Medical school expansion could see half of SKY students qualify

An analysis has suggested that if the enrollment capacity for medical schools were to increase by 1,000 more students than it currently allows, the College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT) score required for admission (combined scores of Korean, Math, and Elective subjects) would drop by 2.4 points. This means that scores good enough for admission to natural science majors at Seoul National University, Korea University, and Yonsei University (collectively known as SKY) would also qualify for medical school. Concerns are emerging that this might intensify the 'black hole' phenomenon in the science and engineering fields due to top students predominantly opting for medical schools.

Jongro Academy estimated on Monday the admission cut-off score of medical school enrollments increased by 1,000, based on the top 70% of accepted medical school students for the 2023 academic year as published on the university admissions information portal 'Udiga.' According to the analysis, if medical school capacity increases by 1,000 students, the average CSAT scores for Korean, Math, and Elective subjects are expected to drop from the current 95.3 points to 94.5 points, a decrease of 0.8 points.

If the medical school cut-off score decreases, there's a potential that many students who would typically advance to natural science majors at Seoul National, Korea, and Yonsei universities could flock to medical schools instead. Currently, these three universities offer a total of 91 natural science majors. Out of these, only 26 majors (or 28.6%) have score requirements that could also qualify for medical school. If the enrollment capacity for medical schools expands by 1,000 students, the number of such qualifying majors would increase to 44 (or 48.4%). This implies that one in two students admitted to the three universities' natural science fields could qualify for medical school.


choigiza@donga.com