[Exclusive] Low-Income Share at Korea Student Aid Foundation Dorms Falls from 61% to 26% in 8 Years; Top-Income Residents Increase More Than Fivefold

Data from the office of Han Byeongdo of the Democratic Party of Korea
University student dormitory costing about 150,000 won per month
Since 2024, residents in income brackets 9 and 10 have outnumbered low-income residents
"Move-in opportunities should go to students facing high housing costs"

The share of low-income residents at Korea Student Aid Foundation dormitories, where students can live for 150,000 won a month, has fallen from 61% to 26% in eight years. By contrast, the share of residents in the top income brackets, the 9th and 10th, has increased more than fivefold over the same period.

According to data on the “Operating Status of University Student Dormitories” submitted by the Korea Student Aid Foundation to the office of Han Byeongdo, a Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker on the National Assembly’s Education Committee, the number of low-income residents at the Goyang University Student Dormitory—including recipients of basic livelihood security benefits and students in income brackets 1 through 3—fell from 599 (60.8%) in the second semester of 2017 to 240 (25.7%) in the second semester of 2025. That represents a decline of 35.1 percentage points in eight years.

By contrast, the number of residents in income brackets 9 and 10 rose from 53 (5.4%) to 259 (27.7%) over the same period, increasing more than fivefold as a share of residents. The number of residents receiving basic livelihood security benefits also fell from 61 to 20, or to about one-third of its previous level.

The university student dormitory was built with 32.6 billion won donated by the Korea Federation of Banks and 20 banks to ease students’ housing costs. It opened in the first semester of 2017, and the monthly dormitory fee is 150,000 won. The foundation says residents pay an average of about 90,000 won out of pocket.

In 2024, for the first time since the dormitory opened, residents in income brackets 9 and 10, numbering 260 (28.0%), outnumbered low-income residents, who numbered 253 (27.3%). Last year, residents in brackets 9 and 10 also outnumbered low-income residents by 19, with 259 compared with 240.

Assemblyman Han Byeongdo said, “The Korea Student Aid Foundation should review the entire process, from applications by income bracket to selection and actual move-in, and improve its selection and support system to ensure that students facing significant housing cost burdens have sufficient opportunities to move in.”

Han Byeongdo, floor leader of the Democratic Party of Korea. Yonhap News

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.