Global Korea Scholarship (GKS) 2026: How to Apply for Fully Funded Study in South Korea

The Global Korea Scholarship is the Korean government's main award for international students, and it is unusual in how much it covers. Tuition, a monthly allowance, airfare, a settlement allowance and Korean language training are all part of the package, and the language year is built in rather than optional for most candidates.

There are two routes, and they are not interchangeable. The embassy track runs through the Korean embassy in your country, which shortlists candidates and forwards them. The university track runs through a participating university, which recruits directly. You apply to one or the other, not both, and the number of places differs sharply between them: the embassy track is small and competitive, the university track larger and spread across institutions.

Both tracks share a set of documents: the application form, a personal statement, a study plan, two recommendation letters, degree certificates and transcripts, a passport copy, and proof of language ability where you have it. TOPIK is not required to apply for the language-training track, which is one reason the scheme is popular with applicants who do not yet speak Korean.

The study plan is the document that separates candidates with similar grades. It should describe what you want to study, why that department, and what you will do with it. Naming a professor whose research fits yours helps, and it needs to be consistent with the departments you list, because your file is forwarded to them.

Choice of university matters more than the ranking suggests. You are selecting a department and a city for four years, and the scholarship pays the same wherever you go. Look at the department's research output, the language of instruction in your subject, and whether the campus is in Seoul or elsewhere, since living costs and part-time work options differ.

The timeline is long. Applications usually open in the first quarter of the year for a start later that year, and the process runs through document review, interviews at the embassy or university, and a medical check. Results come months after you apply, and the language year may start before the degree.

Two things to check before you commit. The scholarship has conditions attached, including a minimum grade average and a service or reporting requirement in some tracks, and the Korean language requirement for graduation is set by the university, not by the scholarship. Read the current year's guideline document rather than last year's blog post, because the rules are republished annually and details change.