Geumcheon-gu offers up to 300,000 won to students enrolling outside Seoul

Geumcheon-gu will again this year provide up to 300,000 won ($199) in school enrollment grants to district students entering elementary, middle or high schools outside Seoul, following a similar program last year.

The district announced Tuesday it is accepting applications for its 2026 enrollment support program for students attending schools in other cities and provinces.

Geumcheon-gu had previously offered enrollment grants only to students entering schools within Seoul, leaving those who enrolled elsewhere without support. Starting last year, the district extended the benefit to all incoming students regardless of where their school is located, ensuring equal access to education welfare.

Eligible students will receive Zeropay mobile gift vouchers — 200,000 won for elementary school students and 300,000 won for middle and high school students — which can be used to purchase school uniforms, gym clothes, textbooks and other essential learning supplies.

To qualify, applicants must be registered residents of Geumcheon-gu or foreign nationals with the district listed as their place of stay as of the application date, and must be enrolling as first-year students in the 2026 school year at a school outside Seoul.

However, students who have already received a grant of the same nature from another local government or education authority are not eligible for duplicate support.

Applications are open through Sept. 4. The district will verify residency registration and check for duplicate benefits before disbursing the grants in October.

"This program was designed so that no student living in our district is left out of support simply because they attend a school in another region," District Mayor Choi Gi-chan said. "We will continue to strengthen the public nature of education and expand tailored education welfare so that every student can benefit."

Meanwhile, the district also provides 200,000 won per student toward school trip expenses for high school students in the district — a program Geumcheon-gu introduced last year as the first among Seoul's autonomous districts to do so.