GLOBAL KOREA SCHOLARSHIP 2020:
HOST COUNTRY:
South Korea
COURSE LEVEL:
Master’s Degree Programs
PhD Programs
Post-Doc
University Teacher/ Professionals Exchanges

SCHOLARSHIP DURATION:
Doctoral Degree Program: 4 years (2020. 9. 1. ~ 2024. 8.31)
1 year of Korean language program
3 years of regular degree program
Master’s Degree Program: 3 years (2020. 9. 1. ~ 2023. 8. 31.)
1 year of the Korean language program
2 years of a degree program
Research Program: 6 Months (2020. 9. 1. ~ 2021. 2.28.) / 1 year (2020.9. 1. ~ 2021.8.31.)
SCHOLARSHIP VALUE:
Airfare (Return Air Ticket)
Settlement Allowance: 200,000 KRW (offered once after entry to Korea)
Monthly Allowance: (Degree Program) 900,000 KRW per month, (Research Program) 1,500,000
KRW per month
Research Allowance
Liberal Arts and Social Science majors: 210,000 KRW per semester
Natural Science and Engineering majors: 240,000 KRW per semester
1-Year Korean Language Training Fee: Fully covered
Degree Program Tuition: Fully covered
Thesis (Dissertation) Printing Fee Reimbursement
Medical Insurance: 20,000 KRW per month
Degree Completion Grants: 100,000 KRW
Korean Proficiency Grants: 100,000 KRW per month

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA:
1. Nationality

All applicants and their parents must not hold Korean citizenship.
Korean citizens and dual citizenship holders (one who have Korean citizenship and citizenship of
another country) are NOT eligible to apply.
Applicants and their parents who had previously held Korean citizenship must submit the document that proves their renunciation of Korean citizenship.
(※Exception: For overseas Korean applicants holding Japanese citizenship, if their parents hold ‘Permanent Residency Permit’ within Japan while holding Korean citizenship, are eligible to apply.)

2. Age

Must be under 40 years of age as of September 1, 2020 (born after September 1, 1980)
Academic professors who are under 45 years of age as of September 1, 2020 (born after September
1, 1975) and hold citizenship of one of the Official Development Assistance (ODA) recipients listed
in the table below are eligible to apply
3. Degree Requirements

Applicants must hold or must be expected to hold a Bachelor’s, Master’s or a Doctoral degree by
August 31st, 2020.
Doctoral Program Applicants: Must hold a Master’s degree or a level of education equivalent to a Master’s degree
Master’s Program Applicants: Must hold a Bachelor’s degree or a level of education equivalent to a Bachelor’s degree
Research Program Applicants: Must hold a degree or a level of education equivalent to or higher than a Master’s degree and must have received an invitation from one of NIIED’s
designated Korean universities.
 Postdoctoral Research Program: Must hold a doctoral degree or a level of education equivalent to a doctoral degree.
Professor Exchange Program: Must hold a Master’s degree or a level of education equivalent to or higher than a Master’s degree.
Program for Education·Science·Culture·International Professionals: Must hold a Master’s degree or a level of education equivalent to or higher than a Master’s degree.
Applicants who are expected to graduate at the time of applying must first submit the certificate of expected graduation at the time of applying. The official degree certificate (or diploma) and final academic transcript must be submitted by August 31st, 2020 at the very latest.
In case an applicant fails to submit the above-mentioned document by August 31st, 2019 or does not fulfill the grade requirement, the scholarship will be forfeited.
Prospective applicants who have attained a Bachelor’s, Master’s, or a doctoral degree in Korea are NOT eligible to apply. (※Exception: Overseas Korean Adoptees and GKS scholars)
Applicants who have previously studied in a Korean university as an exchange or visiting students can
apply to this program.
 The GKS scholars who are holding or is expected to hold the degree as of August 31st, 2020 are eligible to apply under the following conditions:
Submit their applications through either Embassy Track or University Track and must be selected from one of those two institutions in the 1st round of selection.
Can only re-apply for the higher degree program once (Bachelor’s→ Master’s, Master’s→ Doctoral) and must have an overall grade point average equivalent to or higher than 90%.

