Kookmin University (President Jeong Seung Ryul) has significantly moved up the deadline for changing majors in order to expand students’ options. Kookmin University operates a system whereby students who apply to change their major during the first semester of their freshman year can begin studying their new major starting in the second semester of the same year. This allows students who, after enrollment, determine that their major does not align with their aptitudes or career goals to continue their studies in a new major from the very beginning of their college experience, without wasting time.
 
The university has also expanded the range of choices available at the admissions stage. Students admitted under the Autonomous Major Selection System can explore most of the approximately 50 majors—including not only the humanities and natural sciences but also the arts and physical education—before selecting their first major. The admission rate for this system is around 40% of all freshmen, at 41.9% for the 2025 academic year and 39.2% for the 2026 academic year. Kookmin University has also chosen not to segregate students in the Flexible Major Selection Program into a separate group. Instead, these students participate in the same classes and practical training sessions as students in their departments of interest, and they join orientation programs and club activities together, allowing them to experience actual major-specific education before making their choice. Rather than simply choosing a major based on departmental brochures, students are encouraged to make informed decisions through firsthand experience during their college life.
 
Support systems for major exploration have also been strengthened. The university established the College of Future Convergence in 2025 and now offers counseling with faculty advisors, mentoring, major exploration fairs, and seminars. Through “K*-Smart Mentor,” an online major and career support system, students can compare and explore various majors and access information on related career paths and graduate employment. Students’ choices are also transcending the boundaries of traditional academic divisions. Among freshmen enrolled under the Autonomous Major Selection System for the 2025 academic year, 25.7% of applicants chose majors in the arts and physical education fields as their first major. When students flock to a specific major, the university responds to the demand by increasing the number of sections.
 

Kookmin University plans to continue making its academic system more flexible so that students are not confined to a single major track. The university is also considering a modular curriculum based on the “Learning Block” approach—which divides major coursework into small units that students can combine to fulfill their requirements—as well as the introduction of a new “Liberal Arts Major.”
 
Kookmin University President Jeong Seung Ryul stated, “Students should be able to continue exploring their aptitudes and career paths even after entering college,” adding, “We will continue to expand our student-centered academic system so that students can re-select their majors and academic paths based on the interests and experiences they discover during their college years.”