"Accepted to Yonsei, Korea, and Catholic Medical Schools, But Not Enrolling"...Why Did Half of Early Admits Decline to Register?

Impact of Multiple Admissions to Other Medical Schools
Seoul National University Records Zero Additional Admits for Fifth Consecutive Year

It has been found that about half of the students who were accepted to the medical schools at Yonsei University, Korea University, and the Catholic University through early admissions chose not to enroll. This is analyzed to be due to a significant decrease in the number of applicants for medical schools compared to the previous year, which resulted in a sharp increase in multiple admissions. During the same period, Seoul National University’s medical school had no students who declined their early admission offers.

Students at a high school in Seoul are consulting with their homeroom teacher while reviewing their report cards and college entrance reference sheets. The Asia Business Daily DB

On December 22, Jongro Academy announced that an analysis of eight medical schools nationwide, which released their 2026 academic year additional early admission results, showed that out of a total of 186 students recruited for early admission at the pre-medical programs of Yonsei University, Korea University, and the Catholic University, 90 students (48.4%) were admitted from the first round of additional admissions.

These additional admissions occurred because 90 of the initial early admission candidates declined to enroll, marking an increase of 6 students (7.1%) compared to the previous year. This is also the highest number since the introduction of the integrated College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT) for the 2022 academic year.

By university, Korea University had the highest additional admission rate (58.2%) among the three, a slight increase from 55.2% the previous year. Yonsei University recorded 44.4%, and the Catholic University 41.1%. Both universities also saw their additional admission rates rise compared to the previous year, when they were 41.3% and 37.5%, respectively. Seoul National University once again had all its initial early admission candidates enroll, maintaining its record of 'zero additional admissions' for five consecutive years.

On the other hand, among three regional medical schools, the additional admission rate due to non-enrollment decreased from 35.7% to 26.8%. Notably, Pusan National University, which had an additional admission rate of 42.3% last year, saw this rate drop to 27.1% this year. Yonsei University’s Mirae Campus saw a slight increase from 21.7% to 25.0%, while Jeju National University experienced a decrease from 48.6% to 31.8%.

Lim Seongho, CEO of Jongro Academy, explained, "The lower non-enrollment rate at regional medical schools is due to a reduction in the number of students recruited by regional medical schools this year, along with a decrease in the selection of local talent, which narrowed the path for top students to enter medical schools." He added, "Conversely, the higher non-enrollment rate at major Seoul-based medical schools is estimated to be because more students were admitted to multiple medical schools, while the number of students from regional areas applying to Seoul-based medical schools decreased."