Korean Government Scholarship Program for International Students

Brief Description

The Korean Government Scholarship Program (KGSP) is designed for international students who wants to pursue higher education in Korean Universities. The scholarship supports Bachelor’s (4 years), Masters (2 years), and PhD  (3 years) plus 1 year Korean language course.

Host Institution(s):

Universities (or Institutes) designated by NIIED. See the KGSP guidelines (link found below) for the complete list of accredited Universities.

Fields of study:

Applicants must choose their desired fields of study from the listed programs offered by participating universities or institutes. Detailed information about the fields and majors offered by  Korean universities is found at this link.

Number of Scholarships:

Around 110 undergraduate scholarships and 345 graduate scholarships will be awarded in 2013 (based on 2012 data).

Target group:

The scholarships are targeted to students from more than 60 countries in Africa, Asia Pacific, the Americas and Europe. You can check the KGSP guidelines (link found below) to find out if your country is part of the scholarship program.

Scholarship value/inclusions:

Undergraduate Program

•  Airfare: A round-trip economy class ticket
•  Monthly Allowance: 800,000 won per month
•  Relocation (Settlement) Allowance: 200,000 won upon arrival
•  Repatriation Allowance: 100,000 won upon completion of studies
•  Language Training Fee : The full costs up to 1 year
•  Tuition: The tuition fee up to 5 million won is exempted by the Korean Government, and if any, the tuition fee exceeding 5 million won and the entrance fee for the first semester by the host university
•  Medical Insurance: The grantees will be provided with health insurance for major accidents and illnesses during their scholarship period.

Graduate Program

•  Airfare: A round-trip economy class ticket
•  Monthly Allowance: 900,000 won per month
•  Relocation (Settlement) Allowance: 200,000 won upon arrival
•  Language Training Fee : The full costs up to 1 year
•  Tuition: All admission fees are waived by the host institution. The full tuition is paid by NIIED.
•  Medical Insurance: 20,000 won per month(limited insurance coverage) will be provided to the university for students.
•  Research Allowance: 210,000 won for students in human and social sciences; 240,000 won for students in natural and mechanic sciences per semester
•  Dissertation Printing Costs: 500,000 ~ 800,000 won for the costs related to a printing dissertation

Special Allowance for ALL students proficient in Korean language (TOPIK level 5 or 6): 100,000 won per month

Eligibility:

Undergraduate Program

•  Must be a citizen of the country to which the scholarship is offered, which also applies to the applicants’ parents
•  Have graduated or will be scheduled to graduate from high school as of March 1st of the invitation year
•  Must possess above 80% (out of 100%) cumulative grade point average (CGPA), or must be within the top 20% (out of 100%) in rank in high school.

Graduate Program

• The applicant and his/her parents must hold foreign citizenships.  Applicants who hold Korean citizenship are not permitted to apply for this program.

•  Applicants must be under 40 years of age as of Sep. 1st, 2012 (born after Sep. 1st, 1972).

•  Applicants must hold a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree as of September 1st of the selection year.  Applicants who have enrolled in or graduated from a university in Korea are not eligible for the KGSP program. Specifically, applicants who have previously enrolled in or graduated from an undergraduate program, a master’s program, or a doctoral program in Korea cannot apply for this program.

• Applicants must maintain a grade point average (GPA) of at least 2.64 on a 4.0 scale, 2.80 on a 4.3 scale, 2.91 on a 4.5 scale, or grades/marks/score of 80% or higher from the previously attended institution. If the applicant does not satisfy the above GPA requirements, he/she will be ineligible to apply to this program.

Application instructions:

Applicants can only apply for the scholarships through the Korean Embassy in their home country or a participating Korean University. Visit the websites of Korean Embassy/Consulate in your own country.

For Undergraduate Program, the Korean Embassy or Consulate will recommend qualified candidates to NIIED by 15 November 2013. Therefore, the application deadline should fall BEFORE this date – around September to November 2013.

For the Graduate Program, the Korean Embassy or Consulate will recommend qualified candidates to NIIED by 31 March 2014. Therefore, the application deadline should fall BEFORE this date – around January to March 2014.

It is important to  visit the official website (link found below) to access the latest KGSP guidelines and for detailed information on how to apply for this scholarship.

Website:

Official Scholarship Website: http://www.niied.go.kr/eng/contents.do?contentsNo=78&menuNo=349