Ewha will become the third women’s university in Korea to establish the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) program.
On Feb. 24, the Ministry of Defense announced that Ewha was chosen among four women’s universities that had applied for the ROTC program. The program is an on campus officer training program that trains commissioned officers of the Korean Army. Recognizing the need to employ talented women in the military, the ministry began recruiting a women’s university to adopt the system in last October.
The Ministry of Defense revealed that Ewha received high scores in all criteria regarding the school’s qualification for the ROTC program. Facilities, the number of security-related courses, the ability to attract talented applicants, and the level of student interest in the ROTC program were some of the ministry’s criteria during the three week evaluation that took place in January.
“Ewha had already built a building solely for the ROTC program,” said an official from the Ministry of Defense. “It also promised to grant full scholarships and provide dormitory rooms for those enrolled in the curriculum.”
As for the school, it explained that its selection as the third women’s university with the ROTC program can be attributed to its unique curriculum, lifelong support for ROTC students, international education, and extensive network of alumni.
“Unlike many other women’s universities, Ewha’s College of Engineering provides education useful in various sectors of the army,” said Kim Woon-jung, a staff member of Planning and Coordination. “In addition, the ROTC students will receive support before, during and after the program under the ROTC e-Career Coaching system.”
The ROTC e-Career Coaching system is divided into the pre-ROTC program and ROTC student management. The former will include physical education classes, ROTC admissions preparation workshops, alumni mentoring, and security-related seminars. The latter will include health monitoring, psychological counseling, and support for acquiring specialized certificates. After graduation, the school will help graduates to form the Ewha ROTC network. 
According to school authorities, the school’s international education sets it apart from other candidates that had applied for the selection of the women-only ROTC university. In fact, the curriculum at Ewha will teach ROTC students to understand international affairs and learn foreign languages. Also, the school plans to send students on foreign excursions and have them attend research projects.
Currently, the school is recruiting interested sophomores for the ROTC program. Once the application ends on March 31, applicants will undergo three stages of the admissions process. In the preliminary stage that will take place in April, students will take a written test and submit their GPA records. Those that have passed the exam will take a physical ability test and sit for an interview. Lastly, the applicants will undergo health checkups and security checks for the final stage of the admissions.
The 30 selected candidates will be announced on Aug. 18 and they will receive military training from January 2017. Once they are in the program, the students will take courses related to national security and leadership while keeping their original major.
“The establishment of the ROTC program will spread Ewha’s leadership capabilities to the army, contributing to changes in society,” Kim said. “Also, the program will diversify students’ career paths and lead to successful careers. The graduates could either serve as high-ranking officers in the Korean Army or work at companies that welcome ROTC officers. The school applied for the ROTC program for these reasons.”
Contrary to the school’s positive outlook on the program, the Student Government Association (SGA) at Ewha is currently against the establishment of the program. In February, it held a discussion to figure out students’ opinions regarding the issue.
“Since the announcement of the ROTC program has been made relatively recently, the SGA will continue to collect students’ opinions, which are necessary to respond to the school’s decision,” said a member of the SGA. “We will hold a debate during the semester to amass ideas for and against the issue.”

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