Are Medical Schools in Provinces Being Overlooked? 3 out of 4 Students Quit and Move to Seoul and the Metropolitan Area

Jongno Academy Analyzes Mid-Term Dropout Rates of Medical Students at 37 Universities Nationwide

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo Byung-don] Over the past three years, three out of four medical students who dropped out of school were from medical schools located in provincial areas. This has been analyzed as reflecting a tendency to prefer medical schools in Seoul and the metropolitan area, where conditions such as treatment and infrastructure are better.

According to Jongno Academy on the 6th, an analysis of dropout status from 37 medical schools nationwide showed that from 2020 to 2022, a total of 561 medical students dropped out. Dropout refers to cases of withdrawal, non-registration, or expulsion due to academic probation, among other reasons.

Among them, 416 students, accounting for 74.2%, were provincial medical students, presumed to be those who attempted to transfer from provincial medical schools to those in Seoul and the metropolitan area.

The universities with the highest number of dropouts over the past three years were Jeonnam National University (35), Chosun University and Hanyang University (32 each), Wonkwang University (29), and Yonsei University Mirae Campus (28). Four of the top five universities were located outside the metropolitan area.

On the other hand, Yonsei University (1), Sungkyunkwan University (1), and Catholic University (5) medical schools had virtually no dropouts. Seoul National University’s medical school had 7 dropouts over the past three years, but 6 of them were in the undergraduate program, with 'maladaptation' presumed to be the cause.

There is also analysis suggesting that the 'mandatory regional talent selection' policy has had a significant impact on dropout rates at provincial medical schools. The mandatory regional talent selection ratio has been continuously expanded recently and was made compulsory at 40% starting from the 2023 academic year admissions.

Lim Sung-ho, CEO of Jongno Academy, explained, "Since most (78.0%) of the 40% regional talent quota is selected through early admission, Seoul and metropolitan area students apply to provincial medical schools through regular admissions, which have a 68.6% nationwide selection ratio. With the full expansion of mandatory selection, the movement of medical school admittees after university acceptance is expected to continue increasing."

Additionally, over the past three years, many dropouts were also seen in Korean Medicine schools (245), Veterinary Medicine schools (225), and Dental schools (165). The number of dropouts from medical, dental, Korean medicine, and veterinary schools increased sharply by 100 (28.0%) from 357 in 2020 to 457 last year. Among them, 88.9% were students in the 2-year pre-medical course, overwhelmingly higher than the 4-year main course students (11.1%).