Korea Student Aid Foundation

What Korea Student Aid Foundation does

Korea Student Aid Foundation (한국장학재단) is a government-affiliated foundation (기금법인) established under the Korea Student Aid Foundation Act and operating under the supervision of South Korea's Ministry of Education, headquartered in Daegu. The organization administers the country's primary national scholarship and student loan programs, serving Korean university students across 4-year universities, 2-year colleges, polytechnics, cyber universities, and graduate schools. Its core offerings include income-linked national scholarships organized by a 10-tier eligibility system (reforming to 5 tiers in 2027), work-study scholarships, presidential science scholarships, SME employment-linked scholarships, housing stability scholarships, and student loans with income-contingent repayment options. The foundation also operates dormitory and knowledge-mentoring programs.

The technology platform is a unified digital service stack anchored by the kosaf.go.kr online portal, a mobile application, and the 1599-2000 call center with 24/7 "희망봇" chatbot support. Eligibility assessment is enabled by real-time integration with the government's Social Security Information System (사회보장정보시스템) for income and asset verification. The mobile application includes a GPS-based attendance verification feature for work-study students. The platform processed 1,160,937 applicants in the 2026 2nd-semester national scholarship cycle alone.

The business model is not commercial revenue-driven; KOSAF is funded by national tax revenues and government budget appropriations, with scholarship and loan programs free to recipients (student loans carry publicly disclosed, below-market interest rates). A supplementary "Blue Lighthouse" (푸른등대) donation channel allows individuals and corporations to contribute to scholarship funds. Go-to-market is direct-to-student via digital self-service, supplemented by partnerships with hundreds of domestic universities, government entities (Ministry of Education, Ministry of Health and Welfare, National Tax Service), and SMEs participating in employment-linked programs.

Name

Korea Student Aid Foundation

Legal name

Korea Student Aid Foundation (한국장학재단)

Website

https://kosaf.go.kr

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Korea Student Aid Foundation (한국장학재단) is a government-affiliated foundation under South Korea's Ministry of Education that administers national scholarships, income-contingent student loans, work-study programs, and housing support for Korean university students, operating a unified online portal, mobile app, and call center that processed over 1.16 million applicants in a single 2026 semester.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Student Financial Aid Services

NAICS

Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Educational Services (611)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Scholarship & Fellowship Foundations and Trusts (EDADAHAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Education Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAK), Scholarships, Grants & Education Benefits Administration (Financing-adjacent) (FSAKAEAM), Degree-Level Scholarships (Undergrad/Masters/PhD/Postdoc) (EDAIAOAE)

Keywords

• Student financial aid
• Scholarship programs
• Student loan servicing
• Higher education funding
• Government foundation grants

Headquarters

HQ city

Daegu

HQ country

South Korea

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Government Budget Operations: The foundation operates primarily through national budget allocations from the Korean government. National scholarships and student loans are funded by tax revenues. The foundation also manages the 'Purpled lighthouse' (푸른등대) donation program where individuals and corporations can contribute to scholarship funds.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Korea Student Aid Foundation is a government-affiliated public foundation, established under the Korea Student Aid Foundation Act and supervised by the Ministry of Education of South Korea, that administers national scholarship programs and student loan products for Korean students pursuing higher education. It also runs supporting services including a student information portal, a loan-banking platform, knowledge-mentoring programs, joint dormitories, and donation-funded scholarships.

Product overview

Korea Student Aid Foundation (한국장학재단) operates a comprehensive government scholarship and student loan ecosystem as a single unified platform rather than a modular product architecture. The core offerings include income-linked national scholarships (소득연계형 국가장학금), work-study programs (국가근로장학금), presidential science scholarships (대통령과학장학금), and student loans (학자금대출) including income-contingent repayment options. These are supplemented by specialized programs like housing stability scholarships (주거안정장학금), SME employment-linked scholarships (희망사다리), dormitory services (연합생활관/창업기숙사), and integrated information portals (통학로). The foundation serves students from secondary education through graduate school, providing financial aid, mentorship programs, and career support services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Income-linked National Scholarship (소득연계형 국가장학금) National scholarship administered by KOSAF in which the award amount varies with the student's household income, providing tuition support to Korean students from lower- and middle-income families.
• National Work-Study Scholarship (국가근로장학금) Scholarship program that provides eligible Korean students with on-campus or affiliated part-time work opportunities, allowing them to earn income to support their studies.
• Housing Stability Scholarship (주거안정장학금) Targeted scholarship for Korean students facing housing instability, intended to support stable living conditions while they pursue higher education.
• SME Employment-linked Scholarship (중소기업 취업연계 장학금) Scholarship awarded to Korean students who commit to employment at small and medium enterprises (SMEs) after graduation, encouraging talent flow into the SME sector.
• Presidential Science Scholarship (대통령과학장학금) Prestigious national scholarship for outstanding Korean students in science disciplines, supporting advanced study in STEM fields.
• Student Loans (학자금대출) Government-supported student loan product that provides Korean students with funding to cover tuition and living costs during higher education, with concessional terms relative to private lending.
• Income-Contingent Student Loans (취업후 상환 학자금대출) Student loan product whose repayment schedule is tied to the borrower's post-graduation income, reducing repayment burden during periods of low or no earnings.
• Loan Banking Service (학자금뱅킹) Dedicated loan-servicing platform that allows student loan borrowers to manage their KOSAF loan accounts, view balances, and handle repayment.
• Integrated Student Support Information Portal — Tonghangno (통학로) Online information portal providing Korean students with integrated access to scholarship programs, student loan information, and university data, supporting applications and information search.
• Blue Lighthouse Donation Scholarship (푸른등대 기부장학금) Donation-funded scholarship program operated by KOSAF under the Blue Lighthouse brand, enabling public donations to directly support Korean students in need.
• College Student Knowledge Mentoring (대학생 지식멘토링) Mentoring program run by KOSAF that connects Korean college students with experienced mentors, supporting academic and career development through knowledge sharing.
• Joint Dormitory (연합생활관) Joint dormitory facility operated by KOSAF to provide affordable housing for Korean college students, supporting stable living conditions alongside financial aid.
• Startup Dormitory (창업기숙사) Specialized dormitory operated by KOSAF for Korean student entrepreneurs, providing housing combined with support for startup activities.

