South Korea’s Ministry of Education announced on March 7 that medical school admissions for the 2026 academic year will remain at 3,058—the pre-expansion level—on the condition that all medical students return to school by the end of March. If students do not return, the admissions will increase to 5,058 as originally planned.
Minister of Education Lee Ju-ho said that this decision was made in response to discussions with medical school deans, who agreed to facilitate student returns if the government temporarily reversed the expansion.
The plan to revert to the pre-expansion admissions quota will only be implemented if all medical students, except those unable to return due to military service, pregnancy, childbirth, or illness, come back by the deadline. This policy applies only to the 2026 academic year, with future medical school enrollment to be determined by a specialized committee.
The government has also proposed an accelerated medical education model, shortening the six-year program to 5.5 years for students enrolled in 2024. Should these students return, they would be able to graduate in August 2030. Additionally, the government plans to introduce additional medical licensing exams and adjust residency program quotas to account for the shortened training timeline.
The Ministry of Education warned that students who continue to boycott classes this year will face academic penalties, such as warnings, failure, or expulsion, in accordance with university regulations. While flexibility, including approved leaves of absence, was granted last year, no exceptions will be made this year. The Ministry also emphasized that it is unacceptable for incoming 2025 first-year students, admitted under the expanded enrollment, to refuse classes due to the increase in medical school quotas.
