The Global Korea Scholarship provides all international students with the opportunity to conduct advanced studies in undergraduate and graduate programs at higher educational institutions in the Republic of Korea.

What is Global Korea Scholarship

The Global Korea Scholarship (GKS) is a fully-funded scholarship program offered by the Korean government to international students who wish to study Masters, PhD., and multiple research programs at different South Korean universities.

The GKS program is part of the Korean government’s commitment to foster strong diplomatic ties between international communities. The purpose of the program is to promote international exchanges in education and mutual friendship between countries.

The Global Korea Scholarship provides intelligent students with the opportunity to pursue their dreams while also learning about great Korea’s culture and world-class educational system.Therefore, if you wish to study or pursue higher education in Korea, this is a good opportunity for you.

In this article, we will provide you with all the information you need to know about the eligibility criteria, scholarship benefits, and application process.

Available Program Option in the Universities

• Korea Language Training: Grantees are required to take a 1-year Korean language training courses at a language institution located on-campus of the domestic universities.
• Undergraduate course: Undergraduate courses last for a period of 4 years at designated universities.
• Graduate course: The graduate courses available include Masters or Ph.D. courses at general graduate schools of Korean universities.

NOTE: Applicant who have attained a Korean language fluency score higher than level 5 in TOPIK are exempt from this requirement. Transferring of students between universities is not allowed. (e.g. Starting studies at the junior year is not allowed.)

The Benefit of Global Korea Scholarship

Global Korea Scholarships are fully funded scholarships that take care of all your academic expenses. Part of the academic expenses includes airfare, tuition fees, settlement allowance, living allowance, medical allowance, research costs, and others. Details of the Global Korea Scholarship Benefits are listed below.

• The full cost of tuition for the Korea study abroad program will be covered by the scholarship.
• Successful candidates will be given a monthly allowance of KRW 900,000. (approximately USD 800).
• You will also have the opportunity to book round-trip airfare to and from Korea.
• Selected candidates will be given a settling-in allowance of KRW 200,000 (roughly USD 180) to help with their initial costs.
• Medical insurance is paid for by the scholarship throughout the duration of the degree program.
• Those selected for the scholarship who need to sharpen their Korean language abilities will receive it.

Scholarship Qualifications

• The applicant and his or her parents must be citizens of their country of origin.
• Applicants should not hold Korean citizenship.
• Applicants should be in good health, both mentally and physically, to stay in a foreign country for a long time.
• The applicant should be under 25 years of age at the date of entrance. (Undergraduate).
• He or she should be under 40 years of age at the date of entrance. (Graduate).
• Have finished or be scheduled to finish the formal education of all elementary, middle, and high school courses by the date of arrival. (Undergraduate).
• An applicant should possess a grade point average (G.P.A.) above 80% from the last educational institution attended.
• Hold a bachelor’s degree or a master’s degree by the date of arrival. (Graduate).

NOTE: All applicants who have previously achieved in any undergraduate program, master’s program, or doctoral program in Korea should not apply for this program. However, a former or current KGSP scholar who holds an overall grade of 90% or above can reapply to this program once, either through the embassy track or the university track.

How to access the Global Korea Scholarship Award

First, the National Institute for International Education Development (NIIED) will invite the Korean Embassy in the invited country or a domestic university to recommend potential candidates.

Secondly, the recommended applicants will submit all documents related to their scholarship application to the Korean Embassy in their country of residence or the domestic university concerned.

Thirdly, the Korean Embassy or the domestic university will send the potential candidates to NIIED with the required documents.

Finally, NIIED will evaluate all potential candidates and notifies the Korean Embassy of the final selected KGSP grantees.

For more information about Global Korea Scholarship guidelines and notices, please visit the Scholarship Notice board.