Seoul National University faces scrutiny over law school blind admissions

During a National Assembly Education Committee audit, concerns were raised regarding the fairness of the blind evaluation process for admissions to Seoul National University (SNU) Law School. Representative Baek Seung-ah of the Democratic Party criticized the university for using a unique horizontal transcript format that distinguishes it from other institutions, which typically use a vertical format.

Critics argue that this distinct visual style allows evaluators to easily identify SNU graduates, undermining the purpose of blind admissions. Data presented during the audit showed that SNU graduates accounted for approximately 61.8% of this year's successful applicants, with 94 out of 152 students coming from the university.

SNU President Yoo Hong-lim responded by stating that transcript formats and contents are determined autonomously by universities under school regulations, though he noted that efforts to address the format are ongoing and have been discussed with the Law School Association.