Reduced-interest loans that come from and are guaranteed by the government. Qualifying borrowers, on certain conditions, may be eligible for interest relief offered by the government. For undergraduate and graduate students of any grade level*, from households of any income level. Loan applicants must be enrolled for undergraduate study in a post secondary institution in Korea. Students do not qualify for this loan program if they are in a continuing education program through an academic credit bank system or a school outside of Korea.
Satisfactory academic performance is part of the eligibility criteria. Loans are subject to credit approval. Loan must be used for tuition, qualifying school fees, and other specific education-related costs, including living expenses during study. Loan payments may not exceed the student’s financial need. Depending on the type of school (i.e. undergraduate, graduate), the upper limit on the amount borrowed ranges from KRW 40 million to KRW 90 million.
If applying loan towards both tuition/school fees and in-study living expenses, the lower limit is KRW 600,000 (at least KRW 100,000 for tuition/school fees plus at least KRW 500,000 for living expenses). The repayment system offers a borrower grace period of 10 years or less during which payments only need to be made towards the interest on the loan.
This maximum period of time is determined by the borrower’s year in school and the remaining number of years within the standard period of the borrower’s program. After the grace period, the borrower is given up to 10 years in which to repay the loan principal amount and interest. The repayment period is dependent upon the borrower.
