Overview
South Korea's military academies — the Korea Military Academy (육군사관학교), Korea Naval Academy (해군사관학교), Korea Air Force Academy (공군사관학교), and related institutions such as the Korea Army Academy at Yeongcheon — each run their own competitive entrance examination to select and train future officers for their respective service branch, combining a four-year academic degree with military training.
Who can apply
Applicants must be Korean nationals, unmarried, generally within an age range set by each academy (typically late teens to early twenties), have graduated from or be expected to graduate from high school, and meet physical and medical fitness standards set for officer-cadet training; exact requirements vary slightly between academies.
Exam pattern
Selection generally combines: an academic aptitude test (covering subjects similar to Korea's national college entrance exam, the CSAT/Suneung, or the candidate's CSAT score itself, depending on the academy and track), a physical fitness test, an interview, and a medical examination. Weighting between CSAT-linked academic performance and the academy's own testing varies by academy and admission track (recommendation-based versus general admission).
After the exam
Successful candidates enrol as cadets, receiving a stipend during their four years of study, and after graduation are commissioned as officers in their respective service branch, with an obligatory minimum period of service.
Preparation tips
Because several academies weight the national CSAT (Suneung) score alongside their own physical and interview assessments, strong preparation for the CSAT remains central even for candidates specifically targeting a military academy, alongside physical fitness training ahead of the academy-specific test.
Do Korea's military academies share one entrance exam?
No, each academy (Army, Navy, Air Force, and related institutions) runs its own entrance process, though all generally combine academic performance, physical testing and an interview.
What happens after graduating from a Korean military academy?
Graduates are commissioned as officers in their respective service branch and serve an obligatory minimum period of service.