Major universities in Seoul will recruit more college freshmen via regular admissions in the 2022 academic year, reducing application advantages that students from more affluent backgrounds enjoyed via the controversial early admissions processes.    

The Korean Council for University Education on Wednesday announced 2022 academic year admission plans for 198 universities nationwide.

Under the plan, the prestigious Seoul National University, Yonsei University and Korea University will expand regular admissions to between 30 and 41 percent of their total recruits from the current 20 to 30 percent. 

The move comes amid social concerns that too many freshmen are admitted via various early admissions processes. These are allegedly advantageous to applicants from wealthy backgrounds by focusing more on extracurricular activities. 

The latest announcement comes after the Education Ministry vowed to enhance the fairness of the university entrance process by expanding regular admissions to 40 percent by 2023, following an admissions scandal surrounding former Justice Minister Cho Kuk and his children last year.