The Korean Government Scholarship Program, or KGSP, is an academic scholarship funded and managed by the National Institute for International Education (NIIED), a branch of the Ministry of Education in the Republic of Korea (South Korea). NIIED runs the Global Korea Scholarship (GKS) which covers various types of support programs for academic exchanges between Republic of Korea (South Korea) and international countries. There are two types of programs, and both belong to GKS.
Global Korea Scholarship GKS 2023 is a Korean Government Scholarship Program for international students to pursue undergraduate degrees in higher education institutions in South Korea. The aim of this 2023 Global Korea Scholarship for Undergraduate Degrees is to create goodwill and strengthen the mutual friendship between Korea and participating countries. This Korean scholarship program is one of the biggest and most competitive scholarship programs in the world
The 2023 GKS undergraduate scholarship is accepting applications for bachelor’s degree programs and associate degree programs. International students from all over the globe can apply for this international scholarship program. The Korean Government provides a total of 200 scholarships to students from more than 150 countries. The 2022 GKS was previously known as the Korean Government Scholarship Program (KGSP).
Why Study in Korea? There are many reasons to study in South Korea. The main and most important reason is that the educational institutions of South Korea are among the list the world’s top institutions. Besides, Korea has a highly advanced education system, rich culture, and stunning scenery. Moreover, the systematic support programs from the government, high employment opportunities, and high quality of life are some basic attractions to come to Korea for higher studies. South Korea also provides numerous scholarships for international students to pursue their studies in Korea for free.
There are two ways to apply for KGSP 2023; Embassy Track and University Track. Through GKS Embassy Track, the Korean Government will select 200 international students for the bachelor’s degree programs. Through GKS University Track, the Korean Government will select 119 international students while though Embassy Track the Korean Government will select 81 students. Each embassy or university has a different deadline. Further details to apply for this scholarship successfully are elaborated in the following paragraphs.
Global Korea Scholarship GKS 2023 for Undergraduate Students
- Host Country: Korea
- Funded By: Korean Government
- Degree Level:
- Bachelor’s Degree
- Associate Degree
- GKS-U Duration:
- 5~7 years of Bachelor’s Degree Scholarship (Korean language program for 1 year)
- 3~4 years of Associate Degree Scholarship (Korean language program for 1 year)
- No. of KGPS Scholarships in Korea:
- 200 Undergraduate Scholarships in Korea for International Students
Global Korea Scholarship Benefits 2023
- The scholarship cover full tuition fees.
- A free return air ticket.
- Settlement Allowance will be provided, 200,000 KRW/ Php 8,251.36.
- A monthly Allowance will be provided, 900,000 KRW/ Php 37,131.12
- The scholarship will cover the fee of 1-Year Korean Language Training.
- University Admission fees waiver
- National Health Insurance will be provided.
- Korean Proficiency Grants will be provided, 100,000 KRW/ Php 4,125.68 per month
- Degree Completion Grants will be provided once, 100,000 KRW/ Php 4,125.68
Eligibility Criteria of the Global Korea Scholarship GKS 2023
- The candidate must be a citizen of Global Korea Scholarship partner countries.
- The candidate should not hold Korean citizenship or dual citizenship.
- Bachelor’s Degree Program or Associate Degree Program; The candidates must have graduated from high or are expected to graduate by February 28, 2023.
- The candidates who have an associated degree or are expected to graduate by Feb 28, 2023, can only apply for the bachelor’s degree.
- The candidates must be under 25 years of age.
- The candidates must be in good health.
- A candidate should maintain his GPA in order to sustain the scholarship.
How to Apply for Global Korea Scholarship for International Students 2022
Through Embassy Track, the candidates must apply through the Embassy of South Korea in their own countries. The embassy will select the candidate and ask the candidate to apply to some university and nominate you as its GKS candidate and will send the nomination to NIIED, but the final selection will be done by the NIIED.
Through University Track, the candidates must apply directly to the university. The university nominates you as a 2023 GKS candidate and will send your nomination to NIIED, as the final decision will be taken by the NIIED.
Required Documents for GKS Undergraduate Scholarship 2023
- GKS-U Applicant Form
- Personal Statement (Learn how to write a Personal Statement)
- Study Plan
- TWO letters of Recommendation
- GKS Applicant Agreement
- Personal Medical Assessment
- Proof of Citizenship
- Certificate of Graduation
- High school Grade Transcripts
- Proof of Age
- Proof of Overseas Korean
- Proof of Korean Citizenship Renunciation Document
- Awards and other certificates (Optional)
- Certificate of valid TOPIK score (Optional)
- Certificate of valid English Proficiency Test (Optional)
- Applicant’s Passport Copy (Optional)
- Proof of Korean War Veterans‟s Descendants (ONLY for descendants of Korean War Veterans)
Global Korea Scholarship Application Deadline
- For Embassy track criteria, candidates need to take an update from the Korean embassy in their home country, as they all have different application deadlines.
- For University track criteria, candidates need to take an update from eligible universities for GKS from the official website.
TOPIK: Test of Proficiency in Korean
The Korean government demands a certain level of English or Korean from international students because basic English or Korean skills are needed in order to have a comfortable stay in Korea. The international students required to submit his/her Test of Proficiency in Korean (TOPIK) scores to apply for a regular degree course in Korea. TOPIK aimed to providing the direction for the study of the Korean language to foreigners who don't speak Korean as their native language and evaluating their Korean language speaking ability to use the evaluation result for their study abroad and employment. If international students would like to study in Korea for a regular degree course, it is generally required to submit TOPIK Level 3 or higher accompanied by the admission documents to the corresponding college or university and reach TOPIK Level 4 or higher to graduate. However, if international students would like to apply the courses are given in English, the applicants submit the certificate of English proficiency (ie. TOEFL) and they don’t need to acquire TOPIK scores nor reach TOPIK Level 4 or higher to graduate. For exchange students, government invited students, foreign government supported students, Korean language students, art & physical education applicants, the required test scores may be alleviated; For more information, please ask your college or university. The test is held six times a year (in January, April, May, July, October and November) in Korea and the yearly test schedule is notified on the TOPIK website. The TOPIK test is divided into two test levels. TOPIK 1 (levels 1-2) is for beginners, and TOPIK II (levels 3-6) is for intermediate and advanced students. One’s level is determined based on the total number of points a test taker receives on the test. For more information about the test, please refer to the TOPIK website. (http://www.topik.go.kr)
Source: Global Korea Scholarship Notice