Sangmyung University is being recognized for its excellent educational capabilities by securing government financial support projects such as the Advanced Field Innovation Convergence University Project. Notably, its Cheonan campus has introduced an early employment contract-based program, catching attention for linking students directly with employment opportunities.
According to Sangmyung University on the 2nd, the Cheonan campus has established new departments, the Smart IT Convergence Engineering Department and Bio Food Tech Department, as early employment contract-based programs. Supported by Chungnam Province, these programs allow students to seek early employment from their second year and cover full tuition fees through scholarships.
Students in these departments can earn a regular bachelor’s degree by completing a three-year (six semesters) 120-credit curriculum. During the first year, students take classes at the university, and from the second year, they undergo practical training focused on project-based learning and fieldwork through industry-academia partnerships with companies. To encourage students to settle in the Chungnam area, they are matched with local companies and, upon working for two years post-graduation, receive a settlement support fund of 12 million won.
Sangmyung University also operates an ultra-flexible academic system, allowing students to design and complete their interdisciplinary major directly through the “self-designed interdisciplinary major” program and to earn credits for problem-solving projects through the “self-designed semester (credit) system.” It has also eased regulations on changing majors.
Moreover, regardless of their primary major, students can freely take courses in the biohealth and intelligent robot fields at various levels and earn certifications and degrees in diverse forms such as micro-degrees, minors, and dual majors.
For the 2026 academic year, Sangmyung University aims to recruit a total of 1,961 new students through rolling admissions. The Seoul campus plans to admit 349 students through School Recommendation (Student Record Curriculum), 226 through Comprehensive Screening (Sangmyung Talent, Opportunity Balance, and Specialized High School Graduate Programs), 101 through Essay Exam, 138 through Practical or Performance (Practical Screening), and additional admissions for specific programs, including six through the Student Record Curriculum for West Sea 5 Islands, and 130 through Comprehensive Screening for Specialized Vocational Graduates and Special Education Candidates.
The Cheonan campus aims to admit 409 students through Student Record Curriculum, 228 through Comprehensive Screening (Sangmyung Talent and Opportunity Balance), 218 through Practical or Performance (Practical Screening, Specialty Sports), and additional admissions including 71 through Rural Student, Specialized High School Graduate Programs, and 85 through Comprehensive Screening for Specialized Vocational Graduates, Special Education Candidates, and Early Employment Contract-based Programs.
The major change in the 2026 rolling admissions is the removal of the high school recommendation limit and the minimum academic requirement for the Seoul campus and the introduction of the Early Employment Contract-based Program at the Cheonan campus.
The Early Employment Contract-based Program on the Cheonan campus, which recruits 30 students for the Smart IT Convergence Engineering Department and 25 for the Bio Food Tech Department as additional enrollments, has no minimum academic requirement. High school graduates or those recognized as having equivalent academic qualifications, regardless of age, can apply.
For the Seoul campus’s Essay Exam, all departments except the Arts and Physical Education (excluding Animation) and the Convergence Management and National Security departments conduct brief essay tests, reflecting 10% from the Student Record Curriculum and 90% from the essay test, with no minimum academic requirement.
For detailed information on Sangmyung University’s 2026 admissions, please refer to the recruitment guidelines and the admissions website.