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Female first year med students on the rise in all sectors — except Korean medicine

Published: 09 Oct. 2025, 14:48 Updated: 09 Oct. 2025, 19:24

Medical staff are seen at a hostpial in Seoul on Sept. 1. [NEWS1]

The proportion of female students among incoming medical school first year students continues to grow each year, with a similar trend seen across other health-related fields such as pharmacy, veterinary medicine and dentistry — though not in Korean medicine.

Women make up 38.4 percent of medical first year students in the 2025 academic year, according to data released Thursday by Jongno Academy, based on university information disclosed by the Academy Info site and limited to 39 medical schools and students admitted within quota.

The share of women among incoming medical students has steadily increased over the past five years — from 34.1 percent in 2021 to 35.2 percent in 2022, 36.2 percent in 2023 and 37.7 percent in 2024.

At the five universities affiliated with Korea’s so-called “Big Five” hospitals, the percentages of female first year students this year were 31.3 percent at Seoul National University, 31.8 percent at Yonsei University, 31.2 percent at Sungkyunkwan University, 34.4 percent at the Catholic University of Korea and 50 percent at the University of Ulsan.

Ulsan, in particular, saw a sharp increase in female enrollment — the figure stood at 34.1 percent just four years ago, in the 2021 academic year.

Female enrollment also rose significantly at regional medical schools, climbing from 33 percent in 2021 to 39.8 percent this year.

The increase in female representation extends to other health-related disciplines. Pharmacy schools, which converted to undergraduate programs in 2022, saw the proportion of women rise from 54.9 percent in that year to 58.1 percent in 2025.

Medical staff are seen heading to a hostpial in Seoul on Sept. 1. [NEWS1]

In veterinary medicine, the share of female first year students rose from 42.5 percent four years ago to 50.4 percent this year, crossing the halfway mark. Dentistry also showed growth, with women accounting for 38.1 percent of first year students this year, up from 33 percent four years ago.

“The trend appears to be related to the fact that female students tend to manage their high school GPAs more consistently than their male peers,” said Lim Sung-ho, CEO of Jongno Academy.

Korean medicine was the exception. This year, women made up 43.6 percent of new students, a figure nearly unchanged from 43.5 percent in 2021.

By contrast, elite programs at top Seoul universities — including semiconductor contract departments tied to major conglomerates — have continued to enroll relatively low numbers of female students. The share of women in these departments was 13.3 percent in 2023, 17.7 percent in 2024 and 15.8 percent in 2025.

“This also correlates with the tendency among female students to avoid physics and prefer life sciences,” said Lim.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY KIM MIN-SANG [[email protected]]