The number of unfilled seats in rolling admissions for medical schools for the 2026 academic year rose sharply from previous years. It is seen as a result of the college scholastic ability test (CSAT) English section being very difficult this year.
Another factor cited is the so-called "satam run" (slang meaning a strategy in which natural sciences-track students who had been studying science inquiry switch to social studies inquiry for admissions), which led to a sharp drop in test-takers receiving top grades in the science inquiry section, resulting in a rash of applicants failing to meet minimum CSAT standards.
According to results that Jongno Academy analyzed and released on the 30th on rolling admissions at 39 medical schools nationwide, 11 universities in total had 50 unfilled seats. That is 30 fewer than last year, when intake temporarily increased, but it is 3.8 times higher than the 2023 academic year (13) before the increase, and 1.5 times higher than the 2024 academic year (33).
In particular, regional imbalance was pronounced. Of the 50 unfilled seats this year, 48, or 96%, were concentrated at nine universities outside the Seoul metropolitan area. By university, Inje University had the most with 14, followed by Chungnam National University (11), Hallym University and Wonkwang University (5 each), Yonsei University Mirae Campus (4), and Dongguk University WISE Campus and Konkuk University Glocal Campus (3 each). In the Seoul area, Yonsei University and Korea University each failed to fill one seat.
The main cause of the unfilled seats in medical school rolling admissions is cited as failures to secure minimum grades due to the "killer CSAT." This year's CSAT was so difficult that only 3.11% earned grade 1 in English, and due to an increase in social studies test-takers, the number of students within grade 2 in science inquiry plunged 25.3% (12,612) from a year earlier. As a result, natural sciences departments at Seoul National University, Yonsei University, and Korea University also failed to fill their quotas, with a total of 263 seats rolling over to regular admissions.
Im Seong-ho, head of Jongno Academy, said, "Most medical schools with unfilled seats require stringent minimum CSAT standards, roughly a combined grade of 4 across three sections," adding, "The fallout from the killer CSAT made it very difficult to secure minimum grades, and students who applied to medical schools in non-metropolitan regions likely faced even greater challenges in securing CSAT scores."