Formerly known as KGSP, the Global Korea Scholarship (GKS) is South Korea's flagship soft-power initiative, equivalent to Japan's MEXT or the US Fulbright. It is a wildly competitive, fully funded pipeline designed to bring top international talent to Korean universities, teach them Korean, and integrate them into the Korean workforce.
Quick Overview
Full Requirements & Details
Academic Requirements
- Min. CGPA
- 3.2
- Offer Degrees
- Bachelors, Masters, PhD
- Subjects
- Agriculture, Arts, Biology, Business, Chemistry, Computer Science, Economics, Engineering, History, Law, Mathematics, Medicine, Physics, Psychology
- Seats Available
- Thousands annually
- Study Gap Allowed
- No Restrictions (Gap Allowed)
- Research Publication
- Optional
- Work Experience
- No
- Age Range
- No Min - 40
Language Requirements
- IELTS
- Optional
- TOEFL
- Optional
- GRE
- Not Required
- Local Language
- Korean
- Local Lang Test
- Optional (TOPIK 3 (Bonus points))
- Study Languages
- Korean, English
Financial Details
- Type
- Full
- Fund Details
- Full tuition, 1 year Korean language training, monthly stipend (KRW 900,000 - 1,000,000), flights, medical, and settlement allowance.
- Monthly Stipend
- KRW 1000000/mo
- Tuition
- Full
- Living Costs
- Full
- Travel & Health
- Yes / None
- Application Fee
- Free (No Application Fee)
- Spouse Allowed
- No
What Matters Most
Required Documents
Why You Should Apply
The financial package is staggering. You get round-trip flights, a settlement allowance, 100% tuition coverage, and a monthly stipend of roughly 1,000,000 KRW for graduate students (900,000 KRW for undergrads). The most unique aspect is the mandatory fully-funded year of intensive Korean language training before your degree starts.
If you want to master Korean and earn a free degree simultaneously, there is no better scholarship on earth.
Application Process
You must choose between two tracks: The 'Embassy Track' (apply via the Korean embassy in your home country, allowing you to select three universities) or the 'University Track' (apply directly to one specific Korean university). You cannot apply to both in the same year. Your documents must be heavily authenticated (apostilled or consular legalized).
How to Win This Scholarship
The strategy depends entirely on your track. Embassy Track is essentially a national competition; you are competing against every other applicant in your country for a tiny quota. If you are from a highly competitive country (like India, Indonesia, or the Philippines) and do not have a 3.9 GPA, avoid the Embassy Track.
Use the University Track and target a 'regional' (Type B) university outside of Seoul. The Korean government heavily incentivizes placing students in regional cities (like Busan or Daegu) to combat population decline. Applying to a regional university via the University Track dramatically lowers the competition compared to fighting for a spot at SKY (Seoul National, Korea, Yonsei) via the embassy.
Benefits After Completing Study
Graduating with a TOPIK level 5 or 6 makes you incredibly employable in South Korea's tech, manufacturing, and entertainment sectors, and the visa transition to a work visa is streamlined for GKS alumni.
You MUST pass TOPIK level 3 after your year of language training, or your degree funding will be canceled. The bureaucracy regarding document legalization is brutal and expensive; start preparing your apostilled documents two months before the application opens.
Official Source
For complete details and to verify all requirements, please refer to the scholarship provider's official website.
Visit Official Source