Quick Information
| Country | South Korea |
|---|---|
| Degree Level | Bachelor's/Master's/PhD |
| Funding Type | Fully Funded |
| Scholarship Value | Full tuition (up to KRW 5,000,000 per semester) + monthly study allowance, airfare, language training and health insurance |
| Last Verified Date | November 11, 2026 |
| Official Source | https://www.studyinkorea.go.kr/en/plan/scholarship.do |
What the Global Korea Scholarship Is
The Global Korea Scholarship, known as GKS, is the Korean Government’s flagship award for international students, run by the National Institute for International Education (NIIED) under the Ministry of Education. It funds undergraduate and graduate study at Korean universities, and it is one of the most complete packages available: tuition, a monthly allowance, return airfare, a full year of Korean language training and health cover are all included. For the 2027 undergraduate round, 286 places were offered in total.
What It Covers
GKS pays full tuition up to KRW 5,000,000 per semester, with the host university covering any excess and waiving the admission fee. Scholars receive a monthly study allowance that covers living costs, accommodation, health insurance and settlement costs, plus return economy airfare and one year of Korean language training before the degree begins. Scholars who reach TOPIK Level 5 or 6 receive a monthly Korean proficiency grant, and a degree completion grant is paid at the end. What is not covered: travel inside your home country, travel insurance, and entry airfare if you were already living in Korea when selected.
Who Can Apply
GKS is open to citizens of invited countries, and the quota per country is small, so competition is intense. Quotas are set per invited country and are published in the annual call — check the official Study in Korea call for the quotas for your country. You must be a citizen of an invited country, and both you and your parents must be non-Korean citizens. The academic bar is at least 80% on a 100-point scale, or the top 20% of your class, or a CGPA of at least 2.64 out of 4.0. The age limit is under 25 for undergraduate study and under 40 for graduate study. English or Korean test scores are not strictly mandatory for the application, but they carry heavy weight in selection.
How to Apply
There are two main routes. On the Embassy Track, you apply online through the Study in Korea portal and the Korean embassy in your country screens your documents, interviews shortlisted candidates and recommends them to NIIED. On the University Track, you apply directly to your chosen Korean university. The undergraduate Embassy Track for 2027 ran from 15 to 30 September 2026 and is now closed. The graduate round for 2027 has not been announced yet and usually opens around February — the official timeline is announcement in February, application in February–March, review in April–June and results in June — so graduate applicants should watch the Study in Korea portal from early in the year.
Why GKS Appeals to Applicants
Korea’s universities are strong in engineering, technology, science and business, and the award removes the financial barrier almost entirely — including a year of language training, which means you do not need Korean before you apply. The trade-off is the small country quota and the strict document rules: attestation errors and missing pages cause immediate disqualification, so prepare documents exactly as the official guidelines require.
Official source: Study in Korea — Global Korea Scholarship (NIIED)