GKS Scholarship Guide
The Global Korea Scholarship pays for a full degree in Korea — tuition, monthly allowance, airfare, and a Korean language year. Here is how it actually works.
What is GKS?
GKS (Global Korea Scholarship) is the Korean government scholarship run by NIIED (National Institute for International Education). It funds international students through a full degree in Korea and has been the main government scholarship brand since 2010. Applications go through studyinkorea.go.kr.
| GKS-U (Undergraduate) | GKS-G (Graduate) | |
|---|---|---|
| For | High-school graduates — bachelor’s or associate degree | Degree holders — master’s, PhD, research |
| Guidelines out | ~September each year | ~February each year |
| 2026 scholars | 280 (Embassy 150 + University 130) | 2,000 (Embassy 800 + University 1,200) |
| Age limit | Under 25 | Under 40 |
| Length | 1 language year + 2–6 years degree | Master’s 3 years / PhD 4 years total |
What it pays (2026 figures)
Withdrawing within the first 3 months of enrollment means repaying the full amount received.
Embassy Track vs University Track
Embassy Track: you apply through the Korean embassy in your country. University Track: you apply directly to ONE Korean university. You can only use one track per year — but the University Track deadline is set later on purpose, so if you fail the Embassy first round you can still try again.
| Embassy Track | University Track | |
|---|---|---|
| Where you apply | Korean embassy in your country (online) | One Korean university directly (online) |
| 2026 quota (GKS-U) | 150 across 71 countries (per-country quota) | 130 — UIC 100 (open to all countries) + Associate 30 |
| University choices | Up to 3 (at least 1 regional “Type B”) | 1 university, 1 department only |
| Selection rounds | 3 (embassy → NIIED → your universities) | 2 (university → NIIED) |
| 2026 application | Sep 15 – Sep 30 | Sep 15 – Oct 31 |
| Final result | Early January | Mid-December |
How to choose
- Your country has an Embassy Track quota and you want up to 3 university choices → Embassy Track.
- Your country has no quota, or you missed the September deadline → University Track (UIC is open worldwide, deadline end of October).
- You want engineering or science with industry ties → UIC program (University Track).
- Failed the Embassy first round in mid-October → you still have ~2 weeks to apply University Track.
GKS-G (graduate) uses the same two-track structure — Embassy Track applications run in February (Feb 12–25 in 2026), University Track deadlines are set by each university, and its R&D and Global Network programs are open to all nationalities.
Timeline (2026 GKS-U round)
GKS-G annual pattern: guidelines ~February, application mid-to-late February, final results late June.
Who can apply (GKS-U 2026)
- Citizenship — you AND both parents must not hold Korean citizenship. You need citizenship of a GKS partner country (exception: the UIC program is open to any non-Korean nationality).
- Age — under 25 for GKS-U (born after Mar 1, 2001 for the 2026 round). Under 40 for GKS-G.
- Education — high school graduate (or expected graduate) by Dec 31 of the application year. Bachelor’s degree holders cannot apply to GKS-U — that is what GKS-G is for.
- Grades — CGPA in the top 20% of your class, or 80%+ on a 100-point scale, or at least 2.64/4.0 · 2.80/4.3 · 2.91/4.5 · 3.23/5.0.
- Language tests are optional — but TOPIK level 3+ adds bonus points worth 10% of the total score, and TOPIK 5–6 skips the language year entirely.
Not eligible: graduates of Korean high schools or Korean associate programs, current final-year students at Korean schools, former GKS degree scholars, and anyone who received a Korean government degree scholarship before.
Documents — where most applications die
The official GKS-U list has 17 items. Forms 1–6 you fill in and sign. The certificates are the dangerous part — one wrongly certified paper can disqualify you.
- Proof of citizenship for you AND both parents (+ family relationship document)
- High school graduation certificate (or expected graduation)
- Academic transcript
Any document not in Korean or English needs a certified translation — and the apostille only needs to be on one version, the original or the translation.
Country quotas — why your country matters
Embassy Track seats are allocated per country: for 2026, 150 undergraduate seats across 71 countries — most countries get 1–4 seats. If your country is not on the GKS-U list, it may still be on the GKS-G (graduate) list, and the UIC program accepts any nationality with no per-country quota.
Quotas, deadlines, and submission methods differ by country and change every year — some embassies require couriered originals, others accept online only. Confirm the current quota and process with the Korean Embassy or Consulate in your country before you plan anything around a number you saw online.
Where you can study
About 70 universities take part in the 2026 Embassy Track (Type A: ~30 mostly metro universities · Type B: ~39 regional universities — you must include at least one Type B choice), plus separate university lists for the UIC and associate-degree programs. The exact list is published in the official “University Information” file each round.
Questions everyone asks
Tips from applicants (unofficial)
- Applicants report document collection taking 4–8+ months in total — the most repeated advice is to start 6–12 months before the deadline.
- Reapplicants warn against filling all 3 Embassy Track choices with famous Seoul universities — including at least one regional Type B choice is the most repeated track strategy.
- Applicants who failed the Embassy first round say the University Track fallback only works if you prepared those documents in advance — the window is about two weeks.
- TOPIK is described as the biggest lever you control: level 3+ for the score bonus, level 5–6 to skip the language year entirely.
- Interview formats vary wildly (5-minute calls to 30-minute panels) — the common advice is to prepare seriously either way, starting right after you submit.
- Multiple scholars report the first stipend arriving 1–4 weeks late after arrival — bringing reserve cash is a recurring tip.
- Many eventual scholars were rejected at least once — successful reapplications added something real (a new TOPIK level, a sharper study plan), not the same essays again.
- Details (amounts, quotas, dates, eligibility) change each cycle — always confirm the current guidelines on studyinkorea.go.kr before applying.
- Embassy Track specifics (quota, deadline, documents, submission method) vary by country — confirm with the Korean Embassy or Consulate in your country.
- Official GKS contact: NIIED GKS Center, [email protected].
Based on the official 2026 GKS-U and GKS-G Application Guidelines (NIIED) · last updated 2026-07-04. Browse all scholarships on the Scholarships page.
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