Gwangju City: "Apply for Student Loan Interest Support"

Applications accepted until April 30... Jeonnam universities also included

'Student Loan Interest Support' Promotional Poster. Provided by Gwangju City

Gwangju City announced on the 19th that it will provide support for '2025 First Half Student Loan Interest' to reduce the financial burden caused by student loans for local youth and to enhance equal access to educational opportunities.

This support will cover the full amount of interest accrued from July to December 2024 on the cumulative loans taken out from the first semester of 2017 to the second semester of 2024 through the Korea Student Aid Foundation.

Eligible applicants must meet all three of the following conditions as of the announcement date: ▲The applicant or their immediate family must have been registered residents of Gwangju for at least one year ▲They must be currently enrolled, on leave of absence, or have graduated within the past five years from a university (including graduate schools) located in Gwangju or Jeonnam ▲They must have received a general or income-contingent student loan from the Korea Student Aid Foundation.

Notably, starting this year, the scope of eligible universities has been expanded to include those located in Jeonnam, in addition to Gwangju. Applications can be submitted online via the Gwangju Youth Integrated Platform until the 30th of next month. For inquiries about the student loan interest support application, contact the University Talent Policy Division of Gwangju City.

After document review and loan verification procedures, the support amount will be deposited into the Korea Student Aid Foundation student loan account of the confirmed recipients in June. However, students who receive student loan interest support from the national government or other local governments are excluded from this program.

The city provides student loan interest support for local university students every year in both the first and second halves. Since the program began in 2011, a total of 21,653 students have received 1.482 billion KRW in support as of the second half of last year.

Choi Kyunghwa, head of the University Talent Policy Division, said, "We hope that through student loan interest support, local university students will be able to focus on their studies and career preparation despite financial difficulties."