SEOUL – With only four months left until 2026 admissions kick off, uncertainty on medical school enrolment is fuelling confusion among students.
South Korea’s recent proposal to conditionally roll back its planned increase and cap 2026’s medical school enrolment at 3,058 – the same figure maintained for nearly three decades – has fuelled growing frustration among high school seniors, those taking the university admission test and their parents.
Under the original plan, the government had set the 2026 medical school enrolment quota at 5,058 students. The Yoon administration’s flagship policy aimed to increase the quota for annual medical student admissions by 2,000 to tackle the country’s shortage of healthcare professionals.
However, with strong backlash from the medical community persisting for a year, the Ministry of Education reversed its plan on March 7, saying it would go back to 3,058 seats only if students on leave return to their studies, suggesting the final number will hinge on whether medical students currently on leave decide to return.
As a result, students preparing for medical school now face an unpredictable admissions landscape, with quotas potentially fluctuating between 3,058 and 5,058 spots, depending on the outcome of the stand-off between the government and medical students.
The shifting enrolment numbers have left the country’s top-performing students uncertain about their academic futures.
Given the high demand for medical school spots, a reduction in the quota could lead to a sharp increase in competition, affecting admissions trends not only in medical schools but also in top-tier engineering and science programmes.
A 20-year-old student, who wanted to be known only as Kim, gave up his admission for 2025 and decided to take Suneung – the university admission test – once again. He said: “The whole situation is absurd.”
“I decided to take Suneung again this year, believing the admission quota would be the same. I feel like test-takers are the innocent bystanders getting hurt in a fight. This is unfair,” he told The Korea Herald.
The impact of fluctuating medical school admissions is already being felt.
According to data analysed by Jongno Academy, the number of unfilled seats at the top three universities in the country – Seoul National University, Korea University and Yonsei University – reached 42 in 2024, nearly double the figure from the previous year.
Of these vacancies, 71.4 per cent were in natural sciences programmes, as many top students prioritised medical school admissions, often securing multiple acceptances before choosing their final destination.
Experts warn that the sudden policy shift could create a bottleneck in medical school admissions.
“Many students have adjusted their study plans according to the 2025 admission plan. If the 2026 quota is significantly reduced, competition will intensify, with more students vying for fewer spots,” a private academy official told The Korea Herald.
The uncertainty has been particularly unsettling for students in regional areas who had anticipated an expansion of local medical school opportunities.
Universities such as Chungbuk National University and Gyeongsang National University had planned to significantly increase their medical school intakes, with Chungbuk expecting to grow from 49 to 200 students and Gyeongsang National from 76 to 200. Additionally, universities in Gyeonggi province, including Ajou University and Sungkyunkwan University’s Natural Sciences Campus, had anticipated tripling their quotas.
The ripple effects extend beyond high school students. Some families had even relocated to rural areas in anticipation of the regional talent selection process, which prioritises students from underprivileged regions.
Reports indicate that some elementary and middle school students had moved to rural schools to become eligible for special admissions tracks aimed at alleviating the shortage of medical professionals outside major cities.
Education experts argue that policy uncertainty undermines students’ long-term planning.
“With medical school admissions shaping the broader university admissions landscape, any abrupt changes create significant disruption. As the April 30 deadline for finalising university admissions quotas approaches, prospective students remain in limbo,” the official said. THE KOREA HERALD/ ASIA NEWS NETWORK
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