Applications to Regional Talent Tracks at Provincial Medical Schools Surge 40%; Dental, Korean Medicine, Pharmacy and Veterinary Programs See Declines

Medical Schools' "Black Hole" Effect Grows More Pronounced
Applications to Dentistry, Korean Medicine, Pharmacy and Veterinary Medicine Decline

Applications to regional talent and regional physician system tracks at provincial medical schools surged by more than 40% year over year in the 2027 academic year’s early admissions round.

An admissions officer prepares document boxes for the regional doctor admissions track at Keimyung University’s admissions office, where applications have opened for the first-ever early admissions track to select regional doctors. Yonhap News Agency.

According to an analysis by Jongno Academy on October 11, a total of 15,775 students applied to regional talent and regional physician system tracks in the early admissions round at 27 provincial medical schools nationwide, up 4,528 applicants, or 40.3%, from the previous year. By contrast, applications to other medical fields in provincial areas showed a marked decline. Applications to dental schools and colleges of Korean medicine fell by 8.5% and 7.3%, respectively, while pharmacy and veterinary medicine programs each saw declines of more than 10%. This is seen as the result of intensified competition for medical school places among high-achieving students in provincial areas amid changes to the admissions environment, including the introduction of the regional physician system.

The total number of applicants to regional admissions tracks across five medical fields, including medicine, was around 28,000, up roughly 10% from last year. This was the second-highest figure in the past six years, after the 2025 academic year, when medical school quotas were significantly expanded. By region, the Honam area (Gwangju, South Jeolla Province and North Jeolla Province) accounted for the largest share, with around 7,700 applicants, followed by the Yeongnam area, including Busan, Ulsan and South Gyeongsang Province, as well as Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province. Based on the number of provincial general high schools, this equates to an average of more than 28 applications to medical programs per school. Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province were particularly competitive, with an average of more than 34 applications per school, the highest nationwide.

Admissions experts expect the concentration of applicants on medical schools to accelerate further. Lim Seongho, CEO of Jongno Academy, said, "In the 2028 academic year, the number of places for the regional physician system at provincial medical schools will expand by more than 25% from this year, and the five-grade high school transcript system will also take effect, potentially drawing even more applicants to these tracks." He added, "As top-performing graduates make renewed attempts to enter medical school and current students apply more actively, there is a strong possibility of significant shifts in admissions cutoffs in the years ahead."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.