Seoul: The government has decided to revert the medical school enrollment quota for 2026 back to the pre-increase level of 3,058, as informed by officials. This decision is set to be officially announced later this week.
According to Yonhap News Agency, Education Minister Lee Ju-ho is scheduled to hold a news conference at the Seoul Government Complex on Thursday afternoon. During this conference, he will announce the number of medical school admissions for 2026, affirming that the quota will be returned to 3,058. This figure aligns with the enrollment numbers of the year 2024, prior to the government's initiative to increase admissions by 2,000, a move initially aimed at alleviating a chronic shortage of doctors. For the year 2025, the medical school enrollment quota was increased to 5,058 as part of this policy.
The government had previously committed to reverting to the pre-increase quota level on the condition that all medical students resume their education by the end of March, following a yearlong class boycott. Despite the deadline, many students have continued their protests, refusing to attend classes.