As of the 7th, 4,634 medical students applied for the national scholarship for the first semester of this year, an increase of 1,433 compared to the previous semester.
Most medical students have been rejecting classes for over a year in protest against the government's expansion of medical school enrollment since last year. There are claims that providing scholarships to students who do not attend classes is unreasonable.
According to the 'Status of National Scholarships by Medical University' submitted by the Ministry of Education to Kim Mi-ae, a member of the People Power Party, there are 4,634 medical students applying for national scholarships this first semester across 39 medical universities.
By university, Seoul National University had the highest number with 241 students, followed by Chosun University (235), Korea University (219), and Jeonbuk National University (202).
The application for the national scholarship was conducted twice this year: from Nov. 21 to Dec. 26 last year and from Feb. 4 to Mar. 18 this year.
Since the government announced in February of last year that it would expand medical school enrollment, most medical students have been refusing to attend classes. This situation has continued for over a year. The Ministry of Education reported on April 16 that the return rate of medical students to classes is 25.9%.
Last year, a total of 10,411 individuals applied for national scholarships. There were 7,210 in the first semester and 3,201 in the second semester.
A total of 9.676 billion won in national scholarships was provided to medical students nationwide over the past year. The largest scholarship amount was 917 million won awarded to Chosun University, followed by Jeonbuk National University with 547 million won, Wonkwang University with 506 million won, Gyeongsang National University with 477 million won, and Soonchunhyang University with 452 million won.
Representative Kim Mi-ae noted, "Next month, the new government should comprehensively review whether there are any deficiencies or unreasonable points in the implementation and execution of the entire scholarship system."