Medical School Demand Survey Application D-Day... Universities in 'Last-Minute Deliberation'

Ministry of Education "Demand Survey Still Underway"
Regional Universities Show Increase Application Trend
Conflicts Over Increase Within Campuses

The Ministry of Education's survey on the demand for medical school enrollment increases, conducted among 40 universities nationwide operating medical schools, will close on the 4th. While some universities are pushing to expand enrollment, it remains to be seen whether the government’s declared demand for an increase of 2,000 students can be met amid ongoing opposition both inside and outside the universities.

Park Seong-min, Director of Planning and Coordination at the Ministry of Education, stated at a regular briefing on the morning of the same day, "Applications are expected to be received by midnight today," adding, "The tally results will likely be available by tomorrow morning." The overall scale of the increase is expected to become clear around 4 to 6 p.m., before the application deadline.

It is understood that many university presidents are inclined to apply for increases beyond their current quotas. In particular, demand for enrollment increases is high among regional medical schools, which the government has promised to significantly expand. Gyeongsang National University in Jinju, Gyeongnam Province, currently with a medical school quota of 76, is reportedly planning to apply to increase it to 200. Daegu Catholic University, a private university in Gyeongsan, Gyeongbuk Province, is also considering increasing its quota from 40 to 80?100. Chosun University in Gwangju, with a quota of 125, is seeking an increase, and Eulji University in Daejeon, with a quota of 40, is contemplating raising it to over 60. Chungnam National University is reportedly planning to double its current quota of 110.

On the 16th, student representatives decided that medical students nationwide would submit leave of absence applications together on the 20th of this month in protest against the government's plan to increase medical school quotas by 2,000. A red light is on at a traffic signal near a medical school in Seoul. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

There were clashes over last-minute negotiations within universities. Hong Won-hwa, president of Kyungpook National University, announced plans to increase the quota from 110 to 250?300, but the medical school dean and faculty association expressed opposition to the increase through interviews and statements.

Earlier, the Korea Association of Medical Colleges (KAMC), composed of deans of medical schools and medical graduate schools, requested the Ministry of Education and each university to postpone the enrollment increase applications. The Korean Medical Association’s Emergency Committee also appealed to university presidents, asking them to "refrain from applying for the sake of the greater good." The National Association of Medical School Professors also informed university presidents not to apply for medical school quotas by the 4th. Due to this situation, some universities are expected to continue deliberations until just before the deadline.

The Ministry of Education expects the targeted universities to submit demand for an increase of about 2,000 students. After the quota demand survey is completed, the Ministry plans to finalize the allocation of medical school quotas as early as the end of this month.

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