"Even the shackles of 10 years of mandatory service are OK": Applicants flock to the Regional Physician System

[Financial News] Approximately 5,000 applicants applied for the Regional Physician System, which requires mandatory service in a specific region for 10 years. Introduced for the first time in the 2027 academic year's early admissions, the Regional Physician System recorded a higher competition rate in provincial areas than the Regional Talent Selection, which does not require mandatory service.
According to the results of Jongro Academy's analysis of the 2027 academic year's early admission applications on the 14th, the Regional Physician System selection at 31 medical schools nationwide recorded an average competition rate of 11.08 to 1, with 5,076 applicants for 458 positions.
In particular, the Regional Physician System at 27 medical schools in provincial areas recorded a competition rate of 11.20 to 1, with 4,884 applicants for 436 positions. This was higher than the 10.52 to 1 competition rate for the Regional Talent Selection at medical schools in provincial areas, which does not require 10 years of mandatory service. The Regional Physician System at four medical schools in the Gyeongin region recorded a competition rate of 8.73 to 1, with 192 applicants for 22 positions.
Among the provincial areas, the Honam region recorded the highest Regional Physician System competition rate at 13.35 to 1. It was followed by the Daegu-Gyeongbuk region at 12.60 to 1, Busan-Ulsan-Gyeongnam at 12.31 to 1, the Chungcheong region at 10.76 to 1, the Gangwon region at 8.02 to 1, and the Jeju region at 4.65 to 1.
By university, Kosin University in Busan recorded the highest competition rate nationwide at 23.00 to 1, with 161 applicants for 7 positions. Jeonbuk National University (JBNU) followed at 21.29 to 1, followed by Dong-A University at 19.53 to 1, Chosun University at 16.89 to 1, Konkuk University Glocal Campus at 16.00 to 1, Keimyung University at 15.20 to 1, and Yeungnam University at 15.15 to 1. In the Gyeongin region, Sungkyunkwan University recorded 11.67 to 1, Inha University 9.50 to 1, Gachon University 8.71 to 1, and Ajou University 6.50 to 1.
Meanwhile, the number of applicants for the Regional Talent Selection at 27 medical schools in provincial areas totaled 10,891 this year, down by 356 from 11,247 last year, a decrease of 3.2%. By region, the Gangwon region saw the largest decline, with applicants falling 18.6% from the previous year, followed by Jeju at 6.7%, Busan-Ulsan-Gyeongnam at 5.4%, the Chungcheong region at 5.3%, and the Daegu-Gyeongbuk region at 2.1%. The Honam region saw an increase of 7.2%.
Lim Seong Ho, CEO of Jongro Academy, analyzed, "The fact that the competition rate for the Regional Physician System was higher than that of the Regional Talent Selection despite the 10-year mandatory service requirement was contrary to initial expectations. It appears that a large number of applicants flocked to both selections as students from provincial areas applied to the Regional Talent Selection and the Regional Physician System simultaneously to increase their chances of admission."
CEO Lim continued, "Given the nature of early admissions, a chain reaction may occur in which successful candidates from the Regional Talent Selection move to medical schools in the Seoul metropolitan area, while successful candidates from the Regional Physician System move to either the Regional Talent Selection or medical schools in the capital area." He predicted, "Because applicants may receive multiple offers, the scale of additional admissions by university and region, as well as fluctuations in the final cutoff scores, will be considerable. "

[email protected] Kim Man-gi Reporter