South Korea's absurd phenomenon of "life stopping in first year of high school": Tens of thousands of students, unable to get first place, drop out and repeat, just to get into prestigious universities.

A bizarre "grade reset" phenomenon appears in South Korean high schools: More and more first-year high school students choose to voluntarily drop out, clear their transcripts, and start over from first grade the following year. In 2025, the number of dropouts exceeded 10k for the first time. Behind this is a systemic loophole in the GPA 5-level grading reform, and it is the ultimate manifestation of South Korea's education competition frenzy. From repeating first grade to N attempts in senior year retakes, the South Korean education system is engaged in an endless ranking game at the cost of youth.
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Table of Contents

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• GPA 5-Level Grading Reform: The Butterfly Effect of the System
• Drop Out and Repeat: Barefaced Calculation
• Senior Year Retake Hits New High Simultaneously: 34.7% Are N-Time Test-Takers
• The Sleeping Generation: Sacrifice Under Educational Violence

GPA 5-Level Grading Reform: The Butterfly Effect of the System

The root of this "dropout and repeat wave" traces back to the grading system reform by South Korea's Ministry of Education. In the past, high school GPA used a 9-level system, with Level 1 (best) comprising approximately the top 4% of the school; after the full switch to the 5-level system in 2023, the proportion of Level 1 expanded to the top 10%. At first glance, it appears more lenient, but the actual effect is far more complex than it seems.

Under the new 5-level system, Level 2 covers the top 10% to 30%, and Level 3 covers 30% to 60%. Because the grade intervals have widened, a student's rank may drop from Level 1 directly to Level 3 with just a slight slip in class or school ranking—this "cliff-like downgrade" is extremely detrimental for university applications. Seoul National University (SNU), Korea University, and Yonsei University (collectively known as SKY top universities) have an unwritten preference for a high proportion of Level 1 grades when reviewing high school GPAs; below Level 2 is almost equivalent to elimination in competitive majors.

Research by the Korea Institute for Curriculum and Evaluation indicates that the original intention of the 5-level system was to reduce the extreme competition pressure of students striving to be in the top 4%. However, its implementation has instead spawned new distorted behaviors. Since the entire first-year high school grades are included in university application calculations, once a student fails to achieve Level 1 in their first year due to poor adjustment, wrong subject selection, or simply bad luck, they almost lose the chance to aim for SKY schools—unless they "start over from scratch."

Drop Out and Repeat: Barefaced Calculation

The specific operation process is as follows: During the first year of high school, if a student believes their semester grades cannot reach the top 10%, they can apply to the school for a "voluntary dropout" (자퇴) before the end of the semester. After dropping out, all previous school grade records become invalid. The following year, the student re-registers or applies to another high school (or the original school) as a "new student" and starts over from the first year. Since the South Korean high school admission system allows non-current-year students to apply, this path is completely legal.

This operation is called "grade reset" (성적 리셋) in the South Korean student community. On community platforms, there are even dedicated discussion boards sharing the "best time to drop out": apply at the end of the semester, prepare for transfer exams during winter vacation, and enroll directly as a first-year high school student in March—wasting a full year of youth in exchange for a blank transcript.

A high school teacher in Seoul's Gangnam District frankly said in an interview with South Korean media: "Seven students applied for dropout this semester, all of whom had mid-range grades but aimed for SKY schools. They don't dislike studying; they feel that 'this semester's grades are hopeless, so it's better to start over.' This logic sounds reasonable, but it is the entire system that forces them down this path."

What is more intriguing is that this phenomenon is mainly concentrated in general high schools (인문계고), not vocational high schools or special-purpose high schools. Students in general high schools almost all aim for university entrance, have the highest sensitivity to GPA, and thus become the main group for "grade reset."

Senior Year Retake Hits New High Simultaneously: 34.7% Are N-Time Test-Takers

Dropout and repeating first year is just the tip of the iceberg of South Korea's education competition frenzy. According to data submitted by the Korea Institute for Curriculum and Evaluation to members of the National Assembly in 2025, the proportion of retakers in the College Scholastic Ability Test (수능, abbreviated as Suneung) has risen from 23.3% in 2016 to 34.7% in 2025, hitting a new high in the past decade. In other words, for every three Suneung test-takers, one is a "second-timer," "third-timer," or even "N-timer" retaker.

A professor in the Department of Education at Korea University analyzed that multiple policy changes have combined to drive this retake craze: from 2023, key universities in Seoul initiated "timed expansion of admissions"; in 2024, former President Yoon Suk Yeol's remarks about "eliminating killer questions" caused uncertainty in exam direction; in 2025, medical school expansion further intensified competition for medical majors. Each policy change led students to choose to "gamble one more year."

At the same time, South Korea's private education expenditure continues to hit new highs. From 2021 to 2024, the average monthly out-of-school education expenditure per student set consecutive records for four years. In the Daechi-dong area of Gangnam District, the cram school street is crowded every holiday with students who take express buses from provincial cities to attend classes—even elementary school students must pass an entrance exam to get into a cram school.

The Sleeping Generation: Sacrifice Under Educational Violence

The essence of the "grade reset" phenomenon is a high-stakes gamble with youth. A widely circulated post on South Korean community platforms reads: "Dropping out and repeating first year is more cost-effective than retaking senior year. Dropping out of first year gives you a breather, builds confidence, and allows you to start over. When you retake senior year, there are too few opportunities for a turnaround." However, behind this "cost-effectiveness" lies unimaginable pressure for South Korean students.

A survey by the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs indicates that South Korea's adolescent suicide rate is among the highest in OECD countries, while their sleep duration is among the lowest—high school students average only 5.4 hours of sleep per day. Recently, a hot topic emerged on community platforms about a "17-year-old Korean girl developing depression after studying only one hour of sleep per day," sparking societal reflection on extreme study culture.

From dropping out of first year to retaking senior year N times, to employment anxiety after entering SKY—South Korea's education system is operating in a near self-destructive manner. When "repeating a year" is no longer a punishment but a strategic choice, where is the end of this competition game?