"I Want to Go to Medical School"... Nearly Half of Early Admits to Natural Sciences at Yonsei and Korea Universities Decline Registration

2,415 Early Admits at SKY Universities Decline Registration
"Preference for Medical Fields Continues to Rise"

Nearly half of the students who were initially admitted to the natural sciences departments at Yonsei University and Korea University through the early admission process for the 2026 academic year have declined to register. This phenomenon is interpreted as a reflection of the continued preference for medical schools.

According to Jongno Academy on December 18, out of 7,125 students who were initially accepted through early admission at Seoul National University, Yonsei University, and Korea University, 2,415 students (33.9%) declined to register. The breakdown is as follows: Seoul National University, 131 students (5.9%); Yonsei University, 1,025 students (46.3%); Korea University, 1,259 students (46.6%).

The registration withdrawal rate was 32.3% for the 2022 academic year, 33.0% for 2023, and 30.1% for 2024. It then jumped to 33.7% in 2025 and rose again in 2026. Students can apply up to six times through early admission, and declining registration indicates that they chose another university after being accepted by multiple institutions.

In particular, the number of students declining registration in the natural sciences at Yonsei University and Korea University increased. The number of students who declined registration was 524 at Yonsei University and 669 at Korea University, totaling 1,193 students (47.3%), up by 64 from the 2025 academic year, marking the highest figure in five years. In the humanities, Yonsei University saw 489 students (45.1%) decline registration, a decrease of 24 from the previous year, while Korea University had 577 students (47.9%), an increase of 3.

Parents and students attending the "2026 Early and Regular Admission University Selection Strategy Special Seminar" held last July at Jongno Academy in Daechi-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul are reviewing materials. Photo is unrelated to specific expressions in the article. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

The registration withdrawal rate at Seoul National University dropped by 0.2 percentage points compared to the 2025 academic year. In the humanities, two students from the Department of Ethics Education, and one each from the Department of German Language and Literature and the Department of English Language and Literature, declined registration. In the natural sciences, five students from the Department of Energy Resources Engineering, six from the Department of Applied Biological Chemistry, and four from the Department of Food and Nutrition declined registration.

Lim Seongho, CEO of Jongno Academy, stated, "Although the admission quota for medical schools has been reduced, a significant number of students from the natural sciences at Yonsei University and Korea University appear to have switched to medical-related departments at other universities. This indicates that the preference for medical fields continues to rise."

Meanwhile, among students who were initially accepted to medical schools through early admission, 28 students (44.4%) at Yonsei University and 39 students (58.2%) at Korea University declined registration, while there were no such cases at Seoul National University. As for pharmacy schools, nine students (20.9%) at Seoul National University and seven students (38.9%) at Yonsei University declined registration. In dental schools, two students (8.0%) at Seoul National University and 15 students (44.1%) at Yonsei University declined registration.