More than eight-thousand medical students in the country applied for a leave of absence in apparent protest of the government's planned increase of the medical school admissions quota.

According to the education ministry, as of 6 p.m. Tuesday, seven-thousand-620 additional students at 27 out of the nation's 40 medical schools had submitted their applications.

Tuesday's figure, combined with Monday's tally of one-thousand-133, brings the total to eight-thousand-753, 43-point-eight percent of the roughly 20-thousand medical students nationwide.

Thirty-four applicants, who had cited mandatory military duty or personal reasons, were granted a leave of absence. The ministry said it has yet to verify whether any of the other applications were withdrawn.

Last week, medical student representatives nationwide announced that students at the nation's 40 medical schools would take leaves of absence en masse in protest of the quota expansion.