The fee you pay to apply to a university is tens of thousands of won per application, and with six early-admission applications and three regular-admission applications it adds up. Yet who can have the fee waived and when the money left over after the process must be paid back are both set by law and rarely known. This article is based on Article 34-4 of the Higher Education Act and Article 42-3 of its Enforcement Decree, checked on the National Law Information Center on 19 October 2026, and covers only what students and parents should know before they start applying.

A university may charge a fee, and the university sets the amount

Article 34-4, paragraph 1 of the Higher Education Act says the head of a university may charge an admission screening fee to people who apply.
Paragraph 2 says the university sets the amount in light of the previous year's screening income and spending and the ratio of applicants to places, and the items and calculation method are set by a Ministry of Education ordinance.
So the amount differs by university and by track even in the same year, and there is no single national figure.

Who can be waived is set by Article 42-3, paragraph 1 of the Decree

Under Article 42-3, paragraph 1 of the Enforcement Decree, the head of a university may waive or reduce the fee for three groups.

• A person eligible for national patriotism and veterans' benefits under Article 3, item 2 of the Framework Act on Veterans' Affairs
• A "recipient" under Article 2, item 2 of the National Basic Living Security Act
• Anyone else, such as a person in financial difficulty, whom the university head recognises as needing a waiver or reduction

Article 2 of the National Basic Living Security Act separates a recipient, defined as "a person who receives benefits under this Act", from a person with entitlement, defined as "a person qualified to receive benefits".
The Decree uses the word recipient, so someone who is qualified but is not actually receiving benefits may not be covered directly. In that case, ask the university whether you fall under the third group.

The law says "may", not "must"

This is the point people misread most. The text is "may waive or reduce", not "must waive".
Whether to waive, whether in full or in part, and which tracks it applies to are decided by each university in its admission guidelines.
Some universities also include people in the next-lowest income band or single-parent family support recipients, but the Decree does not name them. They are covered only where the university recognises them under the third group. Check the guidelines of each university you apply to for who qualifies and which documents are needed.

Check the documents before you apply

How a waiver or reduction is given, and the proof required, differs by university.
Some ask you to select the waiver category at the payment step and upload documents. Others have you pay the standard amount first and apply for a refund within the application period.
Either way, the proof must be ready before the deadline, so allow time to obtain a certificate of benefit receipt or a document confirming veterans' status.
How payment works on the application agency sites is set out in how early-admission applications are filed.

The documents must also be truthful. Forged or altered documents can lead to cancellation of admission even after an offer, which is covered in the article on grounds for cancelling admission.

There are five cases where you get money back if you could not sit the screening

Under Article 34-4, paragraph 4 of the Act, Article 42-3, paragraph 2 of the Decree sets the grounds and amounts as follows.

• Overpayment by mistake: the amount overpaid
• The applicant could not attend because of the university's fault: the full fee
• The applicant could not attend because of a natural disaster: the full fee
• The applicant could not attend because of illness or an accident requiring hospital admission, or because of the applicant's own death: the full fee (only if it can be proved)
• The applicant was rejected before the final stage of a multi-stage screening: the part of the fee that covers the stages not taken

The last item means that in a track with stages, such as a document review followed by an interview, an applicant who fails the document review gets back the part that covers the interview.
Simply changing your mind and not going is not on this list.

The balance left after the screening must also be paid back

Article 34-4, paragraph 5 of the Act and Article 42-3, paragraph 3 of the Decree require the university, after the screening ends, to return the balance of screening income minus spending to the applicants.
The deadline is 30 April of the relevant academic year, and the balance is returned in proportion to the fee each applicant paid.
For the 2027 academic year the deadline is 30 April 2027. It is worth checking whether the admissions office posts a notice by then.

The refund method and charges are also in the law

Article 42-3, paragraph 4 of the Decree requires the university to offer at least two refund methods, and these must include a visit to the school and a transfer to a bank account the applicant names.
If you choose a bank transfer, the cost of using the banking network can be deducted, and if that cost is equal to or more than the amount to be returned, the university may choose not to return it.
Paragraph 7 requires the university to state these matters specifically on the application form, so the notice on the application screen is the standard to follow. Keep in mind that a small balance may not reach you because of the transfer cost.

The order to follow before you apply

1) Check the fee, the waiver or reduction groups and the required documents in the guidelines of each candidate university. 2) If you qualify, prepare the documents before the application deadline and see whether payment works by choosing a waiver or by applying for a refund. 3) Decide how many applications to make first using the limit of six early and three regular applications, then pay. 4) If something stops you sitting the screening, gather proof of the reason and apply as the university instructs. 5) After the screening, check the balance refund notice before 30 April.
For dates after the CSAT, continue with the calendar from the exam to regular-admission results.
The sources are Article 34-4 of the Higher Education Act, Article 42-3 of its Enforcement Decree and Article 2 of the National Basic Living Security Act, checked on 19 October 2026. Each university's guidelines are the final standard for who is waived and how, and this article does not replace legal advice.