Record Registrations for Belgian Medical Admission Exams Amid Return to Pen and Paper

A record 10,412 students have registered for the 2026 admission exams for medicine, dentistry and veterinary studies in Flanders, Belgium, according to VRT NWS. The surge in interest comes as the examination system undergoes a significant transformation, returning to pen-and-paper format for the first time since 2020 following last year’s ChatGPT fraud scandal.

Record-Breaking Numbers

The 10,412 registrations represent 8,476 unique candidates, with many students sitting for multiple exams. The breakdown by discipline shows strong year-over-year growth across all three fields: medicine (arts) received 6,941 registrations, up 12 percent from 2025; dentistry (tandarts) saw 2,488 registrations, a 15 percent increase; and veterinary medicine (dierenarts) attracted 983 registrations, rising 10 percent. Notably, 1,516 candidates registered for both medicine and dentistry, while 70 signed up for all three exams.

Increased Quotas

The Flemish government has responded to sustained demand by raising the number of available places. For the 2026-2027 academic year, 1,878 students will be admitted to medicine programs — an increase of 155 places — while 277 spots are available for dentistry, up by 25. This brings the total increase to 180 additional students, reflecting growing recognition of healthcare workforce shortages across Belgium.

Return to Pen and Paper

This year’s exams mark a dramatic departure from recent practice. After the 2025 digital exams were compromised by students using ChatGPT — the first such cases in Flanders — the examination committee decided to revert to a centralized pen-and-paper format. The exams will be held at a single location, Brussels Expo, on July 2 (medicine), July 3 (dentistry), and July 4 (veterinary medicine). Possession of any electronic device in the exam room will automatically be considered fraud.

Jonas Brouwers, chairman of the Examination Committee, emphasized the importance of maintaining integrity. “The admission exam remains an essential instrument to guarantee quality and equal opportunities,” Brouwers told VRT NWS.

The 2025 ChatGPT Scandal

The format change traces back to July 2025, when three students were caught using ChatGPT during the digital exams, as VRT NWS reported. The scandal widened as additional cheating methods came to light — including hand-signal communication, earpiece use, and even proxy exam-taking. Then-committee chair Jan Eggermont acknowledged the system “did not go optimally,” and Education Minister Zuhal Demir ordered an investigation.

While the investigation found “no mass fraud,” identifying 20 to 30 cheaters among thousands of candidates, the crisis of confidence proved severe. Eggermont stepped down in August 2025, and by December, Demir announced the 2026 exams would return to pen and paper. A comprehensive dossier tracking the scandal documents the full timeline of events.

New Competency Test

Alongside the format change, the generic competencies section is being updated. The CLEAR test (Conflict Management, Listening, Empathy, Attention, Reflection, Respect) is being replaced by EMCO (Empathy and Communication), reflecting an evolving understanding of the soft skills required in healthcare professions.

Analysis and Implications

The record registration numbers — combined with the increased quotas — still mean intense competition. For medicine alone, approximately 3.7 candidates vie for each of the 1,878 available places. This reflects both the enduring prestige of medical careers in Belgium and a broader societal awareness of healthcare workforce shortages.

However, the shift back to pen and paper raises questions about the long-term sustainability of this approach. As AI tools become more sophisticated and ubiquitous, traditional examination methods may face continued pressure to adapt. The new EMCO test, meanwhile, signals a growing emphasis on interpersonal skills in medical training.

What to Watch For

With exams scheduled for early July, all eyes will be on how the pen-and-paper format performs under the pressure of a record candidate pool at a single location. The results, expected later in the summer, will also reveal how the new EMCO competency test affects pass rates compared to its predecessor. Longer term, the Flemish government’s strategic expansion of medical and dental programs — including new offerings at Vrije Universiteit Brussel and Hasselt University — suggests a sustained commitment to addressing healthcare workforce needs through the end of this decade and beyond.