[2021 National Audit] COVID-19 Scholarship Amounts Vary... Seojeong University 59 Won vs Gyeonggi University 220,000 Won (Summary)

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Jinju] It has been revealed that the refund amounts for university tuition fees due to COVID-19 vary greatly from university to university.

According to the '2021 University COVID-19 Tuition Refund Special Scholarship Payment Status' (revised distribution material from the office) submitted by the Ministry of Education to Kang Deuk-gu, a member of the National Assembly's Education Committee from the Democratic Party of Korea, the highest payment amount was at Kyonggi University with 228,348 KRW, followed by Chugye University for the Arts with 181,597 KRW, and Hongik University with 110,202 KRW. On the other hand, the lowest payments, under 10,000 KRW, were found at eight universities including Seojeong University, Jeonbuk National University, and Hanyang University.

Assemblyman Kang said, "Considering that only 63 universities submitted data to the Ministry of Education, which is less than 20% of all universities, the number of universities paying less than 10,000 KRW is expected to increase significantly among all universities."

In the previous year, 2020, the payment amounts were much larger but showed a significant disparity. For example, Yonsei University's Songdo Campus paid 34,370 KRW, whereas Gyeongin National University of Education paid 206,362 KRW.

Assemblyman Kang stated, "In 2020, the COVID-19 special scholarship was planned autonomously by each university, and the Ministry of Education provided budget support accordingly. This year, however, since there was no such plan set by the Ministry and universities, differences appeared among universities."