Opportunity Description

Korean Government offers 200  fully funded Global Korea scholarships (GKS) for international students from different countries to pursue their bachelor’s degree or Associate degree in their desired university of South Korea. The main objectives of these scholarships are to enhance international education exchange and deepen friendship between Korea and participating countries.

  • Host Country: South Korea

Eligible Countries:

Afghanistan, Angola, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Bolivia, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Dominican Republic, DR Congo, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Fiji, Gabon, Ghana, Guatemala, India, Indonesia, Iran, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Malaysia, Mexico, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Nepal, Nigeria, Pakistan, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Russia, Rwanda, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Sweden, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Trinidad and Tobago, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uganda, Ukraine, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Vietnam and Yemen.

Scholarship Period:

  • Bachelor’s Degree Program: 5~7 years
    • 1 year of Korean language training + 4~6 years of degree program
  • Associate Degree Program: 3~4 years
    • 1 year of Korean language training + 2~3 years of degree program
  • Important Notes regarding Scholarship Period
    • Applicants who submitted TOPIK level 5 or 6 will be exempt from a Korean language program
    • Those who receive TOPIK level 5 or 6 within the first 6 months of the Korean language program will be exempt from the remaining 6-month language program and must start their degree program in the following semester (September 2023)
Number of scholarships: 200
  • Embassy track: 81
    • General: 74
    • Overseas Korean: 7
  • University track: 119
    • Regional University (Natural Science and Engineering): 49
    • Associate degree: 15
    • UIC Program: 55

Benefits of KGS Scholarship:

This scholarship laureate will receive the following:

  • Flight ticket: Economy class flight ticket (actual expense)
  • Resettlement KRW 200,000
  • Monthly Allowance for living expenses KRW 900,000
  • Medical insurance: Standard amount set by NIIED
  • Language Training Fee: NIIED: 1 million KRW , University: amount that exceeds 1 million KRW
  • Tuition fee Actual cost (No more than 5 million KRW per semester)
  • Korean Language proficiency award: 100,000 KRW
  • Degree Completion Grant KRW 100,000 (Once)

Who can apply to Global Korea Scholarships?

  • All applicants must be citizens of NIIED-designated countries that have been invited to participate in the GKS program. Parents (or legal guardians) of applicants must be citizens of a country other than Korea. Applicants or their parents who have dual citizenship (both Korean citizenship and citizenship of another country) are ineligible to apply.
  • Applicants and their parents who previously held Korean citizenship must submit proof of renunciation of Korean citizenship issued by the Korean government.
  • If an applicant’s citizenship changes during the selection process, he or she will be disqualified. (This does not apply to UIC applicants.)
  • The bachelor’s degree program is designed for applicants who have graduated (or are about to graduate) from high school or an associate degree program.
  • The associate degree program is designed for applicants who have graduated (or are about to graduate) from high school.
  • Applicants with a bachelor’s degree are not eligible to apply. Applicants with an associate degree are only eligible to apply to bachelor’s programs.
  • Applicants who expect to graduate must submit a certificate of expected graduation with their application. If they pass the final round of selection, such applicants must submit a graduation certificate (or a degree certificate) by February 28, 2023. Applicants who submit their provisional graduation certificate will be considered as expected graduates.
  • You must be under the age of 25. (born after March 1, 1998)
  • For overseas travel, all applicants must be free of any grounds for disqualification (e.g., criminal history).
  • All applicants must be in good physical and mental health to study in Korea for the duration of the program.
    • If an applicant tests positive for drugs or has a serious illness that prevents him or her from studying abroad for an extended period of time, he or she will be excluded from evaluations and disqualified from the scholarship.
    • All applicants who advance to the second round of selection must submit an Official Medical Examination issued by a licensed doctor or hospital.
    • If a GKS scholar is found to have a serious illness during the final medical examination, which is arranged by NIIED after the scholar arrives in Korea, he or she will be disqualified from the program.

