Intensified Preference for Medical Schools... Admission Scores Reach Highest in Last 4 Years

2023 Academic Year Regular Admission Results Analysis for 27 Locations
4.3 Points Higher Than Seoul National University Natural Sciences Track

As the preference for medical schools intensifies, the admission cutoff scores for medical schools have reached their highest point in the past four years.

According to Jongro Academy on the 4th, the average percentile cutoff score for Korean, Math, and Inquiry subjects of the final enrollees at 27 medical schools nationwide in the 2023 regular admission general track was 98.2 points, 0.4 points higher than last year (97.8 points). This is the highest score since universities began disclosing the percentile scores of admitted students in 2020.

The average percentile score of the 27 medical schools steadily rose from 97.4 points in 2020 to 97.8 points in 2022.

Twelve universities, including those among the 39 medical schools nationwide that do not disclose percentile scores or have different criteria, were excluded from this analysis.

Among the 27 medical schools, the Seoul area increased from 98.6 points last year to 99.2 points this year, a rise of 0.6 points, while the provincial area rose from 97.5 points last year to 97.7 points this year, an increase of 0.2 points. The metropolitan area remained the same as last year at 97.7 points.

Lim Seong-ho, CEO of Jongro Academy, said, "Provincial medical schools mostly select local talents in early admissions and show a nationwide selection pattern in regular admissions. Many high-scoring students from Seoul and the metropolitan area apply to provincial medical schools."

Looking at individual medical schools, Seoul National University Medical School regional balance track, Catholic University, and Hanyang University each had the highest score of 99.5 points, followed by Korea University and Sungkyunkwan University at 99.4 points, and Seoul National University Medical School general track at 99.3 points.

Meanwhile, the gap between the average admission scores of pure natural sciences in Seoul National University’s general track excluding medical fields and those of the 27 medical schools was also the largest in the past four years.

In the 2023 admissions, the gap between Seoul National University’s natural sciences and the 27 medical schools’ cutoff scores was 4.3 points, widening from 2.8 points last year. The gap was 2.4 points in 2020 and 2.1 points in 2021.