58% of College Admission Counselors Say Medical School Expansion Negatively Affects Admission Guidance

"Increase in N-su Students and Additional Private Education Expenses"
Concerns Over Neglect of Basic Sciences and Excessive Focus on Grades

More than half of the academic counseling teachers in Seoul perceive that the increase in medical school admissions for the 2025 academic year has had a negative impact on students' academic guidance, according to a survey.

On the 16th, the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education conducted a survey on medical school quotas targeting teachers from the University Admission Guidance Support Group (Support Group) under the Education Research Information Institute of the Seoul Office of Education. The survey was held on the 22nd and 23rd of last month to understand the current status of career and academic guidance at schools ahead of the new semester.

The Support Group consists of active high school teachers who counsel students on college entrance strategies.

Among the 95 teachers who responded to the survey, 57.9% answered that the increase in medical school admissions for the 2025 academic year had a negative impact on academic guidance.

Yonhap News

The majority of teachers (89.5%) stated that there were changes in academic guidance due to the increase in medical school admissions. Only 3.0% answered that there were no changes.

Teachers predicted that as medical school admission opportunities increase, the number of students retaking the college entrance exam, or 'N-su', would also rise. 83.5% of respondents expressed the opinion that parents would be willing to accept N-su in order to send their children to medical school, and 83.6% believed that the increase in medical school admissions would lead to additional private education expenses in households.

55.4% also answered that the increase in medical school admissions would have a negative impact on the operation of the high school curriculum.

In the open-ended survey on the increase in medical school admissions, responses included concerns such as "the concentration on specific science subjects may lead to the neglect of basic sciences," "an increase in students considering dropping out while preparing for regular admissions," and "students may focus solely on grades regardless of their career path or aptitude."

Jung Geun-sik, Superintendent of Seoul Education, emphasized, "We will do our best to ensure that students' dreams are not biased toward a specific direction and that they can take on new challenges in various fields," adding, "To prevent confusion at schools, the medical school quota for next year must be promptly finalized."