Autumn semester tuition invoices are going out. If you missed the first application window for the national scholarship, this is the last one: for the 2026 autumn semester, the second round closes at 6pm on 9 September. There is a complication for continuing students, though. The phrase "twice while enrolled" appears in two separate places — once for applying late, and once for falling short on grades. They are different provisions that happen to share a number, which is why students assume that using up one has cancelled the other. Here are the deadlines and the criteria, in order.

There is more than one deadline

The schedule published by the Korea Student Aid Foundation for the second round of the 2026 autumn semester runs as follows.

Pressing submit is not the end of it. The income bracket is only calculated once household consent and document submission are complete, and until then the assessment cannot proceed. Every year, students apply and then lose out because a parent never completed consent. Write down both dates: 9 September and 16 September.

Continuing students are supposed to apply in the first round

This principle is not widely known. New entrants, transfer students and readmitted students may apply in the second round, but continuing students are expected to apply in the first. When a continuing student applies in the second round it is processed as a "relief application," and that relief is applied automatically only twice while enrolled.

Apply late a third time and you receive nothing for that semester. No separate paperwork is needed and the relief is granted automatically, but the count accumulates — so putting it off on the assumption that the second round will always be there leaves you without a card to play when it matters.

The "twice" in the C-grade warning rule is a different thing

There is a second "twice" on the academic side. The grade requirement for Type I of the national scholarship is at least 12 credits completed in the immediately preceding semester and a grade of at least 80 out of 100 (a B average). Falling below that, students who still reach 70 out of 100 (a C average) can be funded if they are in student aid brackets 1 to 3 — and that allowance, the "C-grade warning rule," is recognised twice while enrolled.

So the two allowances are counted separately: the two for applying late, and the two for missing the grade bar. Exhausting one does not remove the other, and having one left over does not let you borrow against the other.

When the grade requirement does not apply

• New entrants, transfer students and readmitted students are exempt from the grade and credit requirements for their first semester only.
• Basic livelihood security recipients and the near-poor need 70 out of 100 (a C average).
• Students with disabilities are exempt from the grade and credit requirements.
• Care leavers are also exempt from the grade requirement.

Individual circumstances — whether summer session credits count towards the preceding semester, or which semester counts as "preceding" after a leave of absence — are best confirmed with your university's scholarship office and the Foundation's helpline (1599-2000).

How much each bracket receives

Annual support under Type I varies by student aid bracket.

Eligibility runs to bracket 9 and below. At bracket 10, Type I pays nothing. That said, universities are attaching notices this autumn semester about a temporary increase to the bracket 9 amount, so if you land in bracket 9, check the Foundation's announcement for the figure that applies this semester. The amounts above are annual and are in practice disbursed by semester.

The bracket is not your parents' salary

The student aid bracket is set by the household's recognised income, not by a salary ranking. Assets are converted and added to income before debts and other items are deducted, so a household with modest earnings can still land in a higher bracket because of property. The calculation is set out in the piece on recognised income for the national scholarship.

This is also why household member consent is mandatory. The financial and asset information of a parent or spouse has to be checked before the calculation can close. A student cannot click through consent on someone else's behalf; each person has to do it with their own authentication.

Where it commonly goes wrong

• Apply even if tuition is already paid. Successful applicants are reimbursed through the university, so payment does not affect eligibility.
• Apply even if you plan to transfer. If you never applied at all, there is no way to undo it later.
• Have your own authentication ready in advance. Students repeatedly miss the deadline because a certificate or simple authentication fails at the last minute.
• If tuition is less than the award, you receive only that much. The figures in the table are ceilings, not guaranteed payments.

If you are planning to cover the shortfall with a loan, start with the difference between standard and income-contingent repayment, and for when repayment actually begins after graduation see the repayment threshold for income-contingent student loans.

In order

First, if you are a continuing student, note that this is one of only two relief applications you get while enrolled. Second, finish the application by 6pm on 9 September. Third, complete household consent and document submission by 6pm on 16 September. Fourth, check whether you met the 12-credit and 80-point bar for the preceding semester, and if not, whether either of your two C-grade allowances remains. Fifth, confirm the outcome and disbursement timing with your university's scholarship office.

This article summarises the Korea Student Aid Foundation's announcement for the second round of the 2026 autumn semester and the Government24 guidance on national scholarship Type I (verified August 2026). Bracket amounts, grade requirements and relief counts can change by academic year and semester, and universities add their own guidance. Confirm your own eligibility and likely award with the Foundation (www.kosaf.go.kr, 1599-2000) and your university's scholarship office.