has the largest number of successful candidates among private universities in Korea on the most recent bar examination.

The Law Journal, a Korean media outlet focused on examination-related news, recently released a report based on its survey of candidates who passed the second-round of the bar exam. According to the journal, although those 55 candidates still require a third-round interview, it is highly likely that all of them will be accepted in the final round.

The report also noted that the so-called SKY universities (Seoul National University, Korea University, and Yonsei University) saw more students pass the exam this year, with percentages rising from 38.5% to 43.6%.

Due to the introduction of law schools in the Korean legal education system, the national bar examination is slated for termination at the end of this year, which makes these results all the more significant. The journal reported that Korea University succeeded in reclaiming second place in the rankings last year with 14 graduates (12.8%) passing the exam and continued its momentum to take up 16.4% this year, surpassing Yonsei University, which had only four successful candidates.

KU had always maintained double-digit percentages until it saw a single-digit percentage (6.9%) in 2014. The following year, the University managed to have more graduates pass the exam, with 19 successful candidates (12.4%).

According to the journal, the total number of successful bar exam applicants from Korea University was 1,404 over the past 13 years, accounting for an annual average of test-takers who pass the exam of 15.9%. Approximately 1,000 people take the national bar exam every year, and KU maintained 17% to 18% of the passing scores. In particular, in 2003, the number reached its peak at 170 (18.8%). Following the Ministry of Justice’s introduction of the law school system and subsequent reduction in the number of selectees, KU had experienced a slight downward trend. However, the University managed to exceed the annual average this year, marking the end of the bar examination system.

In terms of gender, the number of female applicants who passed the exam was 25 (45.5%), which was 8.8% higher than last year. 

According to the journal, this year’s percentage of successful female applicants was far higher than an annual average of 38.9% over the past 10 years. It seems that this year’s female applicants achieved the highest proportion of successful candidates in the history of bar examination.