GKS scholarship: what it covers, who can apply and how selection works

GKS, the Global Korea Scholarship, is the Korean government's scholarship for international students who want a full degree in Korea. It is run by NIIED, the National Institute for International Education, and every official document is published on the Study in Korea portal. You will also see it called KGSP, the Korean Government Scholarship Program: that is the old name of the same program.

GKS is two separate competitions. GKS-U is for bachelor's and associate degrees. GKS-G is for master's and PhD degrees and research programs. Each has its own call, dates, quotas and country list.

What the scholarship pays for

GKS is a full package: flight, tuition, a year of Korean language study and a monthly allowance.

Under the 2027 undergraduate guidelines:

• Airfare: an economy ticket to Korea, at actual cost.
• Tuition: NIIED pays up to ₩5,000,000 a semester; the university covers anything above that and the admission fee.
• Korean language year: NIIED pays the university ₩5,200,000 for the year of language study.
• Monthly allowance: ₩13,560,000 a year during the language year and ₩14,400,000 a year during the degree, about ₩1,130,000 and ₩1,200,000 a month.

For graduate scholars the allowance is higher. Under the 2026 GKS-G guidelines it was ₩14,400,000 a year during the language year, ₩16,560,000 a year during a master's or PhD and ₩20,880,000 a year on the research program. Tuition is again covered up to ₩5,000,000, and the university waives the admission fee.

The allowance is all-inclusive. It already contains accommodation, health insurance, the Korean proficiency grant, the TOPIK fee, the settlement allowance on arrival and the completion grant. There are no separate payments on top: scholars pay for their dormitory and insurance out of the allowance themselves. That is why the choice between Seoul and a regional city matters more than it looks.

One condition to know before you accept: a scholar who withdraws within the first three months after enrolling must pay back everything received so far, including the flight and the allowance.

Programs and how long they last

Every GKS degree starts with a compulsory year of Korean language study, taken at the same university where you will do your degree.

• Bachelor's: one year of Korean, then four to six years of the degree.
• Associate degree: one year of Korean, then two to three years.
• Master's: one year of Korean, then two years.
• PhD: one year of Korean, then three years.
• Research program (GKS-G): six months or a year, with no Korean language year.

If you already hold TOPIK level 5 or 6, you skip the language year and go straight into the degree. If you reach level 5 or 6 in the first six months, you move to the degree a semester early.

After the language year, every scholar must hold at least TOPIK level 3 to start the degree. Some departments ask for level 4. A scholar who does not reach the required level may not be able to enter the degree program.

Who can apply

Five conditions decide eligibility before anyone looks at the quality of your application.

• Citizenship. You must be a citizen of a country invited to that particular call, and neither you nor your parents may hold Korean citizenship, dual citizenship included. The country lists differ between GKS-U and GKS-G and change every year: a country missing from the undergraduate list may well be on the graduate one.
• Age. GKS-U: under 25 on 1 March of the entry year; for 2027 that means born on or after 1 March 2002. GKS-G: under 40 on 1 September; in the 2026 call, born after 1 September 1986, with a limit of 45 for current professors from ODA recipient countries.
• Previous education. GKS-U: a finished high school, or one you will finish by the date the guidelines set (31 December 2026 for this call). GKS-G: a bachelor's degree for a master's, a master's for a PhD.
• Grades. At both levels, your cumulative average from the previous program must meet one of three conditions: 80 or more out of 100, top 20% of your class, or at least 2.64/4.0, 2.80/4.3, 2.91/4.5 or 3.23/5.0.
• No earlier Korean government degree scholarship. Former GKS degree scholars cannot apply again; exchange-student and Korean language scholarship holders can.

There is one exception to the country lists. UIC, a University Track program for science and engineering departments, is open to citizens of every country except Korea. For undergraduates from countries outside the list, it is the only way in.

Two ways to apply

GKS has two application routes, called tracks:

• Embassy Track: you apply online through Study in Korea, and the Korean embassy in your country runs the first round. You can list up to three universities.
• University Track: you apply directly to one university and one department.

The balance between them depends on the level. In the 2027 undergraduate call the Embassy Track holds 156 of 286 places, and the University Track is limited to UIC and associate degrees. In the 2026 graduate call it was the other way round: 800 of 2,000 places through embassies and 1,200 through universities.

You may not apply through both tracks at once. The differences, and how to pick universities so you do not end up with none, are in GKS Embassy Track vs University Track.

How selection works

On the Embassy Track there are three rounds: the embassy, then NIIED, then the universities you listed. On the University Track there are two: the university, then NIIED. NIIED publishes the final list.

This leads to the point most people get wrong: universities decide who is admitted, not NIIED. NIIED runs the competition and awards the scholarship. If none of your chosen universities admits you, you are out of the program, even after passing the NIIED round.

Each round checks two things:

• Eligibility. Citizenship, education and grades are checked against the documents; only applicants who pass this go further.
• Competency. A review of the documents plus an interview at the embassy or university. There is no interview in the NIIED round. The committee looks at grades, language ability, academic activities, contribution to society and international exchange, potential, and the completeness and authenticity of the documents.

Language certificates are optional, but they are scored. On the 2027 undergraduate scale, TOPIK level 5 or 6 earns the full language score, level 4 earns 90%, level 3 80%, level 2 70% and level 1 60%. English tests count too, but they top out at 90%: IELTS 8.0 or a TOEFL iBT of 114 on the old scale. With no certificate at all you get 50%.

On top of the score there are fixed bonuses:

• TOPIK level 3 or above: 3 to 5% for undergraduates, depending on the level; 10% for graduates in the 2026 call.
• Science and engineering departments: 5% at both levels. Once selected, you cannot move to another field.
• Direct descendants of Korean War veterans who served in a foreign military: 10%.

Some applicants are also given preference without fixed points: overseas Koreans, applicants from low-income or disadvantaged backgrounds, and applicants to science and engineering, with graduate calls favouring those departments at regional universities. NIIED does not explain why an application passed or failed at any stage.

When the calls open

The two calls run on different calendars.

• GKS-U, undergraduate: guidelines in September, Embassy Track applications online for about two weeks (15–30 September in 2026), University Track deadlines into November, final list in early January, and the language year starts in March.
• GKS-G, graduate: guidelines in early February (2 February in 2026), Embassy Track applications for about two weeks after that (12–25 February in 2026), final list at the end of June (30 June in 2026), and study starts in September.

For the 2027 undergraduate call, the steps, documents, apostille rules and every date are in How to apply for the GKS scholarship 2027.

After you are selected

• You get an invitation letter by email and apply for the student visa yourself. The guidelines are blunt: a refused visa is the applicant's responsibility, and if the visa is not issued in time, the place can be cancelled.
• If you give up the scholarship after the final list is out, the decision is final, and you cannot apply to GKS again.
• If you are selected, prepare several apostilled copies of your graduation certificate before you leave: the university, the embassy and Korean immigration will each want one.

Sources

• 2027 GKS-U application guidelines: Study in Korea
• 2026 GKS-G application guidelines: Study in Korea
• GKS notice board: Study in Korea
• Global Korea Scholarship: Study in Korea