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Med school dropouts can return, ministry rules — but some may get extra exams

Published: 25 Jul. 2025, 16:50

A medical school in Seoul is pictured on July 17. [NEWS1]

The Ministry of Education decided to allow medical students who left school to return for the second semester, signaling an end to a 17-month standoff over class boycotts.

However, controversy is mounting regarding what some are calling preferential treatment. The government also said it is considering holding an additional medical licensing exam for students in their final years who will graduate in August. Concerns remain over the quality of education for students who must complete a six-year curriculum in just five and a half years.

In its official statement, the Education Ministry said it would respect the autonomy and accountability of individual universities and offer administrative and financial support as needed, effectively accepting the proposal submitted by the Council of University Presidents for Advancement of Medical Education, a body of 40 university presidents.

Under the agreement, returning students will resume their education in the second semester with no reduction in curriculum, and instruction will be conducted separately by grade level. Each university may choose whether third-year clinical students, who are at the center of debate, will graduate in February or August 2027.

Those graduating in February 2027 would have to complete two years of coursework in 18 months. Fourth-year students will graduate in August 2026, with first- and second-year clinical students graduating in February 2028 and 2029, respectively. Pre-meds will return to regular progression in March 2025.

According to current rules, students graduating in August are ineligible to take that year’s licensing exam. But the government is considering a special provision to hold an additional round of exams for third- and fourth-year students, in line with a request from the council, in order to stabilize the medical work force.

The hallway in front of a counseling center for returning medical students at a medical school in Seoul is empty on July 23. [YONHAP]

The Education Ministry also said students who skipped the first semester would not automatically face penalties like failing grades or expulsion. As decisions will follow each university’s internal rules, administrative consequences will be minimal. As of May 9, 46 students were listed for expulsion and about 8,305 for failing, according to the ministry.

“It is not the school's decision to make autonomously, but since the requirements for retention have already been met, we will make dispositions according to the existing school regulations,” said a ministry official. “Since most expulsions are at the discretion of the school, the number of students who are listed for expulsion is expected to decrease.”

Meanwhile, students who returned earlier expressed concern regarding the lack of measures to protect them. Universities also urged the government to provide funding for additional classes and overall improvements to educational conditions.

The broader medical community criticized the plan as unfair.

“Those students ignored multiple chances to return, yet are now being rewarded,” said a professor at a Seoul-area university hospital. “Academic standards should be applied consistently.”

A medical school in Seoul is pictured on July 23. [NEWS1]

A resident physician who returned in May commented, “The government has basically reinforced the notion that 'medical students can’t fail.’”

Other professors warned that the compressed timeline could compromise education quality.

“We’re being asked to fit two semesters into one, and it’s unclear if proper instruction is even possible,” another professor said from a medical school in the Seoul area said.

There are also concerns among medical students that there are no measures to separate them from existing returning students or to protect them.

“Students who returned earlier are anxious about how they’ll navigate campus life going forward,” said one student from a non-Seoul medical school.

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
BY LEE BO-RAM [[email protected]]