Sunchang-gun Provides 'University Student Living Support Fund'... 16 Million Won Over 4 Years

Published 23 Mar.2023 16:08(KST)

On the 23rd, Sunchang-gun, Jeonbuk announced that it will provide local university students with a living support fund of 4 million KRW per year, totaling 16 million KRW over four years, to increase the resident population.

The county plans to complete payment of a ‘University Admission Congratulatory Grant’ of 2 million KRW per student to those who entered university this year by the end of this month.

Sunchang Okcheon Injaesuk Graduate. [Photo by Sunchang-gun]

Starting in June, currently enrolled university students will receive a ‘University Student Living Support Fund’ of 2 million KRW per semester, 4 million KRW per year, and a total of 16 million KRW over four years.

The county expects this project, which significantly expands support from new university entrants to current students, to greatly help reduce educational expenses for parents and university students in Sunchang-gun, and through this, it is anticipated to contribute significantly to preventing population outflow and increasing the resident population.

The support project will be carried out by the Sunchang-gun Okcheon Scholarship Foundation, a public institution funded by Sunchang-gun, as part of its scholarship program, and the county has already secured a budget of 2.3 billion KRW in the 2023 main budget to prepare for payments.

Eligible recipients are university students who graduated from elementary, middle, or high schools in the county and whose father or mother has resided in the county for more than one year. If the student graduated from a high school outside the county or passed the qualification exam, the student must have resided in the county for one year, and the father or mother for three years or more to qualify.

However, for this year only, the first year of the project, university students themselves must have their address registered in Sunchang-gun before the announcement date to be eligible.

The support amount will be 4 million KRW per year for university students who graduated from elementary, middle, and high schools in Sunchang, 3 million KRW per year for those who graduated only from middle and high schools, and 2 million KRW per year for those who graduated only from high school.

For new university students this year, a total of 4 million KRW is expected to be paid, combining 2 million KRW for the congratulatory grant in the first semester and 2 million KRW for the living support fund in the second semester.

The exact announcement of the support project will be made next month, and applications for payment can be submitted at the local administrative welfare centers starting May 1.

County Governor Choi Young-il said, “With soaring living costs, as well as university tuition and housing expenses, I believe the financial burden on parents for university life is significant. To reduce this burden, we are preparing to provide living support funds not only to new university students but to all university students in Sunchang-gun. I hope everyone applies within the deadline to receive the Sunchang-type universal welfare benefits that only Sunchang residents can enjoy.”

For more details, contact the county office’s Administration Division, each eup/myeon administrative welfare center, or the Okcheon Scholarship Foundation.