The Seoul Metropolitan Government will expand eligibility for Seoul Learn, an education support program for vulnerable groups, starting in July this year. The number of potential beneficiaries is expected to increase by about 51,500, from 117,200 to 168,700.
The Seoul Metropolitan Government said on the 12th that it recently completed consultations with the Ministry of Health and Welfare on changes to social security schemes and will expand eligibility for Seoul Learn. First, it eased the Seoul Learn income standard from at or below 60% of the median income to at or below 80% of the median income. The city said it expects to increase linkages among education welfare policies by aligning the income criteria with the same conditions as the education office's after-school free tuition voucher.
It also included multi-child households, children using community child centers, grandchildren of national merit recipients, and residents of single-parent family welfare facilities in the Seoul Learn eligibility pool. Currently, 165 community child centers and a little over 2,000 people use Seoul Learn, but going forward, 419 community child centers and a little over 12,000 people are expected to be able to use it in full.
Through Seoul Learn, users can freely choose and use up to eight learning sites along with learning content from MegaStudy, Etoos, Daesung MyMac, MilkT, and others. A variety of programs for future capability development are also provided, including a career campus, arts and physical education tracks linked with universities, special lectures on communication, AI and digital competency enhancement programs, and career mentoring for those new to the workforce.
The Seoul Metropolitan Government said Seoul Learn has shown academic improvement effects and has served as a "ladder of opportunity." Users' learning competency rose from 75 points in 2022 to 83 points in 2025, and learning attitude increased from 75 points to 85 points over the same period. The average school grade of high school users also improved by 0.36 levels.
Among Seoul Learn users, 914 students were admitted to universities this year, the highest ever. The number who succeeded in finding jobs also rose to 75, three times more than last year.
Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon said, "Seoul Learn is not merely an education support program but an educational ladder to build a society where poverty is not inherited," adding, "The Seoul Metropolitan Government will back people to the end so that anyone can pioneer their future through their own effort and talent."