Korea University will abolish scholarships for honor students in 2016. However, there are some differing views about the abolition of the scholarships.




In Korea University, scholarships for honor students will disappear from 2016. Kora University President Yum Jae-ho said he will remove scholarships for honor students and extend scholarships for low-income students. I support Korea University's decision.

First, scholarships for honor students can reduce equal opportunities in education. According to the Higher Education in Korea Website, in the Seoul area, the average school fee is about 6.9 million won a year. Some students lack money, so they need to have a part-time job. Scholarships are very important to low-income students. If they don't get a scholarship, they may have to quit studying. On the other hand, high-income students can study without a scholarship. Universities have to give equal opportunities to students in education. That's why we have to remove scholarships for honor students and make new scholarships for low-income students.

Second, Ivy League schools in the United States don't have scholarships for honor students. There, scholarships are for people in need, Ewha Women's University has already reduced scholarships for honor students and made new scholarships for its students. Students plan their future and submit this to the university. The university selects students who have a motivated future plan. Like Ivy League schools and Ewha Women's University, we should support lower-income students.

Scholarships must not be merit-based but need-based financial aid. Universities should make equal educational opportunities so that students can study without worrying about money.

●Opinion from the readers

Kwon Ji-yeon (Department of English Language and Literature, Yeungnam University)

Poor students don't have enough time to study, so I think we should relieve their burden by exempting school fees.

Severine Febvet (Department of Game Mobile Contents, France)

I think scholarships for honor students should be removed. Some students can't study continuously just because of the money. It is really important for students to receive equal opportunities in education.




Recently, Korea University announced the abolition of scholarships for honor students. Yeom Jae-ho, the president of Korea University, said he will abolish the scholarships and increase scholarships for lower-income students. However, I am against the abolition for two reasons.

First, distributing scholarships according to income is a problem. If scholarships for honor students are abolished, some students can’t apply for other scholarships due to their household income. There are some scholarships for lower-income students such as governmental scholarships. However, there aren’t any scholarships for middle class students. It can cause reverse discrimination according to income. For example, the Korea Student Aid Foundation (KOSAF) was established in 2009. It provides many scholarships for lower-income students such as working scholarships, governmental scholarships and student loans. In this way, lower-income students are already getting government scholarships, but other students don’t get any governmental support.

Next, universities are places that educate students. They provide some rewards to students who have outstanding accomplishments. If a student gets the scholarship for honor students, he or she will study harder than before. It can be a motivation to students to get a better accomplishment. By giving the scholarship to outstanding students, universities can produce many talented students. Also, they can attract new superior freshmen. Therefore, scholarships should be not only “need-based” but also “merit-based”.
If we abolish scholarships for honor students, students who get good grades in exams or middle class students can get bad effects. We should not abolish scholarships for honor students.

●Opinion from Readers
Tiara Z. Washington (Berea College, U.S.A.)

Without grade scholarships, some students are discouraged from attending university, which means that abolishing the scholarships abolishes their drive to continue forward towards success. Through the scholarships, many students can continue with their education without the worry of drowning in debt and having to rely on their parents for funds. If a student is rewarded every time they experience success such as outstanding grades, they’re more likely to try harder. The advantages that grade scholarships provide are immeasurable and their abolishment would be detrimental to the student body, the university, and future society as well.

Jang Eun-seok (Department of Computer Engineering)

In Europe, university tuition is almost free due to welfare policies. However, in Korea, we need to pay high tuition to attend university. Most families try hard to pay university tuition except for a few rich families. Scholarships for honor students are a good policy to reduce tuition. However, few people get the scholarships. I think it is not loss to universities, because the majority of people pay too much money to attend university. Therefore, if I were the president of a university, I wouldn’t abolish these scholarships.