Required Grades:

  • The cumulative grade point average (CGPA) of the previous (degree) program’s entire curriculum must meet one of the two conditions listed below.
  • A score percentile of 80% or higher on a 100-point scale, or ranking in the top 20% of one’s class, is required.
  • The CGPA must be equal to or greater than 2.64/4.0, 2.80/4.3, 2.91/4.5, or 3.23/5.0. Previous degree program for applicants to the Associate degree program: high school program
  • Previous degree program for applicants to the Bachelor’s degree program: high school or associate degree program
  • If an applicant has a transcript that does not include CGPA information or is unable to convert his or her grades into one of the accepted GPA scales (4.0, 4.3, 4.5, 5.0, or 100 point scale), the applicant must submit additional documents issued by their respective school/university that describe the institution’s grading system.
  • Applicants who expect to graduate should calculate their most recent CGPA when applying.

Restrictions & Ineligibilities:

  • Applicants who have completed or are anticipated to complete a Korean associate degree program or a Korean high school (including international schools) are NOT eligible to submit an application.
    • A graduate of an online program organized by a Korean school or university is not eligible to apply.
    • A final-year student at a Korean high school or university is not eligible to apply.
  • A previous scholarship for a degree program from the Korean government disqualifies a candidate from applying.
    • A former (or present) GKS scholar enrolled in, have finished, or have graduated from a GKS associate degree program.
    • A former GKS scholar whose award was revoked following enrollment
    • A student who has previously received a scholarship from a Korean government organization other than NIIED for their degree program.
  • One who has previously received scholarships from the GKS Non-degree program for exchange students is eligible to apply.
  • “Cancellation of scholarship” refers to a GKS scholar leaving the program or having their scholarship forfeited while they were still receiving it.
  • (Exception) Former GKS scholars whose scholarships were forfeited because they did not complete the Korean language program with a TOPIK level of 3 or higher may be considered eligible to reapply if they submit a valid TOPIK certificate of level 5 or higher.
  • Previous GKS degree program candidates who withdrew from the course of study or were disqualified from the scholarship after being chosen as GKS scholars in the previous three years are not eligible to apply.

Duplicate Applicants:

  • Applicants who successfully completed the first round of selection for the Embassy track (including backup candidates) are not permitted to reapply through the university track.
  • Applicants for the Embassy Track may only apply to the Overseas Koreans Program or the General Program.
  • Applicants for the University Track are only permitted to submit an application to one of the Associate Degree, Regional University, or UIC programs. Each applicant must submit an application to only ONE university and department.
  • If an applicant applied to more than one track, program, or university, their applications will not be taken into consideration during the evaluation process, and the scholarship will be revoked if this is discovered later.

How to apply? 

The candidates for Embassy Track must submit their applications through their respective nations’ South Korean embassies. The embassy will choose the candidate, request that the candidate apply to a particular university, and nominate you as its GKS candidate. The NIIED will make the final decision, though.

Candidates for University Track must submit an application to the university directly. Your nomination for the 2023 GKS is made by the university, which will also forward it to the NIIED for consideration as the final decision-maker.

Required documents:

Applicants should prepare the following documents (in English / Korean languages or translated into)

  • Application form (Download & fill out)
  • Personal statement (form 2)
  • Study plan (form 3)
  • 1 letters of recommendation (Form 4)
  • (form 5) GKS Applicant Agreement
  • form 6) Personal Medical Assessment
  • Proof of citizenship (applicant and parents) and proof of family relationship
  • High school graduation Certificate (or expected graduation certificate)
  • High school transcript
  • Graduation certicate (or certificate of expected graduation) of associate
    degree program
  • Academic transcript of associate degree
  • Proof of Overseas Korean Document
  • Proof of Korean Citizenship Renunciation Document
  • Proof of Korean War Veteran’s Descendant
  • Score report of valid TOPIK (original) or English Proficiency Test (copy) Optional
  • Copy of awards and other certificates, etc. (copy) Optional
  • Applicant’s Passport (copy)

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