218 Additional Medical Students in Daegu Region
82% of 2,000 Non-Capital Area Slots Allocated
Increased Inquiries in Daegu's Key Academy District
Signs of University Students Moving to Seoul Area
"Inquiries about medical school admissions have increased by about 15% compared to last year."
On the 3rd, in the core academy district of Beomeo-dong, Suseong-gu, Daegu, signs promoting ‘Uichihan (Medical, Dental, and Korean Medicine School) preparation classes’ were hung everywhere. From large comprehensive academies to small entrance exam academies, pamphlets advertising special lecture classes preparing for medical school admissions were noticeable among elementary, middle, high school students, and repeaters alike.
On the 3rd, in the core academy district of Beomeo-dong, Suseong-gu, Daegu, signs promoting 'Uichihan (Medical, Dental, and Korean Medicine University) preparation classes' are hung everywhere. [Photo by Park Joon-yi]
According to the government’s announcement on the allocation of medical school student quotas for the 2025 academic year, 1,639 out of the 2,000 increased quotas, which is 82%, were assigned to non-metropolitan areas. Daegu (Kyungpook National University, Keimyung University, Yeungnam University, Daegu Catholic University) was allocated 218 new quotas.
The news of increased medical school quotas centered on non-metropolitan areas has sparked a medical school craze in Suseong-gu, Daegu, where educational enthusiasm is high. In particular, the government announced that more than 60% of the increased medical school student recruitment will be selected through the ‘regional talent screening’ system.
Currently, the regional talent screening requires applicants to have attended high school in the region where the local medical school is located for three years. However, due to a legal amendment in 2021, starting from the 2028 college entrance exam, which current 3rd-year middle school students will take, applicants must have lived in the region for six years covering both middle and high school. Because of this, it is analyzed that it will become more advantageous for existing residents of non-metropolitan areas to enter medical schools.
In fact, in the Daegu academy district, the proportion of inquiries about medical school admissions has increased, especially among top-tier students. A representative from Songwon Academy, a comprehensive academy for repeaters in Suseong-gu, explained, "Currently, inquiries are coming more from university students rather than high school seniors or their parents," adding, "It seems that medical school applicants who previously had high grades are challenging again as the quotas have increased." He further analyzed, "So far, only inquiries have increased, and there has been no significant change in the number of students registering for entrance exam classes, but the number may increase as some students retake the exam after June."
He also suggested that some students who previously prepared for or applied to dental, Korean medicine, veterinary, or pharmacy schools instead of medical school among the top-tier students might shift their demand to medical school preparation. The representative said, "We expect a phenomenon where students who were on the borderline of the grade cut-off will rise to the medical school application line," and added, "The academies are also feeling encouraged by the atmosphere."
There is also an analysis that a ‘local study abroad’ phenomenon will emerge, where students move from metropolitan areas to non-metropolitan areas to benefit from the regional talent screening. A real estate agent in Daegu said, "Around newly built apartment complexes near schools with high academic enthusiasm, people from Seoul have come down to rent jeonse (long-term lease) with their children," and added, "I have heard that other real estate agents have similar cases."
However, medical school entrance exam academies for elementary and middle school students in the same region have not yet felt significant changes, unlike in the metropolitan area. A representative from a medical school entrance exam academy in Suseong-gu explained, "In the case of elementary and middle school students, since they are students who have always studied well and prepared for medical school, there is not much difference from the past."
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