Elite STEM students ditch engineering for medicine's greener pastures

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Elite STEM students ditch engineering for medicine's greener pastures

Published: 13 Aug. 2025, 07:00

CHO JUNG-WOO
[email protected]

Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

Students at a science high school conduct experiments in an undated file photo. [GYEONGGI OFFICE OF EDUCATION]

Going against the trend among his tech-savvy peers, Bae Jang-ho, a 29-year-old Ph.D. student, has been set on engineering since his high school days.

“I never considered going to medical school,” he says, noting that his passion for engineering endured despite excelling in math throughout high school — grades that in Korea typically propel students toward medicine.

Today, Bae’s case is considered an outlier in Korea, as many top math and science students abandon engineering to pursue medical school. Earlier this year, two students who achieved perfect scores on the College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT) made headlines for making the rare decision to choose engineering over medicine.

This longstanding trend, which has persisted for over two decades, stems mainly from structural issues such as poor working conditions and low wages in science, technology, engineering, math (STEM) fields. It is further reinforced by deeply ingrained social norms that elevate professions like medicine as symbols of prestige and stability — a mindset intensified after the 1997 IMF crisis when job security became paramount.

The shift has accelerated in recent years. Data from private schools and government agencies reveal that a significant number of STEM students at Korea’s top three universities — Seoul National University (SNU), Yonsei University and Korea University, collectively known as SKY universities — are dropping out, with many believed to be transferring or studying to get into medical schools.

Going for stability and high pay

At SNU, 26 percent of admitted students in the computer engineering department declined their spots in the first round of regular admissions for the 2024 school year, while not a single student gave up a place in medical school.

At Yonsei University and Korea University, 71 percent of students turned down offers from semiconductor and smart mobility programs — a sharp rise from 38 percent the year before. Across undergraduate and graduate STEM programs, more than 76 students admitted to STEM majors at SNU withdrew their spring 2024 enrollment in the first round of regular admission, up from 64 the previous year.

The trend is even more apparent in early admissions. Across the elite SKY universities, a record 3,888 students withdrew from early enrollment for the 2025 school year. Observers believe many of these withdrawals are linked to medical school admissions.

The preference for medicine over engineering has deep roots. The 1997 Asian financial crisis, known as the IMF crisis, left a lasting mark on career choices.

Doctors walk outside a hospital in Seoul on June 25. [NEWS1]

“Watching the IMF restructuring, we were drawn to professions like doctor or pharmacist represented by stable licenses,” says Lee Sang-yup, KAIST vice president for research, adding that students cannot escape parental influence.

Exam results highlight STEM’s decline: in 1990, Seoul National University’s physics department ranked first in admissions scores; by 2023, the top ten departments were all medical schools.

Lee argues that the core problem is a mismatch between effort and reward.

“The biggest issue is that recognition and treatment don’t match the effort,” he says. “It’s not that only engineering matters. But for national competitiveness, we need a fair balance," he said, adding that he envisions a “virtuous cycle" where these talents are valued for their ability.

Bae echoed the perspective.

“If policies are established to provide additional performance-based funding to research teams led by outstanding researchers, excellent research can be sustained and further developed,” he said, noting that most of the costs incurred during the research process are covered solely by research funding.

The pay gap is stark. In 2021, the average starting salary at 25 government-affiliated research institutes was about 42.6 million won ($30,660), according to the Ministry of Science and ICT. It takes 10 to 15 years to reach 100 million won. In contrast, physicians earn an average of 230.7 million won annually, despite comparable training lengths of 10 to 20 years.

Budget and support problems

The disparity is compounded by unstable employment prospects and uncertain research funding — pressures amplified when the government cut the R&D budget by 16.6 percent in 2024, the first such reduction in 33 years.

Democratic Party Rep. Park Chan-dae, second from left, speaks during a conference on normalizing the R&D budget at the National Assembly in Yeouido, western Seoul, on Jan. 9. [NEWS1]

Following an intense backlash, Korea reversed course and set a record R&D budget of 29.7 trillion won this year. However, Professor Han Beom of SNU College of Medicine pointed out in an opinion piece for the JoongAng Ilbo that, despite the overall increase, funding for basic science fields has significantly declined.

“This kind of allocation has completely destroyed the research ecosystem,” he wrote.

STEM students leaving SKY universities [YUN YOUNG]

At the university level, the shift is visible. Seoul National University’s STEM majors lost 299 students to other schools in 2024, according to the Ministry of Education's data released by the Democratic Party (DP) Rep. Jin Sun-mee's office. Yonsei University saw 458 dropouts or unregistered students and Korea University saw 580.

Science high schools and gifted high schools, designed to nurture scientific talent, typically feed into science and engineering-centered universities like KAIST. However, restrictions on applying directly to medical school from these programs can be bypassed if students first enroll in a science or engineering university, then withdraw to reapply elsewhere.

Signs of this shift appear long before university.

A joint survey by the Education Ministry and the Korea Research Institute for Vocational Education and Training found that in 2009, scientists ranked fifth in elementary school students’ dream jobs. By 2019, it had fallen to 13th; in 2023, to 16th.

To address the persistent trend, proposals have focused on higher salaries and structured career incentives. In a forum in January, Kim Young-oh, dean of SNU College of Engineering, advocated for a state-run AI innovation institute that would offer annual salaries of 500 million won plus housing to 200 new Ph.D. graduates. He also envisions a “Korean-style Thousand Talents Plan,” partly modeled after China’s program. Kim proposed selecting 1,000 top science and engineering student annually and providing them with "major" support.

Students at a science high school conduct experiments in an undated file photo. [GYEONGGI OFFICE OF EDUCATION]

In June, the government revised the Special Act on Support for Science and Engineering to provide graduate stipends, reduce research interruptions caused by mandatory military service and expand opportunities for overseas research.

STEM brain drain

Despite these efforts, a substantial number of Korea’s top STEM professionals continue to seek opportunities abroad.

According to a report by the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Korea last year experienced the fourth-highest net outflow of AI talent among OECD countries. Meanwhile, Harvard’s Belfer Center ranked Korea ninth in AI competitiveness, citing shortages in both work force and investment.

For Bae, pursuing research overseas is part of his plan — but his long-term commitment remains firmly rooted in Korea.

“In this era of global technological competition, I want to help advance Korea’s semiconductor capabilities and contribute to the country’s economy and pride,” he says.

BY CHO JUNG-WOO [[email protected]]