The Korea Vocational Skills Institute found that the enrollment rate for vocational high school graduates in higher education reached 48.7% in 2025, confirming a diversification of overall educational pathways.
Key points
•The enrollment rate for vocational high school graduates in 2025 reached 48.7%, marking the highest rate in the last 10 years.
•A gap was confirmed, with specialized high schools showing a 52.7% enrollment rate compared to 12.0% for Meister high schools.
•45.4% of general university entrants in the Seoul Metropolitan Area utilized the special admission track for working individuals.
The Korea Vocational Skills Institute published a report titled 'Characteristics and Key Tasks of Higher Education Participation by Vocational High School Graduates,' analyzing the current status of higher education participation among vocational high school graduates using educational statistics and university admission data.
The analysis showed that while the enrollment rate for vocational high school graduates dropped from 60.7% in 2011 to 30.9% in 2017, it subsequently rose to 48.7% in 2025, achieving the highest rate in the last decade.
When comparing enrollment rates by school type, the rate for specialized high school graduates was 52.7% in 2025, while that for Meister high schools was 12.0%, indicating that specialized high schools had a rate approximately 4.4 times higher than Meister high schools.
A tendency was observed where vocational high school graduates moved from junior colleges to general universities, a trend particularly noticeable in non-capital areas.
Analysis of transition paths within five years after graduation revealed that the 'early employment-then-enrollment type' accounted for the highest proportion at 32.1%. Other paths included the 'no enrollment type' at 30.3% and the 'major mismatch enrollment type' at 16.7%.
Among general university entrants in the Seoul Metropolitan Area, 45.4% entered through the special admission track for working individuals, compared to only 4.7% in non-capital areas, confirming a gap of approximately 10 times.
