Education Ministry finalizes medical school admissions quota

Social Affairs

Published: 30 May. 2024, 18:25

Education Ministry finalizes medical school admissions quota

Two people walk in front of the building of the School of Medicine of Seoul National University in central Seoul on Thursday, a day when the Education Ministry confirmed a medical recruitment expansion. [NEWS1]

A total of 4,610 undergraduate students will be admitted to 39 medical schools nationwide in the 2025 academic year due to the addition of 1,497 seats, the Education Ministry said Thursday.

The Ministry of Education and the Korean Council for University Education on the same day approved and disclosed admissions plans for the 2025 school year, confirming that the upcoming yearly medical recruitment will be 1.5 times larger than the current amount.

Of the country’s 40 medical schools, 39 schools accepting undergraduates were subject to Thursday’s announcement. CHA University's School of Medicine was excluded, as it only admits graduate students.

Some 27 medical schools outside the greater Seoul area will receive 3,284 students, or 71.2 percent of the country's annual enrollment. The 12 medical schools in the metropolitan region will take 1,326 students — less than 30 percent.

By admissions tracks, 1,492 students will enter medical schools solely based on state-run college scholastic ability test scores. The remaining 3,118 spots will be filled by entrants applying through an admission track that comprehensively assesses high school academic records and extracurricular activities.

A total of 1,913 slots are reserved for applicants who graduated from high schools in nonmetropolitan areas and wish to pursue medical studies in the same province where their high schools are located. A total of 888 seats were added to this particular admission track.

An official from the Education Ministry, Lim So-hee, said this admission track allocation reflects the nature of the medical quota hike, which centered on “[improving medical services in] regions outside the greater Seoul area.”

The quota hike also reshuffled the ranking of incoming class sizes.

Seoul National University — currently the nation’s second-largest medical school — will become the 11th largest school in the 2025 academic year.

Jeonbuk National University will accommodate the largest incoming class with 171 successful candidates, followed by Chonnam National University with 165 students. The second and third runners-up are Pusan National University with 163 students and Chungnam National University with 158, respectively.

On Thursday evening, the nation's largest doctors' group, the Korean Medical Association, will stage candlelight vigils across the country to protest the medical recruitment expansion.

A cram school's promotional banner promoting its class for students wishing to enter medical or dental school is hung up on a building's wall in Seoul on Thursday. [YONHAP]

The Education Ministry's announcement on Thursday also granted more academic autonomy to college students, allowing them to “choose their studies freely.”

A total of 37,935 incoming students nationwide will be able to enter university as undecided majors and select their major during their sophomore year, regardless of their grades.

In the previous admissions for the 2024 academic year, only 2,407 students attending state-run universities were allowed to declare their majors in their second year. The number will rise to 12,287 for the upcoming admissions, meaning that one-third of entrants will enjoy more time to choose their academic major.

Some private universities in greater Seoul area also increased their quotas for undecided majors, from today’s 7,518 students to 25,648.

Every university nationwide will publish its specific admission scheme detailing candidates' eligibility on Friday.

BY LEE SOO-JUNG, CHOI MIN-JI [lee.soojung1@joongang.co.kr]