Medical students expelled en masse? Competition rate for transfer to Seoul is 137 to 1, 2.3 times higher in regional areas

In the event that medical students are expelled en masse because they do not return by the registration deadline, a plan to fill the vacancies through transfer admissions is being discussed. It has been revealed that the competition rate for transfer admissions to medical universities in Seoul exceeded 137 to 1 last year.
If admission to medical school were to be opened up through both university entrance exams and transfer admissions at the same time, it is expected that the trend of both applicants and current university students choosing medical school would intensify.
On the 23rd, Jongno Medical College analyzed the current status of general transfer admission to medical colleges nationwide for the past three years and found that the competition rate for transfer admission to medical colleges will be 52% in 2022.
The ratio showed an upward trend each year, reaching 62.0 to 1 in 2023, 65.4 to 1 in 2024, and 3,534 applicants for 54 positions at 17 medical schools nationwide in 2024.
In the case of transfer students, 15 medical schools nationwide will allow 57 transfer students in 2022, 16 medical schools will allow 59 students in 2023, and 17 medical schools will allow 54 students in 2024.
By region, the competition rate for medical universities in the Seoul area has increased sharply from 70.6:1 in 2022 to 137.2:1 in 2023 and 137.6:1 in 2024.
The number of students admitted to medical schools in the Seoul and Gyeongin areas is significantly smaller than in other areas, making the competition even fiercer.
The number of transfer students being recruited for 2012 is five at two universities in the Seoul area (Kyung Hee University and Chung-Ang University), three at two universities in the Gyeongin area (Ajou University and Ina University), and 13 universities in the regional areas (Daegu University and Kaohsiung University).
As a result, 85.2% of the total number of students enrolled were from the provincial areas, and 9.2% were from the Seoul area.
A source from Jongno College said, "The trend of favoring medical school among both applicants and current students was temporarily very strong as medical school admissions were opened simultaneously through two routes: university entrance exams and transfer admissions.
"It is expected that students from top science and engineering universities will flock to medical schools to transfer, raising concerns about an outflow of science and engineering talent," he said.
"There is a possibility that not only students from universities but also students from liberal arts universities will increase their desire to transfer to medical schools." As with general colleges, medical schools accept transfer students when vacancies arise due to voluntary withdrawal or expulsion.
Generally, students who have completed at least the second year of university are eligible to transfer to medical school, and students in the humanities and sciences, as well as in other majors, are eligible to apply.
However, some medical schools require applicants to have taken certain courses such as biochemistry, chemistry, and cell biology.
While some universities have written exams, there are also medical schools that select applicants based solely on credits, official English scores, and interviews.