One of the most welcoming policy changes for KAIST students will be about the changes regarding scholarship standards. Though formulated by Onestep, the previous undergraduate student council, two major changes in student policy, grade point average (GPA) standard and excess semester grants, were put into effect this semester.

From 2011, KAIST has provided the KAIST Scholarship through the manner of returning registration fees, which cover tuition and school supporting fees, to students who have completed at least 12 credits and maintained a grade point average (GPA) of B0 (3.0 out of the 4.3 scale) in their previous semester. This GPA for the scholarship standard was an already lowered number from the previous requirement of B+ (3.3 out of 4.3), but KAIST decided to lower it even further starting 2014.

According to the Office of Student Affairs and Policy, those eligible for the scholarship under the changed standard are “students who did not receive the Presidential Science Scholarship, National Scholarship (Natural Sciences and Engineering), Type 1 Government Scholarship,  or External Scholarship and acquired at least 12 credits in the previous semester with average GPA of at least 2.7 out of 4.3; supporting fees are given regardless of grades for one year after entry.”

Furthermore, excess semester grants, which were abolished in 2011, have revived starting this semester. Students from the entering class of 2010 and above are given excess semester grants, allowing nine semesters if they have a minor and ten semesters if they have double majors. Until last semester, students from the entering class of 2011 and below had to pay all of their tuition fees if they surpassed eight semesters as undergraduates, even if their GPA was above 3.0.

Jaewon Lee, the leader of the Policy Committee, said, “We pushed ahead with the policy changes because we wanted to lighten the academic burden that many KAIST students had. We wanted to encourage the students to experience a wide range of activities and to take on many challenges at KAIST. By relaxing the scholarship standards, we believe that the students are now able to minor and double major in their fields of interest without high academic pressure.”