# South Korean university admissions system failure > Live situation record from CLSTR: https://clstr.news/situations/south-korean-university-admissions-system-failure > Updated: 2026-09-16T11:44:00.000Z. Sources: 13. Developments: 2. On September 11, a server error in the Uwayapply university admissions system disrupted applications for 140 universities. The outage occurred between approximately 5:50 PM and 6:20 PM, just ten minutes before the scheduled 6:00 PM deadline. In response, the Korean Council for University Education (KCUE) extended the deadline by one hour to 7:00 PM. The extension raised fairness concerns because 17 universities released competition rate data at the original 6:00 PM deadline, potentially allowing late applicants to adjust their choices based on real-time statistics. Following the incident, the Ministry of Education received 1,588 requests for relief. As of mid-September, 388 cases have been approved, though many applicants were denied due to a lack of digital logs proving attempted access during the outage. The Ministry of Education has launched a special investigation team to examine the cause—identified as functional conflicts from a security system upgrade—and is considering a transition to a public application system to prevent future failures. ## Timeline ### 2026-09-16: South Korean university application system failure triggers investigation A system failure at Uway Apply disrupted South Korean university applications, leading to 1,588 relief requests and a government investigation into the agency's management and potential public system reforms. 5 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/south-korean-university-application-system-failure-triggers-investigation ### 2026-09-12: Uwayapply admissions system error disrupts university applications A server error in the Uwayapply admissions system on September 11 caused a one-hour deadline extension, sparking fairness concerns over competition rate visibility and prompting government relief measures. 13 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/south-korean-university-application-system-fails-minutes-before-deadline --- Cite as: South Korean university admissions system failure. CLSTR, https://clstr.news/situations/south-korean-university-admissions-system-failure