Overview

• The Education Ministry has completed its nationwide attendance review, confirming penalties for students who failed to return to class by April 30.
• Retention and expulsion reports submitted by all 40 medical schools indicate 46 expulsions, 8,305 students held back, and 3,027 warnings issued.
• Participation rates among medical students have risen to the mid-to-high 30% range as many returned following pre-expulsion warnings.
• Education Minister Lee Ju-ho announced that no further academic leniency will be granted, with vacancies to be filled through government-supported transfer admissions.
• Universities are restructuring operations to manage overlapping cohorts and have amended policies to prioritize the 2026 freshman class.