39 out of 40 medical schools see full return of students
Nearly all South Korean medical students who had boycotted classes in protest of the government’s plan to increase medical school enrollment have returned to school, easing fears of mass expulsions and paving the way for the government to roll back next year’s enrollment quota.
As of Tuesday, students from 39 of the nation’s 40 medical schools and medical graduate schools had completed spring semester registration or filed for reinstatement, according to education officials and medical school insiders. The only exception is Inje University, which has extended its deadline to April 5. Observers expect those students to register before the deadline.
With 97.5 percent of the schools now reporting full student registration, the likelihood has increased that the Ministry of Education will revert the 2026 medical school admissions quota to 3,058 — the same level maintained for decades until the government announced a 2,000-seat expansion beginning in 2024.
Last month, the government set Monday as the final deadline for returning students. It offered to cancel the planned expansion for 2026 if all students returned, while warning that those who failed to do so would face disciplinary action, including expulsion.
The dramatic return of students, including those from Hallym University who had previously not confirmed their status, has for now neutralized the risk of large-scale dismissals from medical programs. But whether the returning students will fully resume their studies remains uncertain.
“Just submitting a reinstatement form and paying tuition doesn’t count as returning,” Ministry of Education spokesperson Koo Yeon-hee said in a briefing on Monday. “We need more time to determine whether students are meaningfully participating in classes.”
That timeline is also tight. Universities are required to submit any changes to their admissions plans to the Korean Council for University Education by the end of April. As a result, the Education Ministry is expected to determine whether a full return has been achieved by mid-April, followed by a final announcement on the 2026 enrollment quota.
While the current developments appear to signal the end of a yearlong standoff between the government and medical students, the focus will now shift to classroom participation and how the government defines “substantive return.”
jychoi@heraldcorp.com
