'1 in 4 Elementary Students Aim for Medical School'... Closed Cross-Application, Increasing Science Track Concentration

In the 2025 college entrance examination, it has been analyzed that cross-application from liberal arts students to science majors is virtually impossible. Contrary to the government's intention to cultivate integrated talents in both liberal arts and sciences, the tendency toward science majors is expected to intensify. Meanwhile, a survey revealed that more than half of elementary and middle school students aim to pursue science fields, raising concerns that cross-application from liberal arts to science majors in college entrance exams will become even more severe.

According to the ‘2025 College Entrance Examination Implementation Plan’ announced last month by the University Admission Committee of the Korea Council for University Education, cross-application from liberal arts students to science majors is practically blocked at major universities in Seoul. This is because many science departments require specific math subjects (calculus, geometry) and designate science inquiry subjects (science exploration) or give additional points for science subjects in the inquiry section.

Seoul National University requires applicants to medical, engineering, and natural science departments to select ‘calculus or geometry’ as a mandatory math subject. Additionally, science inquiry subjects are mandatory in the inquiry section. Yonsei University does not specify math or inquiry subjects, but awards a 3% additional score to social inquiry (social studies) test takers in liberal arts departments and to science inquiry test takers in science departments.

The situation is similar even when limited to medical fields. Among 39 medical schools nationwide, only Ewha Womans University allows applications from liberal arts students.

On the other hand, cross-application from science students to liberal arts majors remains relatively easy. Especially at Seoul National University, Korea University, Sungkyunkwan University, and Ewha Womans University, liberal arts departments do not separately specify math or inquiry subjects, nor do they give additional points to social inquiry test takers. At Seoul National University, where the acceptance rate of science students cross-applying to liberal arts was 44.3% in 2022, the first year of the integrated CSAT, and 51.6% in 2023, there are predictions that cross-application from science students to liberal arts may further expand.

As the purpose of integrating high school liberal arts and sciences and the integrated College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT) becomes meaningless, the preference for science fields among prospective examinees intensifies the lower the grade level. According to a survey conducted by MegaStudy Education targeting 1,344 students, including 502 elementary students in grades 4?6 and 842 middle school students in grades 1?3, the medical field was the most desired major at 21.6%. Among elementary students, 23.9% chose medical fields, which is 3 percentage points higher than middle school students.

Next were natural sciences at 18.7%, engineering at 15.5%, while humanities and social sciences accounted for only 10.3%. Education, arts and physical education, and business-related fields were below 10%.

Lim Seong-ho, CEO of Jongro Academy, said, “Controversy over the allowance of cross-application due to the integration of liberal arts and sciences under the current integrated CSAT system, which continues through the current middle school third graders, is expected to persist,” adding, “There is ample room for the tendency toward science fields to intensify from elementary and middle school levels.”