Amended Private Teaching Institutes Act for Preschool Academies and Teaching Centers — Placement Test Ban and Teaching Center Reports from October 1, 2026

Procedure

1. 1. Check the amendments and who they apply to

   Preschool children under Article 2, Subparagraph 1 of the Early Childhood Education Act are now included in the definition of extracurricular lessons, and academies teaching preschool children are classified as school subject teaching academies (Act on the Establishment and Operation of Private Teaching Institutes and Extracurricular Lessons, Article 2, Subparagraph 4 and Article 2-2, Paragraph 1, Subparagraph 1, Item (a)). The admission test ban applies not only to academy founders and operators but also to teaching center instructors and private tutors (Article 12-2, Paragraph 1 of the same Act).

2. 2. Review admission counseling and class placement methods

   Written, oral, practical and interview tests, evaluations using results of tests verifying specific abilities or records of experience, and any other evaluation that ranks ability for admission or level-based placement are all prohibited (Enforcement Decree of the same Act, Article 11, Paragraph 1). Any pre-admission level test, requirement to submit English certification scores, or interview-based class division must stop from October 1, 2026.

3. 3. Set up a permitted assessment procedure

   After a preschool child has enrolled, an observation or interview-based assessment for the purpose of supporting educational activities is allowed (proviso to Article 12-2, Paragraph 1 of the same Act). The guardian must be informed of the purpose, method and support based on the results and give consent in writing or electronically, the assessment must be conducted during lessons, and results must be recorded descriptively on learning progress without scores, rankings or pass/fail marks (Enforcement Decree of the same Act, Article 11, Paragraphs 2 and 3).

4. 4. Check teaching center reports and academy change registration

   Teaching centers that teach preschool children must also file a teaching center establishment and operation report, one instructor may teach only one subject at one location, and no lecturers may be employed (Article 14, Paragraphs 1 and 7 of the same Act; Enforcement Decree of the same Act, Article 15, Paragraph 2). An academy that newly runs a course for preschool children or changes its lecturer list or tuition must apply for change registration, and a teaching center must file a change report when changing its subject or tuition (Article 6, Paragraph 1 and Article 14, Paragraph 1 of the same Act).

5. 5. Prepare for dispositions and fines for violations

   An academy that gives admission tests to preschool children may have its registration cancelled or teaching suspended for up to 1 year, a teaching center may be ordered closed or have teaching suspended for up to 6 months, and a private tutor may be ordered to stop teaching for up to 1 year, applying to violations from October 1, 2026 (Article 17, Paragraph 1, Subparagraph 6-2, Paragraph 2, Subparagraph 1 and Paragraph 3, Subparagraph 1 of the same Act; Addenda Article 2). The standard fine is 1,000,000 won for the 1st violation, 2,000,000 won for the 2nd and 3,000,000 won for the 3rd or subsequent violation (Article 23, Paragraph 1, Subparagraph 2-2 of the same Act; Enforcement Decree of the same Act, Annex 5).

Required documents

• Academy change registration application (Enforcement Rule of the Act on the Establishment and Operation of Private Teaching Institutes and Extracurricular Lessons, Form No. 8, when changing courses, lecturer list or tuition)
• Teaching center establishment and operation report (Form No. 16 of the same Rule, when newly reporting a teaching center for preschool children)
• Teaching center change report (Form No. 19 of the same Rule, when changing the subject or tuition)
• Documents proving the instructor's qualifications and a copy of ID (for teaching center reports, Article 11, Paragraph 2 of the same Rule)
• Floor plan of the teaching center and documents proving the right to use the premises (lease agreement, etc.)
• Guardian consent form for assessment (no prescribed form; states the purpose, method and support, with consent given in writing or electronically)
• Assessment record (no prescribed form; describes learning progress without scores, rankings or pass/fail marks)
• Student recruitment notices and counseling procedure materials (to review wording on tests and level tests)

Fees

Fees for academy change registration and teaching center reports follow the standards of the competent office of education, so check with the local office of education before applying. Our office fee starts from the amount shown above and may vary depending on whether it is an academy or teaching center, the number of items to change and the scope of revising admission procedures; we will give you an exact quote after reviewing your documents.

See fees and official charges for this service →

Legal basis and review date

• Act on the Establishment and Operation of Private Teaching Institutes and Extracurricular Lessons, Article 2
• Act on the Establishment and Operation of Private Teaching Institutes and Extracurricular Lessons, Article 2-2
• Act on the Establishment and Operation of Private Teaching Institutes and Extracurricular Lessons, Article 6
• Act on the Establishment and Operation of Private Teaching Institutes and Extracurricular Lessons, Article 12-2
• Act on the Establishment and Operation of Private Teaching Institutes and Extracurricular Lessons, Article 14
• Act on the Establishment and Operation of Private Teaching Institutes and Extracurricular Lessons, Article 17
• Act on the Establishment and Operation of Private Teaching Institutes and Extracurricular Lessons, Article 22
• Act on the Establishment and Operation of Private Teaching Institutes and Extracurricular Lessons, Article 23
• Act on the Establishment and Operation of Private Teaching Institutes and Extracurricular Lessons, Addenda (Act No. 21501), Article 2
• Enforcement Decree of the Act on the Establishment and Operation of Private Teaching Institutes and Extracurricular Lessons, Article 11
• Enforcement Decree of the Act on the Establishment and Operation of Private Teaching Institutes and Extracurricular Lessons, Article 15
• Enforcement Decree of the Act on the Establishment and Operation of Private Teaching Institutes and Extracurricular Lessons, Annex 5
• Enforcement Rule of the Act on the Establishment and Operation of Private Teaching Institutes and Extracurricular Lessons, Article 6
• Enforcement Rule of the Act on the Establishment and Operation of Private Teaching Institutes and Extracurricular Lessons, Article 11
• Enforcement Rule of the Act on the Establishment and Operation of Private Teaching Institutes and Extracurricular Lessons, Article 13

Checked against the statutes on 2026-10-26

Statutes and public notices change, so each case needs to be checked individually. Statute titles are given in English for reference. The Korean statutes are the authoritative text.

Check these first

• Giving admission or class placement tests to preschool children after October 1, 2026 may lead to registration cancellation or teaching suspension for up to 1 year for academies, a closure order or teaching suspension for up to 6 months for teaching centers, and fines, so review your admission counseling procedure first (Act on the Establishment and Operation of Private Teaching Institutes and Extracurricular Lessons, Article 17, Article 23, Paragraph 1, Subparagraph 2-2, Addenda Article 2).
• An assessment conducted without guardian consent or with scores, rankings or pass/fail marks in the results may not be recognized as a permitted assessment, so prepare the consent form and recording method in advance (Enforcement Decree of the same Act, Article 11, Paragraphs 2 and 3).

Frequently asked questions