Applications to medical schools in Seoul through South Korea's early admissions track fell to their lowest level in a decade for the 2027 academic year, as regional quota programs draw more candidates.
Eight medical schools in Seoul received 16,181 early admissions applications for the 2027 academic year, according to figures released on the 20th by Jongno Academy, a private education institute. That marks a drop of about 32% from the 23,876 applications logged in the 2021 cycle, the highest total in the past 10 years.
Applications to regional tracks at medical schools outside the capital moved in the opposite direction. Programs open only to students from the surrounding region — including the regional talent track and the regional physician program — drew 15,775 applicants for the 2027 academic year, up 4,528 from a year earlier.
Excluding the 2025 cycle, when applications temporarily swelled to 19,423 after medical school enrollment quotas were expanded, that is the largest figure in five years.
Analysts say students in the Seoul area are turning instead to top science and engineering departments at major universities in the capital and to corporate-sponsored degree programs, as medical school admissions grow more competitive. Early admissions applications to 13 corporate-sponsored programs run with companies including Samsung Electronics and SK hynix totaled 8,994, up 1,387 from a year earlier. "Going forward, students in the greater Seoul area may cut back on applying to medical schools altogether, while students outside the capital concentrate their applications on medical schools in their own regions," said Lim Sung-ho, head of Jongno Academy.
