To Become a Doctor, Daechi-dong or 'Hungari'... Increase in Graduates from Overseas Medical Schools

Recent 23 Years' Domestic Medical Licensing Exam Pass Rates Show
Foreign Medical Schools as Popular Alternative Pathways for Medical Qualification
Hungary 119, Philippines 106, Uzbekistan 38

The number of people graduating from medical schools in Hungary and taking the national medical licensing examination in Korea to obtain medical qualifications has significantly increased. In the early 2000s, graduates from medical schools in the Philippines were the most numerous, but recently, graduates from Hungarian medical schools have surged.

Currently, if one graduates from a foreign medical school recognized by the Ministry of Health and Welfare and passes the preliminary exam, they are granted the same eligibility to take the national medical licensing exam as domestic medical school graduates.

(This photo is not directly related to the article) [Photo source=Pixabay]

According to data titled ‘Status of Foreign Medical School Graduates Taking and Passing the Domestic Medical Licensing Examination’ received on the 16th from the Korea Health Personnel Licensing Examination Institute by Shin Hyun-young, a member of the National Assembly’s Health and Welfare Committee from the Democratic Party of Korea, a total of 409 candidates from overseas medical schools took the national medical licensing exam over 23 years from 2001 to 2023.

Among them, 247 passed, resulting in an overall pass rate of 60.4%.

By country of origin during this period, Hungary had the highest number of candidates with 119, followed by the Philippines with 106, Uzbekistan 38, the United Kingdom 23, Germany 22, Australia 18, the United States 15, Paraguay 12, Russia 11, Japan 6, and Ukraine 5.

From 2001 to 2005, graduates from Philippine medical schools (105) were the most numerous, whereas from 2016 to 2023, candidates who studied at Hungarian medical schools (118) were the largest group. This indicates that the preferred foreign medical schools for Koreans aspiring to become medical professionals have shifted from the Philippines to Hungary.

Reasons for the Popularity of Hungarian Medical Schools: Higher Possibility of Obtaining Domestic Medical Licenses

On the 7th, at the press conference declaring the struggle held by the Seoul Regional Headquarters of the Health and Medical Workers' Union in front of the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts in Seoul, a participant is holding a placard with a slogan. Photo by Yonhap News

One reason for the change in popular foreign medical schools is the domestic national exam pass rate.

Graduates from foreign medical schools recognized by the Minister of Health and Welfare are eligible to take the domestic medical licensing exam. They must pass a preliminary exam separate from the national exam and then take the main exam alongside domestic medical students.

In fact, looking at the pass rates of foreign medical school graduates on the domestic medical licensing exam from 2001 to 2023, the Philippines had a pass rate of only 17.92% (19 people), whereas Hungary’s pass rate was 82.35% (98 people).

Because the likelihood of obtaining a domestic medical license is higher for graduates from Hungarian medical schools, the number of candidates from Hungary increased sharply from just one in 2015 to 8 in 2016, 7 in 2017, then 17 in 2018, 13 in 2019, 16 in 2020, 20 in 2021, 19 in 2022, and 18 in 2023, consistently reaching double digits.

In contrast, candidates from the Philippines decreased from 34 in 2001 to 29 in 2002, 17 in 2003, 15 in 2004, and 10 in 2005, eventually disappearing completely after just one candidate in 2009.

This decline is believed to be influenced by a significant reduction in Philippine universities recognized for degrees and the fact that the Philippines no longer grants medical licenses to foreigners locally.

Meanwhile, studying at foreign medical schools continues to be steadily ‘pioneered.’ Medical school admissions in Uzbekistan and Hungary have attracted attention for over a decade, and recently, interest has grown in Japanese medical schools, which use Chinese characters for specialized terminology.

Among these, Uzbekistan is known for having almost no grade retention or expulsion in medical schools and offers benefits to Korean students such as providing local interpreters during exams.

With the government recently pushing to expand medical school quotas, interest in medical school admissions is expected to grow further for the time being. In a survey conducted by Jongno Academy of parents of elementary and middle school students, 88.2% preferred science tracks, and the most preferred major was in the medical field.

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