Half of Tuition Now Covered by Scholarships: 13 Years of the National Scholarship Pushes University Tuition Coverage Rate Above 56%

The Ministry of Education and the Korean Educational Development Institute (KEDI) on the 15th launched a new series titled "Reading Korean Education through Data," which offers in-depth analysis of education statistics. The first installment examines the performance and evolution of the National Scholarship. Since the National Scholarship was introduced in 2012, the total amount of scholarships at general universities has risen to about 4.8 trillion won as of 2023, 1.8 times higher than at the time of introduction. The scholarship coverage rate relative to tuition reached 56.6%, effectively cutting students’ real tuition burden to below half. The report concludes that this has gone beyond simple financial aid and has become a core social investment in future talent.
According to the data, scholarship funding at general universities jumped from 2.6315 trillion won in 2012 to 4.7816 trillion won in 2023. Government-funded National Scholarships strongly drove this overall growth in scholarship volume. At junior colleges, total scholarships also increased from 1.1029 trillion won to 1.3456 trillion won over the same period, easing the financial burden on students’ households.
The impact of expanded scholarships is most clearly seen in the tuition coverage rate. As of 2023, scholarships at general universities covered 56.6% of total tuition. This is about 15 percentage points higher than in 2012, when the National Scholarship was first introduced and the rate stood at 41.6%. Junior colleges showed an even higher coverage rate of 75.1%. Among them, public junior colleges recorded a coverage rate of 96.9%, meaning students there are effectively receiving an education that is close to tuition-free.
The changing nature of scholarships is also noteworthy. The paradigm has shifted from merit-based awards focused on grades to a model centered on universal educational welfare. At general universities, the share of merit-based internal scholarships fell sharply from 51.5% in 2012 to 32.7% in 2023. In contrast, the share of need-based welfare scholarships for low-income students rose from 31.9% to 50.4%, surpassing half of all internal scholarships. In effect, scholarships are serving as a last line of defense that prevents students from abandoning their studies due to financial hardship.
Student feedback supports this shift. In a survey of National Scholarship recipients, the item "reduction of tuition burden" received the highest score at 3.99 out of 5. This was followed by "improved concentration on studies," which scored 3.80. These results indicate that scholarships are not just financial assistance but also provide real momentum for academic achievement and career preparation.
Starting with this first issue, the ministry plans to release analytical reports every other week on topics closely related to people’s daily lives, such as after-school programs, college admissions, and employment. Minister of Education Choi Kyo-jin said, "Education statistics and public disclosures are not just numbers; they are information directly connected to people’s everyday lives," adding, "We will continue to interpret the meaning behind the figures so that students, parents, and anyone else can easily access them, and in doing so, we will work to deepen public understanding of education."

monarch@fnnews.com Kim Man-gi Reporter