Top universities see record dropouts as medical school interest surges
Published: 25 Dec. 2024, 16:39
![Seoul National University [YONHAP]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2024/12/25/987a44ce-198c-45ed-82f7-ed0f420c9970.jpg)
Seoul National University [YONHAP]
Almost 4,000 students relinquished their spots at the so-called SKY universities — Seoul National University (SNU), Yonsei University and Korea University — through the early admission track for 2025, data showed Wednesday.
A total of 3,888 students withdrew their enrollment from Korea's three most prestigious universities, according to an analysis released by the college entrance exam institution Jongno Academy.
Early acceptance refers to a process where students are admitted primarily based on their high school academic performance and extracurricular activities.
Seats left vacant after early admissions are carried over to the regular admission process. Last year, 337 seats, or 4.9 percent of the total, were transferred from early to regular admissions.
At Seoul National University, 204 students withdrew from early admission, accounting for 9.3 percent of the total early acceptance cohort. This marks a decrease from last year’s 10.5 percent, when 228 students forfeited their spots.
Of those who abandoned enrollment at SNU this year, 175 were in natural science majors and 28 were in humanities majors. Notably, all students accepted to the university’s medical school enrolled, continuing a consistent trend from last year.
Among natural sciences, the Department of Applied Biology and Chemistry had the highest withdrawal rate, with 57.7 percent of early admissions relinquished. For humanities, the Department of English Language and Literature saw the highest dropout rate, with 22.2 percent of students withdrawing.
The decrease in dropout rates is likely tied to the upcoming expansion of medical school quotas, prompting fewer students to apply to natural science programs in favor of medical schools.
The number of applicants for early admission to medical schools rose to 72,351 this year, an increase of 15,155 applicants, or 26.5 percent, compared to the previous year. This follows the government’s decision to expand the medical school admission quota by 2,000 spots starting next year, raising the total from the current cap of 3,058, which has remained unchanged since a reduction in 2006.
"It seems that top-tier students are prioritizing medical schools over SNU’s science majors," Jongno Academy said.
![Test-takers of Yonsei University's 2025 early admissions exam leave the university's campus. [YONHAP]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2024/12/25/26a46a2e-b081-4e98-9fe0-a82b74d39d8c.jpg)
Test-takers of Yonsei University's 2025 early admissions exam leave the university's campus. [YONHAP]
At Yonsei University, 1,845 students withdrew from early enrollment, while at Korea University, 1,839 students abandoned their early acceptances. The dropout rates at these universities were 84.9 percent and 68.6 percent, respectively.
Yonsei University experienced a notable rise in its dropout rate compared to last year’s figure of 59.8 percent.
“The expansion of medical school admissions had a relatively strong impact on Yonsei University,” said Jongno Academy. “A significant portion of the university’s natural science enrollees likely also gained acceptance to medical schools.”
However, not all unfilled seats from early admissions will necessarily be carried over to the regular admission season, particularly at SNU and Korea University, according to the academy.
“The increase in withdrawals in humanities programs, such as at Yonsei University, may be attributed to students applying to both humanities and natural sciences, opting for the latter, as well as the expansion of quotas for undecided majors,” the academy said.
BY KIM EUN-BIN, WOO JI-WON [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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