28,270 apply to regional admissions tracks for medical, dental, Korean medicine, pharmacy and veterinary schools; medical school applications up 40.3%

[Financial News] The number of applicants to early-admission regional student-selection tracks at medical, dental, Korean medicine, pharmacy and veterinary schools outside the capital region for the 2027 academic year rose 10.5% year on year to 28,270. Medical school applications increased 40.3%, while applications to dental, Korean medicine, pharmacy and veterinary schools all declined.
According to Jongno Academy on the 11th, 28,270 students applied to regional student-selection tracks at 74 medical, dental, Korean medicine, pharmacy and veterinary schools for the 2027 academic year, up 2,697 from 25,573 the previous year. The total was the second-highest in the past six years, after 34,347 in the 2025 academic year.
By field, medical school applications totaled 15,775, up 4,528 from 11,247 the previous year, an increase of 40.3%. In contrast, pharmacy school applications fell 17.4% to 5,523; veterinary school applications declined 13.5% to 1,129, dental school applications fell 8.5% to 2,348, and Korean medicine school applications dropped 7.3% to 3,495.
The total number of applicants rose from 20,284 in the 2022 academic year to 22,168 in 2023, then fell to 20,737 in 2024. It climbed to 34,347 in 2025, declined to 25,573 in 2026 and rose again in 2027.

The average number of applicants per general high school in regional areas for the regional student-selection tracks at medical, dental, Korean medicine, pharmacy and veterinary schools was 28.4. That was eight more than the 20.4 recorded in the 2022 academic year.
Honam had the most applicants by region, with 7,734. It was followed by Busan-Ulsan-Gyeongnam with 6,668, Daegu-Gyeongbuk with 6,371, Chungcheong with 5,283, Gangwon with 1,914 and Jeju with 300.
Daegu-Gyeongbuk had the highest average number of applicants per high school, at 34.1. The averages were 33.6 in Honam, 28.1 in Chungcheong, 23.6 in Busan-Ulsan-Gyeongnam, 22.5 in Gangwon and 13.6 in Jeju. The region with the most applicants overall differed from the one with the highest average per high school.
Lim Seong Ho, head of Jongno Academy, said, “The introduction of the regional doctor system and other factors have led to more medical school applications from students in regional areas, while applications to dental, Korean medicine, pharmacy and veterinary schools have declined.” He also suggested that more high-achieving repeat test-takers and more high school seniors whose school grades were somewhat lower than those of previous applicants had contributed to the increase.

The number of admissions slots in the regional doctor system track at medical schools in regional areas will rise to 583 for the 2028 academic year, up 117 from 466 in 2027. That is an increase of 25.1%.
By region, Chungcheong will see the largest increase, with slots rising by 30, from 118 to 148. Busan-Ulsan-Gyeongnam will add 24, from 97 to 121, and Honam will add 22, from 88 to 110. The numbers will rise from 72 to 90 in Daegu-Gyeongbuk and from 63 to 79 in Gangwon. Jeju will increase from 28 to 35.
Lim said, “The expansion of regional doctor system admissions slots for the 2028 academic year and the introduction of a five-tier high school grading system could lead to more applications to regional student-selection tracks at medical, dental, Korean medicine, pharmacy and veterinary schools.” However, the actual number of applicants and the scale of the increase will need to be confirmed by future admissions results. 

[email protected] Kim Man-gi Reporter