U turn on medical school admission leaves South Korean students parents reeling

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