Among those admitted through early admissions to leading, prestigious medical schools such as Catholic University, Korea University, and Yonsei University, the number of test-takers who declined to register was the highest in the past five years. The main reason appears to be overlapping admissions with other universities' medical schools. Seoul National University's medical school has had no registration cancellations for five consecutive years.
According to data analyzed by Jongno Academy on the 22nd, the proportion of unregistered students among the initial admits for the 2026 academic year at the medical schools of Catholic University and Yonsei University hit a record high since the introduction of the integrated CSAT. At Catholic University, 23 people, or 41.1% of the intake, and at Yonsei University, 28 people, or 44.4%, declined to register.
Korea University also saw its unregistered rate reach 58.2% (39 people), the highest in the past four years, indicating that overlapping admissions among top-tier medical schools have intensified.
Among the early admits at four major medical schools in the Seoul area, a total of 90 declined to register, amounting to 48.4% of the overall intake, the highest level in five years.
The number of those who declined to register, which was 88 (43.3%) for the 2022 academic year, fluctuated each year and hit an all-time high this year. Ewha Womans University also showed an upward trend, with the number of unregistered increasing from four the previous year to six. In contrast, Seoul National University's medical school saw all initial early admits complete registration for five consecutive years.
By contrast, the situation at regional medical schools was the opposite. At Pusan National University, the number of those who declined to register fell sharply from 44 the previous year to 23, and at Jeju National University, it also decreased by 11 from the previous year to seven. Across the three regional universities, total registration cancellations dropped by 38.8% from the previous year.
Medical schools in Seoul did not increase their quotas last year, so the intake remains the same this year; as medical school quotas were frozen across the board, early applicants fell, which is interpreted to have increased overlapping admissions.
Lim Seong-ho, head of Jongno Academy, said, "This year, the number of top-tier repeat test-takers also fell, so it seems there are many overlapping admits among those accepted to Seoul-area medical schools," and added, "Due to overlapping admissions at Seoul-area medical schools, the increase in unregistered students could expand the chain of additional admissions among top-tier natural sciences departments."