The government has decided to accept medical schools’ proposal to set the admissions quota for the 2026 academic year back to three-thousand-and-58 students, on the condition that medical students return from their leave of absence.

The education ministry, along with an association of deans from the nation’s 40 medical schools and the Korea Association of Medical Colleges(KAMC), announced measures on Friday to normalize medical school education.

The ministry said it will respect the autonomy of medical school deans in determining the 2026 admissions quota, provided that students on leave return to school by the end of the month.

In its proposal to the government, the KAMC pledged that all medical students would resume their studies if the government accepted the proposed quota.

If this condition is met, the medical school admissions quota, which was increased by more one-thousand-500 for the 2025 academic year, will revert to its previous level.