Korean Self-Study Degree (Dokhaksa) Stage Calculator

Overview

The Korean Self-Study Degree (독학학위제, commonly 독학사) Stage Calculator turns your subject scores into a pass or fail verdict for each stage of the national self-study bachelor's degree examination run by Korea's National Institute for Lifelong Education. The programme has four stages: general education, major foundations, advanced major, and the final degree-acquisition comprehensive examination. Stages 1 through 3 use per-subject accumulation — any subject scored 60 or above is banked permanently — while only stage 4 offers a choice between a total-score rule (360 of 600 points) and a per-subject rule (60 in every subject). The calculator also checks the credit thresholds that exempt you from stages 1 to 3.

Formula

Self-Study Degree pass criteria (National Institute for Lifelong Education, bdes.nile.or.kr)

[Stages 1-3 recognition exams — per-subject accumulation]
Subject pass = subject score ≥ 60 (each subject out of 100)
Stage pass = number of passed subjects ≥ subjects required for that stage
Subjects remaining = required − passed
· Stage 1 (general education): 5 subjects offered (Korean, Korean History, a foreign language, plus 2 electives) → all 5 must pass
· Stage 2 (major foundations): 8 subjects offered per major → 6 or more must pass
· Stage 3 (advanced major): 8 subjects offered per major → 6 or more must pass
· A subject once passed cannot be retaken; only the remaining subjects are sat next time.

[Stage 4 comprehensive examination — 6 subjects (2 general education + 4 major), 600 points]
Total-score rule  : total ≥ 360 points (60% of 600), no per-subject minimum, all 6 subjects sat afresh
Per-subject rule  : every subject ≥ 60 points (one subject below 60 fails that subject)
Points short = 360 − total
Average = total ÷ number of subjects

[Exam exemptions based on recognised credits]
Stage 1 exempt        : 35 credits or more (or 1 year of university completed)
Stages 1-2 exempt     : 70 credits or more in the same major (or 2 years completed)
Stages 1-3 exempt     : 105 credits or more including 28 major credits (or 3 years completed)
· Stage 4 is never exempted.

Example: scores of 72, 65, 58, 80, 74 and 61 at stage 4 total 410 points, an average of 68.3. That clears the 360-point total-score bar by 50 points but fails the per-subject rule because of the 58.

How to Use

1. 1Choose the stage you are sitting, from stage 1 (general education) to stage 4 (comprehensive examination). The number of subjects offered and the pass requirement appear with your choice.
2. 2For stage 4, select the pass rule you registered under — total-score or per-subject. Stages 1 to 3 have no such option.
3. 3Enter each subject score out of 100. Use the add and delete buttons if you sat more or fewer subjects than the default list.
4. 4Stages 1 to 3 show how many subjects cleared 60 and how many more you need; stage 4 shows your total, average and the verdict under both pass rules.
5. 5Enter the total and major credits you have been granted through the Credit Bank System or university study to see how far up the ladder you are exempt and which stage to sit next.

Examples

Background

The Self-Study Degree programme was established under Korea's 1990 Act on the Acquisition of Academic Degrees through Self-Education and began operating in 1991. It is administered by the National Institute for Lifelong Education, and successful candidates receive a bachelor's degree conferred by the Minister of Education without ever enrolling at a university. The four stages deliberately mirror a degree course: stages 1 to 3 stand in for the general-education, major-foundation and advanced-major coursework of the first three years, while stage 4 replaces the graduation comprehensive examination. That is why the exemption thresholds track years of study — 35 credits for one year, 70 for two and 105 for three. Question formats differ by stage as well: stages 1 and 2 are entirely multiple choice, while stages 3 and 4 mix multiple choice with written answers, and the two general-education subjects at stage 4 are chosen from Korean, Korean History and a foreign language. Majors currently offered include Korean language and literature, English literature, psychology, business administration, law, public administration, early childhood education, computer science and nursing, with the exact subject list for each major fixed in the annual implementation notice.

Tips

• ✔Passed subjects in stages 1 to 3 are banked permanently and cannot be retaken, so you only ever have to prepare the subjects you failed. Clearing a few subjects per sitting is usually faster than trying to sweep them all at once.
• ✔Stages 2 and 3 require only 6 passes out of the 8 subjects offered, so concentrating on your six strongest subjects is a valid strategy. Stage 1 is the exception — all five subjects must pass.
• ✔At stage 4, the total-score rule suits candidates with uneven subject scores because a strong subject can cover a weak one with no failing threshold.
• ✔The per-subject rule banks passed subjects, so it suits candidates planning to clear stage 4 across several sittings. Under the total-score rule a failed attempt means sitting all six subjects again.
• ✔Accumulating 105 credits including 28 major credits through the Credit Bank System exempts stages 1 to 3 outright, leaving only stage 4. That is often quicker than reaching the 140 credits the Credit Bank System itself requires for a bachelor's degree.
• ✔Exemptions for stages 2 and 3 apply only when your credits come from a field recognised as the same major as your exam major. With a different major, 70 or 105 credits still only earn the stage 1 exemption.
• ✔Exemptions require supporting transcripts submitted by the eligibility cut-off date for that sitting. Having the credits on record is not enough if the paperwork arrives late.

FAQ