"Scholarships Recalled if Entering Medical School"... Students Fleeing in Droves from Gifted High Schools and Science High Schools

Sanctions Including Scholarship Revocation for Science High School Students Entering Medical School
Dropouts Presumed to Enter Medical School via GED

Over the past four years, more than 300 students have dropped out of gifted schools and science high schools. This appears to be a consequence of strengthened sanctions, such as revoking scholarships or banning recommendation letters for students who enter medical schools from these institutions.

On the 9th, Yonhap News reported that an analysis of school information disclosure data showed that from 2020 to last year, a total of 60 students transferred out or discontinued their studies at seven gifted schools nationwide (excluding Korea Science Academy of KAIST). During the same period, the number of students who transferred out or discontinued studies at 20 science high schools nationwide was 243. Combined, a total of 303 students left gifted schools and science high schools over four years.

With the confirmation of an increase in medical school admission quotas for the first time in 27 years, the academy district is buzzing with expectations that the threshold for medical school acceptance may be lowered. Recently, a poster was put up at an academy in Daechi-dong, Seoul. Photo by Jo Yongjun jun21@

By year, the number of students leaving gifted schools and science high schools was 79 in 2020, 83 in 2021, 75 in 2022, and 66 in 2023. Compared to previous years, the number of students leaving these schools has been increasing recently. In the four years prior, from 2016 to 2019, 220 students left gifted schools and science high schools, which is 83 students (37.8%) fewer than the recent four-year figure of 303.

The increase in students quitting gifted schools and science high schools is mainly attributed to the strengthened disadvantages imposed on current students who enter medical schools. Gifted schools and science high schools view students entering medical schools after graduation as not aligning with the schools' founding purpose of "nurturing science and technology talents," and have been progressively intensifying the penalties.

In 2018, some gifted schools imposed disadvantages such as reclaiming scholarships and refusing to write recommendation letters for students entering medical schools. Then, in the 2022 academic year, these measures were further strengthened, requiring applicants to all gifted schools and science high schools nationwide to pledge agreement to the medical school admission restrictions before applying. Additionally, students wishing to pursue medical or pharmaceutical fields are no longer eligible for career and academic counseling.

Students at gifted schools who intend to enter medical schools must return the educational expenses and scholarships they received and are advised to transfer to general high schools. Furthermore, since extracurricular educational and research activities cannot be recorded in their school records, entering medical or pharmaceutical fields means essentially giving up all the advantages of being a gifted school graduate. At science high schools, students entering medical schools must endure unfavorable measures such as exclusion from awards or scholarship eligibility upon graduation.

Main gate of Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST).

Lim Seong-ho, CEO of Jongro Academy, told Yonhap News, "Most students who drop out of gifted schools and science high schools appear to be those considering medical school admission." He added, "Among last year's medical school entrants at regional national universities, 11 were GED holders, many of whom are presumed to have entered gifted schools or science high schools but dropped out because they did not fit." He also said, "Many students who graduate from gifted schools or science high schools and then enter institutions like Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) later drop out to enter medical schools, and these students do not face disadvantages." He emphasized, "For gifted schools and science high schools to secure excellent talents, the government should pay more attention to policies focusing on science and engineering development and employment benefits."

Meanwhile, on the 6th, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) announced that the number of students who dropped out or did not enroll in 2023 was 130, an increase from 125 in 2022. The total number of dropouts at KAIST over the past five years was 576, with 76 in 2019, 145 in 2020, and 100 in 2021. Although the school states that the reasons for dropout are unknown, the admissions industry believes that a significant portion of these students left to enter medical schools. Furthermore, it is expected that this trend will become more pronounced due to this year's large-scale increase in medical school quotas.