South Korea Expands Regional Medical School Quotas Outside Seoul to Meet Healthcare Needs
South Korea’s Education Ministry announced the allocation of expanded medical student quotas for 2027 and beyond, applying the increases only to regional medical schools outside Seoul. The plan follows a regional quota framework laid out earlier by the Health Ministry and aims to align medical training with local healthcare needs.
Under the announced plan, the total number of medical students across the 32 regional medical schools will rise from 3,058 in 2024 to 3,548 in 2027, an increase of 490. From 2028 through 2031, the annual increase is set at 613 students, bringing the 2031 total to 3,671. The extra slots are designated entirely for the regional system, not for institutions inside Seoul.
Education Minister Choi Kyo-jin said the adjustments reflect concerns about the overlap of 2024 and 2025 cohorts and the need to consider each university’s educational environment and improvement plans. He added that the increases are intended to help regional medical manpower fulfill social responsibilities in training doctors who will serve local communities.
Regional allocations show the Busan–Ulsan–Gyeongnam area receiving the largest increases: 97 additional slots in 2027, followed by increases of 121 slots annually from 2028 to 2031. By contrast, the Gyeonggi–Incheon region is allocated the fewest, with 24 additional slots in 2027 and 30 additional slots each year from 2028 to 2031.
At the university level, Kangwon National University and Chungbuk National University are slated to receive the most increases, with 39 added slots in 2027 and 49 annually from 2028 to 2031. Jeonnam National University and Pusan National University follow, each receiving 31 additional slots in 2027 and 38 annually from 2028 to 2031. Private institutions in the Gyeonggi–Incheon region, including Cha University College of Medicine, are among those with smaller increments, such as Cha University’s 2 added slots in 2027 and 3 per year from 2028 to 2031.
The Education Ministry’s move follows a Health Ministry decision reported last month, after which universities were invited to submit enrollment adjustment proposals by March 27. A specialized committee for quota allocation reviewed university plans on March 23. Under the Administrative Procedure Act, universities may submit comments on the preliminary notice by March 24. If finalized in April, the campuses will amend internal regulations and revise entrance procedures for the 2027 intake by May.
Why this matters beyond Korea: Korea’s approach highlights how a major economy manages regional medical labor supply through education policy. For U.S. readers, the case illustrates how government-led shifts in medical school capacity can influence regional healthcare access, workforce distribution, and partnerships with hospitals and technology partners. Greater emphasis on training physicians for non-metropolitan areas may affect healthcare markets, uncertainty around where graduates will practice, and potential collaborations with international medical education and research initiatives. The policy also interacts with broader trends in health-tech development, medical device adoption, and cross-border academic exchanges between the U.S. and Korea.