올 대학생 3명중 1명 ‘반값등록금’

The pool of students eligible for a so-called "half-tuition" scholarship program here in the nation will be expanded.
Some twenty-five thousand more from middle-class families will benefit from the new criteria.
According to our Kim Da-mi, around a third of all college students should be able to receive government scholarships this year.
According to its "2019 State Scholarship Management" plan announced on Thursday,... Korea's education ministry will now hand out scholarships to one out of three private university students.
A total of six-hundred-and-ninety thousand students will be eligible to receive scholarships this year,... twenty-five thousand more compared to 2018.
State scholarships here in South Korea are offered to students from low-to-middle income families with an average grade of over 80.
Based on the country’s 11 income brackets, the scholarship amount varies by each tier,... with students from the lowest eight qualifying for tuition subsidies.
The ministry's latest plan will grant more scholarships to a larger segment of the country's middle class.
For instance, students whose household income is 120 to 130 percent of the median income received around 1,200 dollars in scholarships last year. Starting this year, they are eligible for 3,600 dollars under the new and expanded criteria.
This year’s state scholarship budget has been set at roughly 3.2 billion US dollars, down just over 70 million dollars from last year. However, amid a decline in the overall number of students, scholarship funding for enrolled students will not be affected.
Kim Da-mi, Arirang News.