The education ministry has announced its medical school admissions quota for the 2026 academic year, with both the figure and the selection criteria reverting to 2024 standards.

According to the ministry on Friday, 39 medical schools in the country will recruit three-thousand-123 new students in 2026, down one-thousand-487 from this year.

The admissions quota for 2026 is only slightly higher than the 2024 quota, representing an increase of ten students, in a reversal of the disputed quota hike enforced last year as part of the government’s health care reform plan.

Of the new students to be recruited, 107 will be selected among applicants from agricultural and fishing communities and those receiving social assistance to cover their basic living expenses.

Also, 26 schools outside the capital area will be required to select a total of one-thousand-215 applicants from their respective regions.

Two-thousand-115 students, or 67-point-seven percent of the total, will be selected through an early admissions process, with the rest to be selected through the regular admissions process.