The Korea Student Aid Foundation (Chairman Bae Byungil) and the Ministry of Education (Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education Lee Juhyo) are currently accepting applications for the 2025 second semester Housing Stability Scholarship until 6:00 p.m. on June 23.
The Korea Student Aid Foundation is a quasi-governmental organization under the Ministry of Education, established in 2009 to provide professional and comprehensive financial support for higher education so that anyone can have the opportunity for higher education according to their will and ability, regardless of economic circumstances. With an annual budget exceeding 11 trillion won, the foundation implements various programs to foster future talent, including national scholarships, student loans, national excellence scholarships, national work-study scholarships, donations, and mentoring.
In addition, to help low-income university students seek higher education opportunities without regional restrictions, the foundation operates the Housing Stability Scholarship Program, which provides up to 200,000 won per month in housing-related expenses for low-income students who attend universities far from home. This program aims to reduce the housing burden and offer equal educational opportunities.
The Housing Stability Scholarship is available to students enrolled at participating universities (a total of 268 institutions). Eligible applicants are unmarried individuals under the age of 39 who have enrolled in a university far from home and face significant housing burdens due to their low-income background. Selected students can receive up to 200,000 won per month during the semester.
Whether a student is considered to have enrolled in a distant university is determined by the foundation’s criteria, which take into account whether the student’s university and parents’ addresses are in different transportation zones. For example, a student attending a university in the Seoul metropolitan area is recognized as having enrolled in a distant university if their parents’ address is outside the metropolitan area, meaning the university and parents’ addresses are in different major transportation zones.
For areas outside of major transportation zones, the area within the same city, adjacent cities, or the relevant county where the university is located is considered a commutable transportation zone. If the parents’ address is outside this range, the student is recognized as having enrolled in a distant university and is eligible for support.
Bae Byungil, Chairman of the Korea Student Aid Foundation, stated, "The Housing Stability Scholarship is an important program that helps low-income university students with significant housing burdens to reduce their financial stress and focus on their studies." He added, "Unlike the first semester, applications for the Housing Stability Scholarship are being accepted from the first round of national scholarship applications for the second semester, so we hope many university students will take interest and participate."
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