Starting this year, basic and low-income students who enroll in universities located in different regions from their parents' registered address can receive a maximum of 200,000 won per month in housing stability scholarships. This scholarship can be used for rent or costs such as water and fuel bills.
The Ministry of Education and the Korea Student Aid Foundation announced on the 4th that they will accept applications for the 2025 academic year's housing stability scholarship until March 18.
The housing stability scholarship was introduced for the first time this year. It aims to reduce the economic burden for basic and low-income students who face high housing-related costs due to attending distant universities. It targets students enrolled in 255 schools, including 162 national and industrial universities and 93 colleges.
Whether a student is attending a distant university is determined based on whether the university's location is in a different transportation zone from the parents' address. Transportation zones are categorized into metropolitan, city, and rural areas. For example, if the university is located in Daejeon and the parents' address is in Seoul, the student is eligible for the housing stability scholarship.
If included in the same zone, eligibility is determined through city boundaries. For instance, a student whose parents' address is in Jinju, Gyeongnam, while attending a university in Changwon, Gyeongnam, will not be eligible for support. Changwon and Jinju are adjacent and thus recognized as being in the same transportation zone, not qualifying as distant enrollment. Conversely, if the university is located in Jeonju, North Jeolla, and the parents' address is in Namwon, North Jeolla, the student is eligible for support.
The housing stability scholarship provides support up to a maximum of 200,000 won per month. This also includes the summer session during break periods, allowing for a maximum of 2.4 million won per year. It can be used for housing-related expenses such as rent for residences, maintenance and management costs, water and fuel bills, and borrowing interest repayment on housing loans. Rent covers all fees paid for the purpose of living, including those for houses, dormitories, and goshiwons.
The Ministry of Education estimates that among 120,000 basic and low-income students, 40,000 are attending distant universities.
Out of 120,000 basic and low-income students, 40,000 are enrolled in distant universities. The Ministry of Education estimates that 35,000 of these will apply for housing scholarships. The Ministry of Education allocated a budget of 34 billion won this year based on a commuting time of 2 hours one way.
Applications for the housing stability scholarship can be submitted 24 hours a day through the foundation's website and the Korea Student Aid Foundation mobile application.
The government will also conduct the second round of national scholarship applications during the housing stability scholarship application period. This is for new students, transfer students, returning students, and current students who could not apply during the first application period.
A representative from the Ministry of Education noted, "This year, the introduction of the housing stability scholarship and the expansion of national scholarship eligibility from 8 categories to 9 categories mean that students who were not previously eligible for scholarships should review the requirements and actively apply for them."