The Global Korea Scholarship is the main funded route, and it is unusually transparent: a published quota per country, a fixed selection calendar, and two tracks you must choose between. For 2026 the programme planned to invite about 2,000 graduate scholars, roughly 800 through embassies and 1,200 through universities.
The structure includes a mandatory year of Korean language training before the degree begins, unless you already hold TOPIK level 5 or 6. That makes a master's three years and a doctorate four.
At a glance
| Language | English-taught graduate programmes are common at major universities; Korean is required for daily life and many departments |
|---|---|
| Tuition | Self-funded master's roughly KRW 4–7 million a semester; GKS covers tuition up to a cap |
| Stipend | Around KRW 1,000,000 a month for graduate scholars under GKS, plus settlement and airfare |
| Main intakes | March and September |
| Where you apply | Study in Korea portal, through either the Korean embassy or a designated university |
| After graduation | D-10 job-seeking visa |
What they require
- Bachelor's for master's entry, master's for doctoral entry, completed by the stated date
- GPA at or above 80% or 2.64/4.0, with GKS using its own conversion table
- Age limit under GKS, generally under 40 for graduate applicants
- TOPIK or an English test is not always mandatory but adds real selection points
- Apostilled or consular-verified degree and transcripts
How admission actually works
First round by the embassy or the university, second round by NIIED, third round by the universities you listed. You may choose up to three universities within the rules, and applying to both tracks in the same year disqualifies you.
Outside GKS, universities admit on documents and interviews, with generous internal scholarships at private universities keen on international enrolment.
How much does a supervisor matter?
Important for research degrees, especially in engineering labs.
For a PhD or a research-heavy master's, contacting a professor ahead of the application is normal and improves your placement chances in the university track. Korean labs are hierarchical and busy; a short, specific email with your CV and a clear research interest works better than a long one.
When applications open and close
The pattern below is what these systems normally do. Every programme sets its own dates, so treat this as the planning shape and confirm on the official portal linked at the end.
Funding that genuinely exists here
Tuition, monthly stipend, airfare, insurance and a year of Korean language training. One track only per cycle.
Many private universities offer 30–100% tuition reductions to international graduate students on admission.
Common in engineering and science labs, paid as a research assistantship.
Development-focused master's programmes for candidates from partner countries.
Documents this country asks for
- GKS application forms in the prescribed format, including personal statement and study plan
- Apostilled degree certificate and transcripts
- Two recommendation letters in sealed envelopes where required
- Self-medical assessment, followed by a full medical examination if selected
- Proof of citizenship for you and your parents in several categories
- TOPIK or English test certificate if held
Visa and permit
A D-2 student visa follows the certificate of admission. Universities issue a standard admission package; visa processing is quick compared with most destinations, but apostille and document verification are the slow part and should be started early.
After you graduate
D-10 job-seeking visa
The D-10 allows you to stay and look for work, typically six months at a time up to a two-year total. Korean language ability, especially TOPIK 4 and above, changes the range of employers open to you.
What they favour
- A study plan that connects your past work to Korea specifically
- Any Korean language study, even beginner level, evidenced
- Community and leadership activity, which GKS scores
- Applicants who follow the form instructions exactly
Where applications fail
- Applying through both the embassy and a university in the same year
- Ignoring the quota: some countries have two places, others twenty
- Leaving apostille to the last month
- Assuming the Korean language year is optional
Official sources
Rules and dates change, sometimes mid-cycle. These are the pages that carry the authoritative version; if anything here disagrees with them, they are right. Reviewed September 2026.