Medical school quota hike scrapped after one year

The Education Ministry is set to announce on April 17 that it will freeze the 2026 medical school admission quota at 3,058 students, the same level as before the planned increase. Just last month, the ministry proposed zero additional seats on the condition that all medical students return to class, warning that if students did not return, the full quota of 5,058 medical students would be admitted as planned. Yet, the government is abandoning the plan despite return rates remaining below 30 percent. This backpedaling leaves the government empty-handed and humiliated after bluffing with conditional offers it could not realistically enforce.

Following the conditional withdrawal announcement, nearly all students across 40 medical schools re-enrolled, narrowly avoiding mass expulsion. Still, collective class boycotts continue. Korea University has issued academic probation notices to 125 third- and fourth-year students, while Yonsei University has confirmed academic probation for 48 fourth-year students. Many other schools are expected to finalize similar actions this week. The government hopes the confirmed freeze will encourage more students to return, but many are reportedly holding out until the next administration takes office. As a result, a “tripling” scenario—three cohorts overlapping in pre-med classes next year—now appears inevitable.

If fourth-year students face group probation, the number of newly licensed doctors will decrease again next year, worsening the medical workforce shortage. This year’s newly licensed doctors totaled just 269, down sharply from the typical 3,000. The entire medical training pipeline—from student to specialist—is being damaged. In the end, a rash attempt to expand med school admissions has resulted in the plan being abandoned within a year, a shrinking physician pool, and a broken training system. This is policy malpractice at its worst.

Experts say this month is the last window to minimize the consequences of tripling. If students return now, those entering in 2024 and 2025 could avoid overlapping coursework for at least half the year. If the tripling occurs, students will endure poor learning and training environments, followed by intense job market competition. The resolution of this crisis should be left to senior physicians, and students should return to school. Some schools are reportedly turning a blind eye to absenteeism to avoid mass probation, but poorly trained doctors pose a risk to public health. School regulations must be applied strictly, while returning students should be guaranteed proper education and clinical training.