Global Korea Scholarship students take selfies during a graduation ceremony held at the National Institute for International Education in Seongnam, Gyeonggi, on Aug. 27.YONHAP
Applications for the 2027 Global Korea Scholarship (GKS) for undergraduate degrees are set to open this month.
The National Institute for International Education (Niied) released the application guidelines for the 2027 GKS-U program on Wednesday.
GKS is a full scholarship that covers tuition and provides a monthly stipend, support for Korean language training and roundtrip airfare.
Associate degree recipients receive one year of Korean language training and two to three years of degree study, while bachelor’s degree recipients receive one year of Korean language training followed by four to six years of degree study.
A total of 286 scholars will be selected through two application tracks: the embassy track and the university track.
The embassy track — comprising the general, overseas Koreans and adoptees, and regional tracks — will select 156 scholars through three programs.
The general program will select 88 bachelor’s degree scholars from 74 eligible countries. Applicants can apply to majors offered by participating universities in the greater Seoul area and regional universities.
The overseas Koreans and adoptees program will select seven bachelor’s degree scholars from seven eligible countries.
The regional track, or R-GKS, will select 61 bachelor’s degree scholars from 52 eligible countries. Applicants must apply to majors offered by participating regional universities.
Applications for the embassy track will open at 11 a.m. Tuesday and close at 6 p.m. Sept. 30. They must be submitted online through the Study in Korea website.
The university track consists of the University Industry Cooperation (UIC) program and the associate degree program.
The UIC program will select 100 students seeking bachelor’s or associate degrees in science and engineering fields. The program is designed for students applying to programs that offer university-industry cooperation, as well as settlement and employment support.
The guidelines detail Global Korea Scholarship application tracks and quotasNATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION
The UIC program is open to applicants from all countries. However, participating institutions and departments are designated, with 10 universities offering bachelor’s degree programs and three offering associate degree programs.
The university track’s associate degree program will select 30 students from 74 eligible countries to study at participating universities.
Applications for the university track will be accepted from September through November. Applicants must submit their applications directly to the universities, with deadlines and required documents varying by institution.
Applicants who fail the first round of the embassy track may apply to the university track.
To be eligible for the GKS-U program, applicants must hold citizenship of a country designated by the Niied as eligible for the GKS program.
Applicants must also be under 25 years old, meaning they must have been born after March 1, 2002, and must have graduated or be expected to graduate from high school.
The 2027 GKS undergraduate scholars will be announced on Jan. 7 next year.
More information on the application process and eligibility requirements is available in the GKS-U 2027 application guidelines posted on the Study in Korea website.
Applicants can also find answers to their questions on K-campus, a platform for international students run by the Korea JoongAng Daily. The platform is currently hosting an ask-me-anything session in its community section with current GKS scholars.
