The Ministry of Education has decided to freeze the number of medical school admissions for the 2026 academic year at 3,058, but the recommended ratio for the regional talent selection track will remain at 60%.
On April 21, Koo Yeonhee, spokesperson for the Ministry of Education, responded at a regular briefing held at the Government Complex Sejong to a question asking whether the recommended ratio for regional talent selection would change if the number of medical school admissions returned to the pre-increase level of 2024. She stated, "I understand that it is unrelated to the admissions quota issue."
Spokesperson Koo explained, "The 60% recommended ratio for regional talent selection is an incentive-based system, so we are proposing to universities to meet 60%, which exceeds the legal requirement of 40%."
According to the Act on the Promotion of Local Universities, medical schools outside the Seoul metropolitan area must select at least 40% of new students (at least 20% for Gangwon and Jeju regions) through the regional talent selection track. However, as the government pushed to increase the number of medical school admissions, it recommended that medical schools outside the metropolitan area raise the proportion of regional talent admissions to at least 60%.
Regarding the meeting scheduled for the afternoon of April 22 between Deputy Prime Minister for Social Affairs and Minister of Education Lee Jooho and medical students, spokesperson Koo said, "The meeting will not only discuss plans to normalize medical school classes, such as the 'doubling' class system for the 2024 and 2025 cohorts, but will also serve as an opportunity to hear about the difficulties faced by medical students." About 20 medical students are expected to attend the meeting.
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