“YOUR DREAM will come true,” The motto of the Korea Student Aid Foundation (KOSAF), a government affiliate foundation that provides financial aid to students, shows how the organization aims to alleviate the students’ financial burdens. However, the organization’s use of outdated family-related criteria fails to realize the “dreams” of many students because it prevents many deserving students from receiving aid. The criteria are based on the assumption that families always take care of student’s financial needs. For students to have equal access to higher education, the program must recognize that some students are financially independent from their families.  

   To apply for aid from KOSAF, students must consent to have their family’s financial situation examined; the student’s income and wealth and those of their parents decide whether they are eligible to receive scholarships. The wealth of the family by no means illustrates their willingness or capability to pay for the students’ tuition. To begin with, parents who hold significant illiquid assets are wealthy on paper but may be unable to support their children. Some families own a family grave on a remote mountain. While this asset may look impressive, it is not a liquid asset that generates tangible wealth because it is not in high demand.

   While parents may want to help their children financially, sometimes there may be other pressing financial obligations to deal with. For instance, I lost my scholarship when my father came out of retirement to support my grandparent’s medical bills and other expenses, even though my family’s total disposable income did not change. I tried to make ends meet, doing part-time jobs and tutoring work, but it was just enough to cover basic living expenses. Ultimately, I had to rely on loans to cover college tuition fees. 

   Lastly, even if one’s parents are wealthy, they might not want to pay for their children’s tuition. The current policy depends on the good faith of parents who have no legal obligation to support their children past the age of 18. This entails that students have no social safety net to fall back on if their parents simply decide not to support them. 

   The situation is worsened by the fact that the only way a student can be recognized as being financially independent is if they are married. Not only is it ridiculous for an individual to say their wedding vows to prove their financial independence but also, the government’s assumption that stipulates it. In 2015, more than 70% of married couples received financial aid from parents for their wedding, and more than 70% of men received support when buying a house, a number that is increasing by the year[1]. Moreover, the changing trends in family structure ensure that fewer students will be benefiting from the scholarship. The average age of marriage rose from 24 in 1981 to 32 in 2020, with 50% of men and 40% of women in their thirties unmarried[2]. This means that majority of the student applicants are left with no measure to demonstrate financial independence when familial support is unavailable. The decision to limit the verification of financial independence to marriage indicates the government’s ignorance about the financial or social predicament that college students are placed in. All things considered, marriage is not a decision that can be made unilaterally anyway; it is unfair to expect students to make such a decision just to receive scholarships.

    Many other first-world countries have already begun to recognize that students should not always be tied to their families. In France, the government considers all adults to be part of “their own family.” In the United States, Free Application for Federal Student Aid views students as being financially independent by the age of 24. In the United Kingdom, the same age exception is applied and students can prove their financial independence through employment or benefit documents. 

   South Korea can learn from these examples. The details of the policies are different, but the underlying premise is the same—students are not just an extension of their families; students are individuals with their respective situations and needs. The sooner KOSAF recognizes this, the sooner we will be able to provide aid to those who need it the most. 

[1] Seoul Institute

[2] Statistics Korea