The Global Korea Scholarship is offered by the Korean government to students from all over the world who want to study in Korean institutes of higher learning. The program aims to provide foreign exchange students with meaningful experiences regarding Korean culture and education and to strengthen the global competence of Korean universities. Any international student with academic merit is eligible to apply for this scholarship program.

Global Korea Scholarship

Course level: Undergraduate student exchange

Fields of study: Any program being offered at eligible Korean institutes of higher education

Scholarship period: 4 months (one term) or 10 months (two terms)

Institution and country: South Korea’s National Institute for International Education (NIIED) selects the universities for the program. While the selected universities recommend talented exchange students to NIIED.

Sponsor: South Korean government

Number of awards: Approximately 200 students annually

Scholarship inclusions:

  • Tuition and course fees
  • Living expenses of 500,000 KRW / per month
  • Settlement allowance of 200,000 KRW awarded upon arrival in South Korea
  • Medical insurance of 20,000 KRW / per month
  • Roundtrip airfare (reimbursement within the set amount)

Eligibility criteria for the Global Korea Scholarship:

  • Must hold foreign citizenship (dual citizenship holder—those holding both Korean citizenship and another nationality cannot apply).
  • Must not have enrolled in a Korean university prior to the exchange program (those who have already benefited from a 4-month or one-term scholarship cannot extend or renew their terms).
  • Must have completed at least two semesters in their home university
  • Must register for regular courses at the host university (language courses are not considered regular courses)
  • Must not have been sponsored by the Korean government before
  • Must choose only one host university
  • Must take a Korean language or culture class (at least one class/ two credits)

Application period: December for Spring semester, June for Fall semester

How to apply for the Global Korea Scholarship: 

The NIIED informs each participating university of the number of students the university can nominate. The universities will then select candidates who will be offered a chance to apply. Selected candidates should submit their exchange application packets before the Spring semester or Fall semester application deadlines of the respective Korean universities for screening. The university screens the applicants through internal evaluation, selects the final nominees, and sends the final nominee list to NIIED. Finally, NIIED evaluates and informs the university of the final recipients’ list.

Other useful links:

Global Korea Scholarship (GKS) for Exchange Students