Non-Metropolitan Medical School Admissions to Double... Honam Region to See 4 Students Per School

62.5% of Non-Metropolitan Medical, Dental, Korean Medicine and Pharmacy Admissions Are Regional Students

Number of Potential Admits per Regional High School Doubles from 1.4 to 2.8

"Repeat Test-Takers Expected to Dominate"

An analysis has found that the number of regional students to be admitted to non-metropolitan medical, dental, Korean medicine, and pharmacy schools for the 2027 academic year will double compared to five years ago. As a result, in the Honam region, the number of students accepted into medical and pharmaceutical programs per school could expand to as many as four.

On March 22, Jongro Academy announced that, out of 4,474 total admissions for 66 non-metropolitan medical, dental, Korean medicine, and pharmacy schools nationwide for the 2027 academic year, the number of regional students (including both regional talent and regional medical student tracks) is 2,796, accounting for 62.5% of the total. This figure is twice the 1,357 students admitted five years ago. It is projected that in the 2028 academic year, regional admissions will further increase to 2,913 out of 4,591 (63.5%).

The proportion of regional students admitted to non-metropolitan medical and pharmaceutical programs has steadily risen, from 1,357 students (34.4%) in the 2022 academic year, to 1,807 (45.9%) in 2023, 1,904 (48.1%) in 2024, 2,798 (54.9%) in 2025, and 2,354 (58.8%) in 2026.

Starting from the 2027 academic year, as the enrollment quota for medical schools increases through the regional doctor system, the average number of students per high school in non-metropolitan areas expected to be admitted to medical and pharmaceutical programs is projected to double from 1.4 in the 2022 academic year to 2.8.

By region, Honam has the highest average at 4.0 students, followed by Jeju with 2.8, Chungcheong and Daegu-Gyeongbuk each with 2.7, Gangwon with 2.3, and Busan-Ulsan-Gyeongnam with 2.1.

Yonhap News Agency

As a result, there is analysis suggesting that top-tier students in regional areas may intensely focus not only on medical schools but also on dental, Korean medicine, and pharmacy schools. By field, the proportion of regional students admitted to medical schools is expected to increase from 38.0% in the 2022 academic year to 68.2% (estimated) in 2027; dental schools from 30.0% to 61.0%; pharmacy schools from 35.9% to 55.6%; and Korean medicine schools from 23.2% to 50.1%—approximately doubling in each case.

A representative from Jongro Academy stated, "The scale of regional student admissions has increased significantly compared to the number of students, but the number of top academic performers is limited." They explained, "This could lead to a situation where repeat test-takers with strong academic records concentrate on medical, dental, Korean medicine, and pharmacy schools." The academy further noted, "Since repeat test-takers are more likely than current high school seniors to meet the minimum CSAT requirements for early admission, the proportion of repeat test-takers admitted to medical and pharmaceutical programs in regional areas will likely be higher even in the early admission round." On the other hand, it was predicted that, in metropolitan areas, the acceptance rate for current high school seniors would be higher than that for repeat test-takers.

Sung Ho Lim, CEO of Jongro Academy, said, "For the 2027 medical and pharmaceutical admissions, the acceptance rate for repeat test-takers is expected to be higher in regional areas, while in the metropolitan area, current high school seniors will have a higher acceptance rate." He added, "At some regional medical schools, the proportion of repeat test-takers among admitted students could reach as high as 80% of the total."

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