"I Just Want to Be a Well-Paid Doctor"... Record Number of Students Drop Out of SKY Universities

Korea University Dropouts Surpass 1,000
Numbers Rise in Both Natural Sciences and Humanities
Medical School Trend Expected to Persist
Even Humanities Students Pursuing Medical Fields

Last year, the number of students who dropped out of Seoul National University, Korea University, and Yonsei University reached 2,500. This is the highest figure since related statistics were first made public in 2007, and analysts suggest that the sudden expansion of medical school admissions quotas has played a significant role.

Students and parents are lining up to enter the "2026 Academic Year Early Admission University Information Fair" held at COEX in Gangnam-gu, Seoul. Photo by Yonhap News

According to an analysis by Jongro Academy of data released on "University Alimi," a university information disclosure site under the Ministry of Education on the 31st, a total of 2,481 students left Seoul National University, Korea University, and Yonsei University (collectively known as SKY) in 2023. This represents a 16.7% increase (355 students) compared to the previous year, 2022, when 2,126 students left.

Dropouts include those who withdrew voluntarily, failed to register, did not return after a leave of absence, or were held back for various reasons. In particular, last year saw a surge in top-performing students choosing to reapply to universities, a trend attributed to the government's policy to increase medical school quotas starting with the 2025 academic year.

Over 1,000 Dropouts at Korea University... Increases in Both Natural Sciences and Humanities

By university, Korea University had the highest number of dropouts at 1,054, followed by Yonsei University with 942, and Seoul National University with 485. By academic discipline, the natural sciences saw the most departures, with 1,494 students dropping out, an increase of 173 from the previous year. The number of humanities dropouts also rose by 154 to 917 during the same period. In the arts and athletics, there were 70 dropouts.

By department, Seoul National University's humanities division saw 18 students leave, while the College of Liberal Studies and the Department of Economics lost 15 and 12 students, respectively. In the natural sciences, 27 students left the Department of Nursing, 24 from the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, and 22 from the Department of Materials Science and Engineering. At Korea University, the Department of Business Administration had the most humanities dropouts with 71, followed by the Department of Economics with 29. In the natural sciences, the School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering and the Department of Biotechnology saw high numbers, with 65 and 60 students leaving, respectively. At Yonsei University, the engineering division recorded the highest number of dropouts at 155, followed by the humanities with 68 and business administration with 45.

Medical School Preference Likely to Continue... "Even Humanities Students Are Aiming for Medicine"

Jongro Academy explained, "With the sudden announcement of increased medical school quotas, there has been a surge in students at top universities choosing to try again." The academy added, "It is estimated that a significant number of those who left are preparing for another chance at university entrance, specifically aiming for medical schools." They further noted, "Recently, there has been an increase in science students entering top humanities departments, leading to more departures from business and economics departments. Even humanities students are now setting their sights on medical school admissions."