GKS Scholarship 2022 – Complete Guide

If studying in Korea for FREE is your dream, then this post is for you because the Government of South Korea in association with NIIED has announced the application guidelines of the 2022 GKS – Government Korea Scholarship Program (previously known as KGSP Scholarship) for Graduate Degrees.

For the year 2022, 1378 international students from 154 countries, for the degree (Master’s & Doctoral) and non-degree research programs are invited to study in Korea for FREE.

1 – Program Objective

The Global Korea Scholarship is intended to give international students with opportunity to pursue academic degrees at higher educational institutions in Korea, thereby enhancing international education exchange and deepening mutual goodwill between Korea and participating nations.

1b – Scholarship Benefits

– Upon arrival, NIIED will provide 20,000 KRW per month in private insurance premium until scholars are enrolled in health insurance. After enrollment, NIIED will provide health insurance premiums of a standard amount (55,630 KRW).

– Korean proficiency grants (who has TOPIK level 5 or 6), research support fee, tuition, thesis printing fee, degree completion grants are given to GKS scholars in the degree program only.

2 – Programs and Universities

Currently, the GKS Scholarship is open for Masters Degree, Doctoral or Phd Degree and Research Program.

3 – Available Fields of Study and Universities

Applicants are limited to applying to the universities and departments indicated in the “University Information” file attached to the GKS Notice post on the Study in Korea website. http://www.studyinkorea.go.kr/scholarships/gks-notice.html/

Embassy Track Universities

University Track Universities

GKS Scholarship 2022 Quota for each country

Embassy Track Quota

? General: 603 scholars from 136 regions

University Track Quota

? Research Program: 5 scholars (This program is open to all countries around the world)

? General: 425 scholars from 73 countries / Regional University: 200 scholars from 42 countries

IMPORTANT NOTICE: 2022 Global Korea Scholarship Application Graduate Degree Program

4 – Eligibility

a) Nationality:

– All applicants must hold citizenship of NIIED designated countries that are invited to take part in the GKS program.

– All applicants and their parents must NOT hold Korean citizenship. If an applicant or his/her parent(s) hold dual citizenship (one who have Korean citizenship and citizenship of another country), he/she is NOT eligible to apply.

b) Degree Requirement

 Master’s Program Applicant: Must hold a bachelor?s degree or a level of education equivalent to or higher than a bachelor?s degree.

– Doctoral Program Applicant: Must hold a master?s degree or a level of education equivalent to or higher than a master?s degree.

c) Grades

• CGPA must be above 2.64/4.0, 2.80/4.3, 2.91/4.5 or 3.23/5.0 OR
• Score percentile should be 80% or above on a 100-point scale or be ranked within the top 20% within one?s class

d) Age

Must be under 40 years of age (born after September 1, 1982)

e) Health

All applicants must be in good health, both mentally and physically, to study in Korea for the full duration of the program.

IMPORTANT THINGS TO REMEMBER

? Applicants must choose and apply for only ONE track.

• Embassy track applicant must choose only ONE of the following programs: General or Overseas Koreans adoptee, Korean Language Teaching Professional, or Research Program
• University track applicant must choose only ONE of the following programs: General, Regional University, R&D Program, or Research Program. University track applicants can only apply to ONE university and ONE department

? If an applicant applied to more than one track/university, his or her application will be disregarded at the 2nd round of selection.

5 – Selection Procedure

An applicant can only apply through one of the following tracks – Embassy Track or University Track.

6 – Selection Schedule and Timeline

7 – Documents Submission

• Application deadlines: Because each embassy and university has its own application deadline, applicants should verify with the institute before submitting an application.
• Submission method: Each embassy and institution that performs the first round of selection may have its own document submission requirements, so applicants should check with the institute before submitting their application.

? Important Notes Regarding Application Submission

– Application documents for the first round of selection

• All documents must be submitted in English or Korean
• Please follow the submission guidelines set by each embassy/university
• Each embassy/university may (or may not) accept application documents in a simplified version, so it is strongly recommended to check application guidelines posted by the institutions before submission

[Embassy Track]

– Embassy Track applicants can choose up to THREE different universities.

? (Attention!) Applicants may choose the same department for all three universities, but may NOT choose three different departments from a single university.

– Of the chosen universities, at least one university must be from Type B universities.

? (Attention!) If applicants fill out a Type A university in a Type B section, their application will be excluded from evaluation

– If applicants choose all three universities among highly competitive universities, even though they pass the 2nd round of selection, there will be no guarantee of final selection at the 3rd round.

? 33(2016), 34(2017), 41(2018), 39(2019), 52(2020), 53(2021) candidates were failed from all three universities in their final round of selection

[University Track]

– University track applicants should fill in ONE university in their application.

8 – Evaluation Preference

– Overseas Koreans.

– Applicants from low-income families or underprivileged background.

– Applicants who applied for a Natural science and engineering department in a Regional university*.

* Natural Science and Engineering department in a Regional University: Refer to “University Information (2022 GKS-G Available Departments for University Track (Regional, Natural Science and Engineering)” file

– Applicants who are currently teaching as a professor in a Natural science and engineering department or in one of the ODA recipient countries listed in section 4.

– Applicants who are applying for a “Postdoctoral Research Program” in a Natural science and engineering department.

– Applicants who submit a high score of English proficiency test (TOEFL, TOEIC, IELTS).

? Additional Points

– Applicants who hold a TOPIK level 3 or above will be given additional points (10% of the total allocated points).

– Descendants of Korean War veterans will be given additional points (5% of the total allocated points)

*Please note that starting 2024 GKS, additional points will be given to those applicants who have Korean Language or English Language certificates.

9 – Contact Information

Email: [email protected] 

Address: GKS Center, NIIED (Selection department of 2022 GKS-G)

191, Jeongjail-ro, Bundang-gu, Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi-do (13557) Republic of Korea

10 – Files to Download

2022 GKS-G Application Guidelines (English).doc

2022 GKS-G Application Forms.docx

2022 GKS-G Application FAQ.docx

Don’t forget to watch this video on how to apply and win the GKS Scholarship.