Gangwon Office of Education to Recruit Students for 2026 1st Semester Gangwon Rural Student Program

Applications Open for 7 Days Starting November 26
Rural Student Program Offered at 76 Schools in 15 Regions

The Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province Office of Education announced on November 24 that it will be recruiting students for the "2026 Academic Year 1st Semester Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province Office of Education Rural Student Program" for seven days, from November 26 to December 2.

'2026 Academic Year 1st Semester Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province Office of Education Rural Student Recruitment' Poster. Provided by Gangwon Office of Education

The Gangwon Rural Student Program allows urban students to transfer to rural schools within Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province, where they live for a certain period and experience holistic growth in a nature-friendly environment. At the same time, the program is gaining attention as a mutually beneficial model that revitalizes rural schools struggling with declining student numbers.

The Gangwon Rural Student Program was first piloted in the second semester of the 2023 academic year, with 33 students from Seoul participating. Since then, the program has steadily expanded each year. In the second semester of the 2025 academic year, 360 students from across the country are studying as rural students in 44 small schools across 13 rural areas in the province.

The provincial office of education selected participating schools through a public application process. As a result, for the first semester of the 2026 academic year, 76 schools (64 elementary schools and 12 middle schools) in 15 regions (Chuncheon, Wonju, Gangneung, Yangyang, Samcheok, Hongcheon, Hoengseong, Yeongwol, Pyeongchang, Jeongseon, Inje, Hwacheon, Yanggu, Cheorwon, and Goseong) will be recruiting rural students.

The program is open to students from grades 1 to 8 who reside outside Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province. To apply, students must download and complete the application form from the Gangwon Rural Student Program website. Students in Seoul should submit their applications to the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education through their current schools, while students from other regions should submit their applications to the Policy Planning Division of the Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province Office of Education.

Applicants for the rural student program will receive preliminary placement guidance and must visit their chosen schools for an interview. After completing the interview process, they must submit their final applications between December 16 and December 19. The final list of rural students will be confirmed on December 23, completing the first round of recruitment. Additional recruitment will be conducted for schools that require more students, following the same procedure as the first round, from December 26. The final list of rural students for the 2026 academic year will be confirmed on January 20, 2026.

Students who are ultimately selected as rural students for the first semester of the 2026 academic year must complete the address change and transfer procedures. They will then begin their rural student experience in earnest from the first day of the 2026 academic year.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.