Gangwon Office of Education Begins Recruitment for 2026 1st Semester Rural Student Program

Applications Open for Seven 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.

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

The Gangwon Rural Student Program began as a pilot 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 at 44 small schools in 13 rural areas within the province.

The 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 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 first grade in elementary school to second grade in middle school 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 from Seoul should submit their applications through their current school to the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education, while students from other regions should submit theirs to the Policy Planning Division of the Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province Office of Education.

Applicants will receive preliminary placement guidance and must visit their chosen school for an interview. After this process, the final application must be submitted between December 16 (Tuesday) and December 19 (Friday). The list of selected students will be finalized on December 23, completing the first round of recruitment. If additional recruitment is needed, individual schools will conduct a second round following the same procedures starting December 26. The final list of rural students will be confirmed on January 20, 2026.

Students who are ultimately selected as rural students for the first semester of the 2026 academic year will complete the address transfer and school transfer procedures, and will officially begin their rural student experience from the first day of the 2026 academic year.

Further details regarding the recruitment process can be found in the "2026 Academic Year 1st Semester Gangwon Rural Student Program Recruitment Notice," which will be released on the Rural Student Program website starting November 24.