Expansion of Local Talent Selection Rate to 40% in Medical, Pharmaceutical, and Nursing Fields at Regional Universities

'Enforcement Decree of the Local University Promotion Act' Legislative Notice
Regional Talent Quota Expanded from 30% to 40%
Minimum Selection Quota for Low-Income Local Students Established
Strengthened Regional Talent Criteria from 2028 Academic Year

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Jinju] From the 2023 academic year, local universities' medical, pharmaceutical, and nursing departments are required to select up to 40% of their students from regional talents.

On the 2nd, the Ministry of Education announced a partial amendment to the "Enforcement Decree of the Act on the Promotion of Local Universities and Regional Balanced Talent Development," opening it for legislative notice until July 12. The regional talent selection system for local universities has been in place since 2015, and with the promulgation of the amendment to the "Local University Promotion Act" this March, delegated matters were specified in the enforcement decree.

The main content of the enforcement decree is to expand the selection ratio of regional talents in local universities' medical, pharmaceutical, and nursing departments from the existing 30% to 40%. For the Gangwon and Jeju regions, the ratio will increase from 15% to 20%.

Along with this, to broaden university admission opportunities for low-income groups in the region, the minimum number of admissions for regional low-income students will be stipulated according to the admission scale of local universities' medical, pharmaceutical, nursing departments, and professional graduate schools.

From the 2028 academic year, strengthened regional talent requirements will be applied. Starting from the first year of middle school in the 2022 academic year, only those who have completed and graduated from the entire curriculum of non-metropolitan middle schools and high schools in the relevant region, and whose parents and themselves have all resided in the relevant region, will be able to enter local universities' medical, pharmaceutical, and nursing departments as regional talents. The current regional talent standard is "graduates of high schools in the relevant region."

If there are any objections to this amendment, opinions can be submitted to the Integrated Legislative Notice Center by July 12 via mail, fax, or email.

Choi Eun-ok, Director of Higher Education Policy at the Ministry of Education, said, "This amendment is a measure to overcome the crisis of local universities and the outflow of regional talents by supporting excellent regional talents to enter and settle in the region. We will cooperate with universities and local governments to create a virtuous cycle where talents are nurtured and settled within the region through various policies, including expanding admission opportunities for excellent regional talents to local universities."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.