Sogang University has created a scholarship program covering full tuition for up to eight semesters for students from refugee backgrounds, drawing online debate over fairness toward domestic college applicants.
According to the university's admissions guidelines for its foreign refugee track for the March 2027 academic year, released on the 25th, applicants must be foreign nationals who have been recognized as refugees or granted humanitarian stay permits under South Korea's Refugee Act.
Applicants may choose from 23 departments, with no cap on the number admitted. Selection is based entirely on documents, including high school transcripts and language proficiency certificates, rather than scores on the College Scholastic Ability Test, the national college entrance exam.
The scholarship benefits have drawn the most attention. Two students chosen from among those admitted can receive full tuition for up to eight semesters, provided they maintain a certain grade standard.
The program follows an agreement on supporting higher education for students from refugee backgrounds that Sogang University signed with the Ministry of Justice in June.
Under the agreement, the two institutions will select two students from refugee backgrounds each year and provide support ranging from Korean language instruction before enrollment to scholarships during their studies and help with employment or starting a business after graduation.
Online, some have questioned whether the arrangement is fair to domestic applicants, arguing that the admissions route and scholarship benefits are overly favorable compared with what students preparing for the national entrance exam face.
The program, for its part, was launched to give students from refugee backgrounds access to higher education and to help them settle in South Korea.
Sogang University has operated a refugee admissions track before. Two students were selected through the track last year and are currently enrolled.