The scholarship system in Korea for international students is divided into three main categories. There are government scholarships, school scholarships, and other scholarships (such as business-provided scholarships).

1. Korean Government Scholarship

There are four main types of government scholarships (Global Korea Scholarship, Korean Government Support Program for Foreign Exchange Students, Support Program for Self-financed Students, Korea-Japan Joint Higher Education Student Exchange Program). This time, we would like to explain the Global Korea Scholarship, which is the largest scholarship system among them.

1) 정부초청 장학제도 Global Korea Scholarship

There are three recruitment areas for the Global Korea Scholarship. There are a scholarship for undergraduate, Master’s or Ph.D. courses at general graduate schools of Korean universities respectively. The number of participants for this scholarship system is 220 for undergraduate programs and 1080 for graduate programs.

Eligibility

Eligibility to apply is a very important factor in applying for the scholarship. The qualifications for undergraduate programs are as follows.

  • both an applicant and his/her parents must be citizens of their country of origin. ※ Applicants should not hold Korean citizenship.
  • Applicants should have adequate health, both mentally and physically, to stay in a foreign country for a long time.
  • Possess a grade point average (G.P.A.) above 80% from the last educational institution attended.
  • Applicants who have previously acheived in any undergraduate program, master’s program, or doctoral program in Korea cannot apply for this program. ※ However, a Former or current KGSP scholar who hold the overall grade of 90% or above and have attained TOPIK level 5 or higher can reapply to this program once either through the embassy or university track.
  • Should be under 25 years of age at the date of entrance.
  • Have finished or be scheduled to finish formal education of all elementary, middle, high school courses by the date of arrival.

Scholarship benefits

Details of scholarship benefits are as follows:

KGSP benefits Source: Study In Korea

Recruitment process

The recruitment process is as follows.

KGSP recruitment process Source: Study In Korea

2. 우수자비유학생 지원 Support Program for Self-financed Students

Support Program for Self-financed Students is for 250 students, and supports living expenses of less than 5 million won.

Application announcement

Announcement of recruitment of scholarship students at the end of January every year (notice on website)

Selection criteria

  • International self-funded students enrolled in the second year or higher of regular undergraduate courses at domestic universities (including junior colleges) based on the year of application
  • Average score of 80 or higher out of 100 during the entire enrollment period
  • Average of 80 points or more out of 100 points in the previous semester
  • Test of Proficiency in Korean (TOPIK) Level 4 or higher
  • Cannot receive duplicate scholarships with similar scholarships

Application procedure

Join as a member on Study in Korea portal -> Online application -> Print application form -> Submit application form to the university -> University recommends candidates -> Evaluate/select scholars from NIIED

This section is referred to the contents of the Study in Korea) website.

2. SNU Scholarships

SNU also has a scholarship system that students can apply for. Among them, there are international student scholarships for international students only.

SNU Scholarships

3. Private Sector Scholarship

There are various types of external scholarships by grade level and department.

In particular, scholarships that provide tuition and living expenses are supported by various scholarship foundations, so we recommend that you visit the website where the scholarship foundations are organized.

Examples of external scholarships that foreign students can receive include the Samsung Foundation’s Global Hope Scholarship and Hyundai Motor Company Chung Mong-Koo Global Scholarship. You can also refer this video down below for more information!

We hope you find this article helpful. Please leave any comments down below if you have any questions about scholarship for international students!