Most parents assume every recipient of Korea's National Scholarship gets the same amount under the same rule. In practice, Type I (Student Direct Support) and the Multi-Child National Scholarship run on different funding logic and payout rules. Starting in the 2026 academic year, a third or later child in a household with three or more children can receive full tuition as long as the household falls in income bracket 8 or below. Here is how the two programs differ, bracket by bracket, so you can tell which one applies to your family.

Who Gets Type I, and How Much

Type I is open to Korean nationals enrolled at a domestic university whose household falls in income bracket 9 or below for tuition support. It is based purely on income, not on birth order or number of siblings, so in practice most enrolled students qualify to apply. What varies sharply is how much actually lands in the bank, depending on the bracket.

Income Bracket Decides the Amount -- From KRW 6 Million Down to KRW 1 Million

For the 2026 academic year, the annual support amount is full tuition for basic livelihood recipients and near-poverty households, KRW 6 million a year for brackets 1-3, KRW 4.4 million for brackets 4-6, KRW 3.6 million for brackets 7-8, and KRW 1 million for bracket 9. Because the program pays up to a fixed ceiling rather than full tuition, students in programs that cost more than the ceiling still have to cover the difference themselves.

The GPA Requirement Matters Just As Much

Every semester, some students who focus only on the amount get disqualified because they miss the grade requirement. You need at least 12 completed credits the previous semester and a GPA of 80/100 (a B) or higher; that threshold drops to 70/100 (a C) for basic livelihood and near-poverty recipients. Students in brackets 1-3 get up to two 'C-grade warnings' before losing eligibility, so one rough semester will not disqualify them outright. New and transfer students are exempt from the GPA rule for their first semester, and students with disabilities are exempt from the GPA rule altogether. For deadlines and how the reapplication process works, see the second-round application deadline and reinstatement rules.

Why the Multi-Child Scholarship Pays Differently

The Multi-Child National Scholarship is run separately from Type I. It covers unmarried university students (age 39 or under at admission) who are members of a household with three or more children, up to income bracket 9. Within the same multi-child household, the payout structure splits entirely by birth order. A first or second child receives roughly the same bracket-based fixed amount as Type I, plus a small top-up, while a third or later child gets full tuition outright. For example, in brackets 1-3, the standard Type I amount is KRW 6 million, but a first or second child from a multi-child household receives KRW 6.1 million -- KRW 100,000 more.

A Third Child Gets Full Tuition Starting 2026

The biggest change applies to third or later children. Previously, only third-or-later children from basic livelihood or near-poverty households received full tuition. Starting in the 2026 academic year, that coverage expands to every third-or-later child in a multi-child household in income bracket 8 or below. As long as the household is in bracket 8 or lower, the program pays full tuition without applying a fixed ceiling -- so households with three or more children should re-check the Type I payout table.

Bracket 9 Multi-Child Families Also Got a Raise

Third-or-later children in bracket 9 -- one step above the full-tuition cutoff -- do not get full tuition, but their support amount also went up. It rose from KRW 1.35 million to KRW 2 million a year starting in 2026. That is double the standard Type I bracket-9 amount of KRW 1 million, paid separately to third-or-later children in multi-child households. Since some families end up covering tuition with a student loan and repaying it later, it is worth checking the income-contingent loan (ICL) repayment threshold as well.

Missing the Application Window Means Missing the Money

The first-round application for the 2026 academic year's spring semester runs from 9 a.m. on Thursday, November 20, 2025, through 6 p.m. on Friday, December 26, 2025, and document submission plus household-member consent must be completed by 6 p.m. on Friday, January 2, 2026. Continuing students are required to apply in the first round, so missing this window can mean waiting until the second semester. The legal basis is Article 28 of the Framework Act on Education and Article 3 of the National Scholarship Program Operating Regulations. If you want to cut tuition costs beyond the scholarship itself, it is worth considering the national work-study scholarship, which pays students for part-time work. To revisit how the income assessment itself is calculated, see what matters more than the amount in the National Scholarship.

Step-by-Step Summary

1. Check whether your household has three or more children. 2. If it does, check the applicant's birth order -- a first or second child gets a bracket-based amount plus a small top-up, while a third or later child gets full tuition in bracket 8 or below. 3. If your household is not multi-child, use the standard Type I bracket table (KRW 6 million down to KRW 1 million). 4. Confirm you meet the 12-credit, 80-point GPA requirement, or check whether you qualify for a new-student exemption. 5. Apply during the first-round window (November 20 - December 26) through the Korea Student Aid Foundation website. Because bracket calculations and required documents can shift each semester, it is safest to re-check the Foundation's official notice before applying.