The government’s recent decision to expand medical school quotas by 2,000 spots, the first increase in 27 years, is anticipated to significantly impact the college admissions landscape. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
SEOUL, Feb. 7 (Korea Bizwire) – The government’s recent decision to expand medical school quotas by 2,000 spots, the first increase in 27 years, is anticipated to significantly impact the college admissions landscape, particularly among top-tier students.
This expansion is expected to intensify the “medical school craze” among high-achieving students, leading to an increase in repeat test-takers and potentially lowering the admission thresholds for medical schools and other top-tier university programs in a domino effect.
According to educational institutions like Jongro Academy, the increase in medical school seats to a total of 5,058 is set to have a considerable influence on the choices of top-tier students.
This expanded quota is equivalent to 93% of the total number of students admitted to natural sciences programs at prestigious universities such as Seoul National University, Yonsei University, and Korea University, which collectively admit 5,443 students.
The sheer size of the increase means that the new medical school slots exceed the number of students admitted to natural science programs at Seoul National University and even surpass the combined intake of students at four leading science and technology institutes, including KAIST.
Experts warn that this could lead to a significant number of top students opting for medical studies, potentially destabilizing the admission thresholds for other premier science and engineering programs and specialized universities.
“The increase is not minor; it’s large enough to potentially sweep up the top students from science and engineering programs and even affect the admission lines for Seoul National University, Yonsei University, and Korea University,” said Lim Sung-ho, head of Jongro Academy.
Furthermore, the increase in medical school admissions may encourage students from other science and health-related fields to reconsider their career paths and aim for medical school, contributing to an increase in repeat test-takers.
The increase in medical school admissions may encourage students from other science and health-related fields to reconsider their career paths and aim for medical school, contributing to an increase in repeat test-takers. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
“The atmosphere among new students at Seoul National University, Yonsei University, and Korea University could become unsettled, and we might see students from related fields like pharmacy also opting out,” Lim added.
This unprecedented increase in slots for a specific field is the first of its kind since 2022 when approximately 1,700 pharmacy degree spots transitioned from graduate to undergraduate admissions.
Experts predict a surge in repeat test-takers and a stronger inclination among students with lower scores in the natural sciences to reapply for medical school, further intensifying the competition.
The government has also announced plans to increase the proportion of regional quota admissions at non-capital medical schools to over 60%, potentially giving students from non-capital regions an advantage in medical school admissions.
Analysis of the 2023 admission data for regional medical schools revealed a slightly lower admission threshold for regional quota students compared to those in the Seoul area.
The expansion of regional quotas could widen the gap between capital and non-capital regions, potentially lowering the admission threshold for regional quota students even further.
Jongro Academy predicts that the cut-off scores for medical school admissions in the regular admissions process could decrease by an average of 4.5 points, with the number of medical school applicants expected to rise from an estimated 9,543 in 2024 to 15,851 in 2025.
M. H. Lee (mhlee@koreabizwire.com)
