Ministry of Education "Collecting Opinions on Increase Scale"
STEM Fields "Support Needed for Future Growth Industries"
Admissions Industry "Concerns Over Structural Imbalance"
As the government delays the announcement of the scale of medical school quota expansion and continues discussions, universities are on high alert over the detailed plans. In particular, science and engineering professors anticipate side effects such as a decrease in students and research personnel supporting science and engineering if the government ignores the balance of university education and focuses solely on expanding medical school quotas. Although there is no collective movement yet, concerns about the contraction of science and engineering education have begun to emerge in the education sector.
According to the Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Ministry of Education, the government has been considering a plan to significantly increase the nationwide medical school admission quota, which was 3,058 students in 2006, starting from 2025. There are forecasts that the increase could exceed 1,000 students. In response, the admissions industry analyzed that if the medical school quota increases by 1,000, 48% of the natural science departments at SKY (Seoul National University, Korea University, Yonsei University) would have medical school admission cutoffs, and the average possible CSAT score for applicants would drop by 0.8 points. Universities with increased medical school quotas must reflect this in their recruitment guidelines by April next year. Within six months, an admissions plan directly affecting science and engineering admissions will be released.
Lee Deok-hwan, emeritus professor of chemistry at Sogang University, said, "There are talks of increasing the medical school quota from 1,000 to 3,000, which could completely disrupt university education." He added, "Especially in science and engineering, if the expansion of medical school quotas coincides with the government's current cuts to research and development (R&D) budgets, students who intend to pursue science and engineering will not be able to secure positions after admission compared to medical students."
Choi Se-hyu, dean of the College of Engineering at Kyungpook National University and chairman of the Korean Council of Engineering Deans, also said, "In the current situation where the concentration on medical schools is intensifying, expanding medical school quotas will exacerbate the 'medical school black hole' phenomenon." He added, "This will be a major obstacle to securing and nurturing excellent science and technology talent essential for South Korea to survive in international competition."
While agreeing with the expansion of medical school quotas, many also emphasize the need for complementary measures to prevent side effects. Choi Jae-won, professor of mechanical engineering at Pusan National University and dean of the National Public Engineering Universities, said, "I believe that the supply of excellent personnel to lead research and development and industrial fields will become insufficient within a few years." He added, "Adjusting medical school quotas is necessary from the perspective of increasing essential medical personnel, but complementary measures to prevent the contraction of science and engineering must be prepared simultaneously." Yoo Jung-hoon, professor of transportation systems engineering at Ajou University, said, "There are doubts about whether the government is providing sufficient support for future growth engines such as AI (artificial intelligence) and mobility." He added, "Support for engineering colleges should be strengthened alongside the increase in medical school quotas."
Lim Sung-ho, CEO of Jongro Academy, predicted, "The expansion of medical school quotas could cause qualitative problems in science and engineering, and a chain reaction such as science and engineering freshmen taking leaves of absence immediately after admission or dropping out to transfer to medical schools during their studies will occur."
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