Medical Field to Select 59% of Students Through Early Admission Next Year

The number of early admission slots increased by 30 compared to last year

The offline college entrance briefing session, which had been suspended due to COVID-19, was held on the 12th at the Saecheonyeon Hall of the 600th Anniversary Hall at Sungkyunkwan University in Jongno-gu, Seoul. Attendees are listening to the 2023 college entrance early and regular admission strategies explained by Jongno Academy. Photo by Moon Honam munonam@

In the 2023 academic year college admissions, 59% of new students in the medical and pharmaceutical fields are selected through early admissions, and the recruitment of regional talent is also increasing.

On the 13th, Jongno Academy analyzed the 2023 academic year university-specific admission plans and found that this year, 6,599 students will be recruited nationwide in the medical and pharmaceutical fields (medicine, dentistry, Korean medicine, pharmacy) and veterinary medicine. The number of recruits decreased by 9 compared to the previous year. Early admission recruitment increased by 30, while regular admission decreased by 39.

The recruitment ratio by early admission type is 30.2% for student record-based curriculum screening, 24.9% for comprehensive student record screening, and 3.9% for essay screening.

The scale of regional talent recruitment increased by 216 from the previous year to 1,627 students, accounting for 24.7% of the total recruitment within the quota. By major, there are 855 students from 26 medical schools, 361 students from 19 pharmacy schools, 169 students from 7 dental schools, 143 students from 10 Korean medicine schools, and 99 students from 8 veterinary schools. The Ministry of Education has mandated the selection of regional talent in medical and pharmacy schools starting from the 2023 academic year.

Seoul National University College of Medicine recruits 42 students through the regional balance admission and 53 students through the general admission. Based on the 50% cutoff in the 2022 academic year regional balance admission results, the curriculum grade was 1.05, and the general admission was 1.18. At Yonsei University, the 50% cutoff for the student record-based curriculum recommendation type in the pre-medical course was a curriculum grade of 1.00, and for the comprehensive student record activity excellence type, it was 1.18. At Korea University, the 50% cutoff for the student record-based school recommendation type in the pre-medical course was a curriculum grade of 1.16, and for the comprehensive student record academic excellence type, it was 1.47.

Analyzing the 70% acceptance line based on the final registrants in the 2022 academic year nationwide medical and pharmaceutical general admission results, the converted score (out of 600 points) was 429.0 points, the average percentile for Korean, Math, and Science was 99.17 points at the 70% cutoff, and English was grade 1.

For examinees preparing for medical, pharmaceutical, and veterinary school admissions in the 2023 academic year, if their school grades are top-tier, they should apply through early admission focusing on student records, and if their mock exam scores are grade 1, they should prepare for both regular admissions and early admission essay screening.

Oh Jong-woon, Evaluation Director at Jongno Academy, explained, "The regional talent admission is a good opportunity for students from local high schools, and since many students are selected through early admissions, it should be actively utilized. In particular, for pharmacy schools that selected students for the first time last year at the undergraduate level, the final acceptance line is close to that of the medical field, so it is advisable to refer to last year's admission results when applying."