Changwon Special City, ‘Changwon Freshman Support Fund’ ... 99% of Recipients Satisfied

Reducing Students' Academic and Living Expenses
Positive Impact on Young People's Willingness to Settle in the Region

On January 20, Changwon Special City in Gyeongnam announced that a satisfaction survey for the ‘2025 Changwon Freshman Support Fund’ project showed a high level of policy approval, with 99.3% of respondents indicating they were ‘satisfied’ or more.

Changwon Special City Hall, Gyeongnam. Photo by Lee Seryung

This survey was conducted online from January 6 to January 19, with 440 university students who received the 2025 support fund participating and providing a variety of opinions on the policy’s effectiveness and areas for improvement.

The results showed that 97.5% of respondents said the fund helped them cover academic and living expenses. The main uses of the support fund were: living expenses such as food (55.7%), tuition and class fees (29.3%), and textbook and academy fees (12%). This indicates that the fund has contributed to easing the practical financial burden on young people.

Additionally, 98.5% of respondents said their perception of Changwon City had improved, and 93.6% said the fund had a positive impact on their intention to live, seek employment, or start a business in Changwon in the future. This confirms the fund’s effectiveness in improving young people’s willingness to settle in the region.

The ‘Changwon Freshman Support Fund’ is a project that provides up to 1 million won per person (500,000 won each semester) to freshmen who graduated from high schools in Changwon and entered universities within the city. Based on the survey results, the city plans to further strengthen the project in 2026.

Kim Sunhee, Director of Lifelong Education, stated, “The Freshman Support Fund is an important policy to reduce the financial burden on students and prevent the outflow of local talent. We will continue to create an environment where young people can stay and grow in the region through effective policies that they can truly feel.”