Quantifiable outcome

• Supports over 1.1 million students per scholarship cycle with national scholarship programs
• +2 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Ministry of Education (교육부)coreOthersThe foundation operates under the supervision of Korea's Ministry of Education. The Ministry establishes policy direction for student financial support programs, and the foundation serves as the implementing organization for national scholarship programs.
• Social Security Information System (사회보장정보시스템)coreTechnology or IntegrationThe foundation integrates with the government's Social Security Information System administered by the Ministry of Health and Welfare. This system provides real-time income and asset verification data for student eligibility assessment.
• Korea University Financial Support Portal (한국장학재단)coreOthersConnected to ICL (Income-Contingent Loan) portal for tax authority reporting of student loan repayment information managed by the National Tax Service.
• Participating Universities and CollegescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartnership with hundreds of domestic universities and colleges for scholarship selection, disbursement coordination, and work-study placement administration. Includes National Universities, private institutions, polytechnics, and cyber universities.
• Small and Medium Enterprises (중소기업)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCompanies participating in Hope Ladder scholarship programs (희망사다리) that provide employment opportunities to scholarship recipients, creating a pathway for students to work and study while fulfilling post-graduation employment obligations.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Student Loans Company (UK): SLC is a UK government non-departmental public body that administers student finance for higher education, including tuition fee loans, maintenance loans, and grants. Comparable to KOSAF in its income-contingent loan model and centralized digital delivery of government student financing.
• Japan Student Services Organization (JASSO): JASSO is Japan's government-affiliated organization that administers national scholarships, student loans, and student support services. It is the closest functional peer to KOSAF, with nearly identical mandate scope including income-linked scholarships, work-study programs, and emergency student aid.
• Canada Student Financial Assistance Act / NSLSC: Canada's federal student financial assistance program is administered through the National Student Loans Service Centre (NSLSC) and provides grants and loans to post-secondary students. Directly comparable to KOSAF in needs-based grants and integrated student loan administration.
• Swedish Board of Student Finance (CSN): CSN is the Swedish government agency responsible for administering student financial aid, including grants and loans for higher education studies. Comparable to KOSAF in its integrated grant-and-loan model and statutory mandate.
• Federal Student Aid (US Department of Education): US Federal Student Aid is the largest government student aid program in the world, administering Pell Grants, federal student loans, and FAFSA-based needs assessment. Directly comparable to KOSAF in mandate, scale, and means-tested scholarship/loan administration model.
• National Scholarship Portal (India): India's National Scholarship Portal is the government of India's centralized digital platform for administering various scholarship schemes to students. Comparable to KOSAF in operating a single digital gateway for multiple government scholarship programs, though at much earlier stage of digital and program maturity.
• Australia HECS-HELP (Department of Education): Australia's HECS-HELP program is the Australian government's income-contingent higher education loan scheme, administered under the Department of Education. Directly comparable to KOSAF's income-contingent student loan model with repayment tied to post-graduation income.

Others

• College Board (CSS Profile): College Board is a US nonprofit that administers the CSS Profile, a financial aid application used by colleges to award institutional aid. Comparable to KOSAF as an education financial aid administrator, though focused on institutional rather than government aid and operating as a nonprofit rather than government agency.
• Great Lakes Higher Education Corporation: Great Lakes is a US-based student loan servicer that handles loan origination, repayment, and customer service for federal and private student loans. Comparable to KOSAF's loan banking and repayment management functions, though as a private servicer rather than government foundation.

Regional players

• Deutsches Studentenwerk (German Student Services): Deutsches Studentenwerk is the umbrella organization for German student services organizations that administer BAföG student aid and operate student dormitories, cafeterias, and counseling. Comparable to KOSAF in its combination of student financial aid administration and ancillary services like dormitories.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/KOSAF_Loan
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC
• Facebookfacebook.com/kosafdream
• Instagraminstagram.com/kosaf_official
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/korea-student-aid-foundation-kosaf-

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Korea Student Aid Foundation