Korean Government Scholarship Program (KGSP) for International Students in Korea, 2014

Applications are now open for Korean Government Scholarship Program (KGSP). Korean government invites 110 international students from 62 countries who wish to pursue a bachelor’s degree at higher educational institutions in Korea. Scholarships are awarded for 5 years from March 1, 2014-February 28, 2019. Grantees should take a one year preliminary Korean language course before pursuing an undergraduate degree course (4 years). To be selected as a KGSP grantee, any applicant should successfully pass through the 1st selection process set by the Korean embassies of his or her origin. Application deadlines may differ from one country to another but it will be expected to fall in September or early October.

Study Subject(s): Applicants must choose their desired fields of study from the listed programs in the University Information section provided by participating universities. The field of study which exceeds 4 years (e.g. Medicine, dentistry, architecture, pharmacy) is not allowed even though it is included in the above mentioned book.

Course Level: Scholarships are available for pursuing an undergraduate degree at higher educational institutions in Korea.

Scholarship Provider: Korean Government

Scholarship can be taken at: Korea

Eligibility: Prospective applicant must meet the following qualification criteria;

(1) Must be a citizen of the country to which scholarships are offered, which is also applied to his/her parents. Both applicant and his/her parents must not be a holder of Korean citizenship

(2) Should be under 25 years of age as of March 1, 2014 (Should be born after March, 1, 1989)

(3) Have adequate health, both physically and mentally

-The handicapped who satisfy the above (3) are also eligible for the program

-NOT Eligible: those who are pregnant or who have a severe illness

(4) Have graduated or be scheduled to graduate from a high school as of March 1, 2014. NOT Eligible: those who have already obtained a bachelor’s degree or a higher degree

(5) Must possess above 80% (out of 100%) cumulative grade point average (C.G.P.A.), or must be within 20% (out of 100%) in the rank during their entire high school period

-C.G.P.A. should be 2.64/4.0, 2.80/4.3, 2.91/4.5, 3.23/5.0 or higher

-If applicant’s high school evaluation criteria differs from the stated above, see 7-(2)

(6) Must not at any time have ever received a Korean government scholarship for an undergraduate course

(7) Must not have enrolled in an undergraduate course in Korea before. NOT Eligible: those who have ever enrolled at a Korean university as a regular or an exchange student

(8) Must have no limitations in travelling abroad

(9) There may be preferential selection for applicants who have proficiency in Korean or English

Scholarship Open for Students of Following Countries: Students of Afghanistan, Angola, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Bolivia, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Butan, Cambodia, Chile, Colombia, Congo(DRC), Dominican  Republic, Ecuador, Egypt,El Salvador, Ethiopia, Gabon, Ghana, Guatemala, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Malaysia, Mexico, Mongolia, Mozambique, Myanmar, Nepal, Nigeria, Pakistan, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Romania, Russia, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Timor-Este, Turkey, Uganda, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Vietnam and Yemen can apply for the scholarships.

Scholarship Description:  GKS (Global Korea Scholarship) is a scholarship program that is supported by the government of the Republic of Korea, is implemented by the National Institute for International Education, which is an organization operating under the auspices of the Ministry of Education. The objective of the Korean Government Scholarship Program for an undergraduate degree is to provide international students with an opportunity to conduct advanced studies at higher educational institutions in Korea in order to promote international exchanges in education and mutual friendship between the countries.

Number of award(s): Korean government invites 110 international students from 62 countries who wish to pursue a bachelor’s degree in Korea.

Duration of award(s): Scholarships are awarded up to 5 years from March 1, 2014-February 28, 2019 i.e. Undergraduate degree course (4 yrs.) after the preliminary Korean Language course (1 yr).

What does it cover? Scholarship Benefits include

- Airplane ticket or airfare: The grantees will receive an airplane ticket or be paid an economy class airfare of the shortest route between their country and Korea when they come to Korea, and, thereafter, when they leave Korea after the completion of their study.

- Monthly Stipend: 800,000 won per month

- Tuitions: The tuition fee up to 5 million won is exempted by the Korean Government, and if any, the tuition fee exceeding 5 million won and the entrance fee for the first semester by the host university.

- Settlement Allowance: 200,000 won upon arrival

- Repatriation Allowance: 100,000 won upon completion of studies

- Korean Language Training Expenses: The full costs up to 1 year (NIIED pays directly to the language training institution)

- Medical Insurance: The grantees will be provided with health insurance for major accidents and illnesses during their scholarship period.

- The grantee who has level 5 or higher in TOPIK will receive 100,000 won per month after being enrolled at a university in his/her higher degree.

Selection Criteria: All documents including transcript, self-introduction, study plan, certificates of language proficiency (Korean and English), recommendations, published papers and awards, etc., will be evaluated.

Notification: January 17, 2014: NIIED announces the final successful candidates. Early February: KE notifies the grantees of their entry itinerary. Grantees check their entry itinerary and make preparations to enter Korea.

How to Apply: Submission of required documents, applicants should contact the appropriate Korean Embassy (or Korean Education Center) in the country of applicant’s origin (or in the neighboring country), the organization in charge of the 1^st round of selection. To be selected as a KGSP grantee, any applicant should successfully pass through the 1st selection process set by the Korean embassies of his or her origin. So to apply for the program, please contact the 1st selection organizations to get detailed information on the 1st selection process such as application deadline and required documents, etc.

Selection Process:
September: [1^st Round] Korean embassy (hereafter KE) announces its plan of selection of candidates. Applicants check the KE plan [Application deadline is to be decided by KE]

September ~ October: KE selects qualified candidates

- Applicants submit the required documents and have an interview according to the KE plan

- The qualified candidates who successfully pass through the 1^st round of selection submit their application through on-line according to the KE’s instructions.

November 15: KE recommends the qualified candidates to NIIED

November 27: [2nd Round] It is done by NIIED Selection Committee. NIIED announces the result of the 2^nd  round of selection. Candidates who successfully pass through the 2^nd round of selection submit a copy of their visa and a health certificate (FORM 7) to KE by December 17, 2013

December ~January 10, 2014: [3rd Round] Application for admission to a university. NIIED sends candidates’ documents to the relevant universities: December 6, 2013. Each university takes the following procedures and announces its successful applicants. Candidates confirm their acceptance of the university that they receive admission to: January 10, 2013.

January 17, 2014: NIIED announces the final successful candidates

Early February: KE notifies the grantees of their entry itinerary. Grantees check their entry itinerary and make preparations to enter Korea

Late February: Grantees enter Korea

Scholarship Application Deadline: Application deadline may differ from one country to another. As Korean Embassy will recommend qualified candidates to NIIED by November , 2014. Therefore, the application deadline should fall before this date in September or early October.

Link: http://scholarship-positions.com/2012-2013-korean-government-scholarships-program-korea/2012/02/18/