KGSP : Korean Government Scholarship Program 2015
KGSP : Korean Government Scholarship Program 2015 for International Masters and PhD students to get free living and education in South Korea. The scholarship is for Masters and PhD Programs.
Korean Government Scholarship Program (KGSP)
Course(s) Offered: Any field
Course Level: Postgraduate (masters, PhD)
Provider: Korean Government (via NIIED)
Country to Study in: South Korea
Scholarship Description
The Korean Government through the National Institute for International Education (NIIED) offers the Korean Government Scholarship Program for Postgraduate students.
The scholarship is aimed to provide international students with an opportunity to conduct advanced studies at higher educational institutions in Korea, to develop global leaders and strengthen Korea-friendly networks worldwide.
The Korean Government invites all international students who wish to pursue a master’s or doctoral degree in Korea to apply.
Eligibility
To qualify for this scholarship:
- The applicant and his/her parents must hold foreign citizenships.
※ Applicants who hold Korean citizenship are NOT permitted to apply for this program. - Applicants must be under 40 years of age as of Sept. 1st, 2014.
- Applicants must hold a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree as of September 1st of the selection year.
※ Applicants who have enrolled in or graduated from a university in Korea are NOT eligible for the KGSP program. Specifically, applicants who have previously enrolled in or graduated from an undergraduate program, a master’s program, or a doctoral program in Korea cannot apply for this program. - Applicants must maintain a grade point average (GPA) of at least 2.64 on a 4.0 scale, 2.80 on a 4.3 scale, 2.91 on a 4.5 scale, or grades/marks/score of 80% or higher from the previously attended institution. If the applicant does not satisfy the above GPA requirements, he/she will be ineligible to apply to this program.
Eligible groups
Citizens of ALL countries (EXCEPT Korea i.e. ALL international and foreign students from more than 100 countries)
Participating Institution(s)
The accredited list of universities (and institutions) as designated by NIIED.
Fields of study
All approved Master’s or Doctoral courses offered by participating institutions.
Detailed information about the fields and majors offered by the applicable universities can be found on the NIIED website or the university information section of the GKS website (link to it is below).
Applicants must choose their desired fields of study from the listed programs in the University Information section provided by participating universities.
Specialized or professional graduate school programs such as law school program, medical school program, GSIS program, etc. are also eligible on the condition that the university covers all tuition over the initial 5 million won(KRW)/semester. Night schools, seasonal programs, broadcasting schools, and cyber-schools (including online distant learning programs) are NOT eligible for application.
Number of awards
Total number of grantees is about 345
Sponsorship duration
The duration is as below:
- Master’s: 1 year of Korean language + 2 years of Master’s study
- Doctoral: 1 year of Korean language + 3 year of Doctoral study
After the Korean language course, the scholarship period of degree course (2 years of master’s or 3 years of doctoral) cannot be extended beyond the designated duration.
In the case that a scholar possesses a TOPIK Level that is higher than 5, he or she is exempted from the Korean language course; the exempted period will be deducted from the total scholarship period (2 years for master’s or 3 years for doctoral).
Scholarship benefits
Payment benefits include:
- Airfare: Round-trip economy class ticket.
- Airfare for entry will not be provided to scholars who already presently live in Korea for academic study or employment.
- The fees for domestic travel within a scholar’s home country and for travel insurance to and from Korea will not be provided.
- Scholars from China and the Czech Republic will not be provided airfare by NIIED, but by their country of origin according to the mutual agreements.
- Monthly Allowance: 900,000 won (KRW) per month.
- Research Allowance Per Semester: 210,000 won for scholars in the humanities and social sciences; 240,000 won for scholars in natural and mechanic sciences.
- Relocation (Settlement) Allowance: 200,000 won upon arrival
- Language Training Fee: Full coverage
- Tuitions : All admission fees are waived by the host institution (university). The tuition is paid by NIIED.
- Dissertation Printing Costs: 500,000 ~ 800,000 won, depending on the actual costs.
- Medical Insurance: 20,000 won per month will be provided (limited coverage).
- Special funding for scholars who are proficient in the Korean language (TOPIK Level 5 or 6): 100,000 won per month (commencing from the degree program)
Additional Information:
- NIIED does not compensate fees for the domestic travel both in the grantee’s country and Korea.
- Airfare for entry into Korea will not be provided to a scholar that has been staying in Korea for his or her study, work, etc. as of the date of announcement of successful candidates
- NIIED does not compensate fees for insurance for traveling to and from Korea.
- The medical fee is to be reimbursed through the insurance company to the scholar after s/he pays first. However, the expense for dental clinic or chronic disease will not be covered.
- Any scholar who gives up his/her study during the scholarship period will not receive airfare and allowance for repatriation.
- Any scholar that quits the program within 3 months after s/he entering Korea, should refund all scholarship fees (The airfare of arriving Korea, settlement allowance, monthly stipend, Korean language training expenses, etc.).
- Applicants have to apply for this program via either an embassy or a designated university. Overseas Korean adoptees have to apply only via an embassy if their countries are allotted the adoptee quotas.
- The selection process for applicants will proceed in three steps. Firstly, applicants must be selected by the institution he or she is applying through (a Korean embassy, or a designated university). Secondly, applicants who passed the first round must be selected by the NIIED Selection Committee. Finally, applicants who passed the second round must gain admission from a university.
- Institutions accepting applications: Overseas Korean embassies or NIIED designated Korean universities. Applicants who submit applications to more than one of the aforementioned institutions will be disqualified immediately.
Method of Application
Applicants can only apply for the scholarships through the Korean Embassy in their home country or a participating Korean University (i.e. 1st Selection Institutions).
To apply for this program, you should contact one of the 1st Selection Institutions (90 Overseas Korean Embassies or designated Domestic Universities) and submit the application no later than the designated deadline.
See websites of Korean Embassy/Consulate in your own country. The guideline, application form, and university information will be available at the website of GKS, Korean Embassies, and designated domestic universities.
DEADLINES:
The deadline for recommendation to NIIED is March 31st every year.
The deadline of submission is earlier and will vary per country depending on the deadline set forth by the Korean Embassy (Consulate) in the country of origin or the universities in Korea.
If the respective 1st Selection Institutions do not submit their candidates’ documents to NIIED on time, they will be excluded from the examination of NIIED Selection Committee, and their quotas will be substituted by the other 1st Institutions’ reserve candidates.
For the Graduate Program, the Korean Embassy or Consulate will recommend qualified candidates to NIIED by 31 March 2015. Be sure to apply before this period.
PLEASE NOTE:
Applicants must obtain admission from a University before entry into Korea.
Applicants recommended by a Korean Embassy (Consulate) or overseas Korean adoptees must apply and gain admission into 1 of 3 universities out of the designated designated universities. Applicants recommended by a university in Korea should enter the same university.
Application Deadline: 31 March 2015