A survey found that more than half of college entrance exam candidates and their parents oppose reverting the medical school enrollment quota to 3,058.

According to the results of a survey conducted by Jongno Academy on 543 high school students, repeaters, and parents on the 9th, 53.5% of respondents said they oppose reducing the number of medical school enrollments. Supporters accounted for 27.1%.

On Dec. 8, 2024, parents and students listen to explanations while looking at admission materials at the 2025 Regular Admission Strategy Briefing hosted by Jongno Academy at the 600th Anniversary Hall of Sungkyunkwan University located in Jongno-gu, Seoul. /Courtesy of News1

Regarding the appropriate medical school enrollment quota, 34.4% of respondents answered in the 5,000 range, 29.1% in the 3,000 range, and 28.7% in the 4,000 range. Those who chose a reduced 2,000 range accounted for 7.7%.

Among the candidates, 77.7% responded that expanding or reducing the medical school enrollment quota would be "a variable that affects future medical school applications," while 14.5% said it would "not have an impact." Regarding the question of the influence of variables related to adjusting the medical school enrollment quota on acceptance scores and competition rates, 94.8% responded that it "would have an effect." The percentage of those who stated they would feel that "they were adversely affected in the admissions process" if the medical school enrollment quota were to be reduced also reached 68.3%.

77.7% of respondents said they feel "anxiety about admissions" due to the uncertainty of the medical school enrollment quota. Regarding the timeline for the final confirmation of the medical school enrollment quota, 38.1% said it should be determined in "early April," while 22.3% pointed to "mid-April" and 27.1% to "the end of April."

Im Seong-ho, representative of Jongno Academy, noted, "While it is realistically difficult to adjust the medical school enrollment quota and there are issues recognized, there seems to be a strong awareness that candidates are bearing the brunt of damage due to policy confusion."

Meanwhile, Lee Joo-ho, Deputy Prime Minister for Social Affairs and Minister of Education, stated in a briefing on the 7th of last month that based on the premise of "full return of all medical students by the end of March," they would adjust the number of medical school enrollments for the 2026 academic year from 5,058 to the pre-expansion level of 3,058. However, confusion continues due to the unclear criteria of "full return."

In response, the Korean Council for Medical Education and Evaluation urged the government and political circles the previous day to finalize next year's medical school enrollment quota (at the pre-expansion level) within this week. The Ministry of Education must finalize the medical school enrollment quota by April 30, when each university inputs their enrollment numbers.