4. Grades

Applicants must have maintained the overall grade point average (CGPA) equivalent to or higher
than any ONE of the following from their respective universities:
2.64 on a 4.0 scale;
2.80 on a 4.3 scale;
2.91 on a 4.5 scale;
3.23 on a 5.0 scale; or
Score percentile: 80% or above (Exception: GKS scholars must hold the grade of 90% or above)
Refer to Appendix A for the GPA Conversion table
If an applicant has a CGPA below the minimum grade requirement, the applicant will be disqualified and the application will be disregarded.
If an applicant holds a transcript that does not include information on grade point average or is unable to convert his or her grades into any one of the GPA criteria mentioned above, then the applicant must submit an official document issued by the applicant’s university describing the university’s grade system.

5. Health

All applicants must be in good health, both mentally and physically, to study in Korea for the full duration of degree or research programs.
All applicants must submit Form 6 or the “Personal Medical Assessment” at the time of applying.
All applicants who pass the 2nd round of selection must receive a comprehensive medical checkup and submit the certificate of health and medical examination result issued by a medical doctor or a licensed physician.
If an applicant is found to be in one of the following conditions, the applicant will be disqualified in the final round of selection:
An applicant is tested positive on drug tests;
An applicant owns a serious illness that prevents him or her to study abroad for a long period of time including the full duration of degree or research program in Korea.
PREFERENCE:
Applicants who received outstanding scores for their proficiency in Korean or English may be given preference. Some examples include the followings:
Proficiency in Korean: TOPIK (Test of Proficiency in Korean)
Proficiency in English: TOEFL, TOEIC, or IELTS Academic (TOEFL ITPs are NOT acceptable)
Applicants who apply for majors in the field of Natural Science and Engineering are given priority when they receive the same marks with other candidates.
Applicants who apply for majors under the Industrial Professionals Training Project are given priority when they receive the same marks with other candidates.
Academic professors holding citizenship of developing countries, especially ODA recipients, are given priority when they receive the same marks with other candidates.
Descendants of Korean War veterans will receive an additional 5% of the total marks.
Applicants from low-income families or underprivileged backgrounds will be given preference.
Applicants who are confirmed to be the „third-generation‟ or „post-third generation‟ overseas
Koreans will be given preference

HOW TO APPLY FOR GLOBAL KOREA SCHOLARSHIP 2020?

You can apply in it by only one of the two ways

Embassy track
Applicants must choose THREE desired universities and available fields of study among 67 universities listed in section III.
Applicants that pass the 2nd round of selection will go through university admission in the 3rd round of selection (Refer to “4. Selection Procedure” below).
You will find the deadlines of applications for KGSP from the embassy of Korea in your country
University Track
Applicants must choose a major and ONE desired university among 64 universities. 
For the list of universities and fields of study that are available to apply, please refer to the “University Information” file attached along with the GKS-G announcement post.

APPLICATION SCREENING AND EVALUATION:

Applications will be reviewed by each round’s selection committee.
Each selection committee will consider various factors when screening applications such as the following:
Academic Transcript
Personal Statement
Statement of Purpose or Research Proposal
Letters of recommendation
Certificates of Language Proficiency (Korean or English), publications, awards, and etc.

APPLICATION DEADLINE:

The application deadline is set by each Korean embassy or university.
All applicants must check the deadline of application submission by contacting their relevant embassy or desired university directly.
Please refer to the following for contact information:
Korean Embassies in foreign countries: Refer to Appendix B
Korean Universities: Refer to Appendix C or the “University Information” file(attached to GKS-G Announcement post)

Application deadlines may differ from one country to another or by each university; it is expected to be around mid or late March. We highly advise you to make sure to check the calls for 2020 GKS applications separately announced by relevant institutions or offices.

Each embassy and university will send the 1st round successful candidates‟ applications and related documents to NIIED by April 3, 2020.  

Theo Ybox