Today’s news / University frustrated by medic study caps despite doctor shortage
486 applicants for the medical education have Aalborg University as their first priority. (Archive photo). Photo: Henning Bagger/Ritzau Scanpix

University frustrated by medic study caps despite doctor shortage

Despite a chronic shortage of doctors in Northern Jutland, Aalborg University (AAU) is forced to reject hundreds of medicine applicants. AAU’s plan to increase study places from 179 to 250, aiming to address the shortage, cannot be realized due to limitations. Region North Jutland would appear ‘as red as Málaga on an August day’ on a heatmap of doctor shortages, says AAU’s Prorector Anne Marie Kanstrup. This year, 486 marked AAU’s medicine program as their top choice, resulting in numerous rejections forthcoming this Friday. In Region North Jutland, 64% of general practitioners have closed patient lists, exceeding the national average of 54%. Kanstrup emphasizes the importance of training doctors locally, noting that over 80% of AAU’s 600+ medicine graduates work in the region. Admission offers are set to start rolling in after midnight Friday, with the total number of applicants for higher education reaching 85,152 this year, an increase from last year.