GKS Degree Scholarships vs the GKS Exchange Students Program
GKS-U and GKS-G fund degree routes, while the GKS Exchange Students Program supports one semester of non-degree exchange for students enrolled at an overseas partner university. The exchange policy is not an open national call: selected Korean host universities set their own nomination process. Benefits, eligibility and application routes are not interchangeable.
3 programmes from the published database. Application status as of 2026-10-19 (KST); source review dates are recorded individually. Past calls remain labeled by their year and deadline. A policy without dates is not treated as an open call.
Tuition support, living allowance, airfare and Korean-language training
NIIED-designated nationality; required prior degree; CGPA 80%+ or top 20% or accepted CGPA threshold; age rules; health/restrictions apply
2026 selection is closed. Embassy and University Tracks use different first-round application routes.
University Track: one program + one university + one department; Embassy Track rules differ
University Track deadlines and eligible departments are set separately for each university. A common national programme does not establish one application deadline for all routes.
Award duration and continued support
Master’s: 1 year of Korean-language training + 2 years of degree study; PhD: 1 + 3 years. Research: 6 months or 1 year. Track exemptions and NIIED academic regulations apply.
Official source ↗· Program, universities, quota, eligibility, documents, selection, benefits
Full tuition + living allowance + airfare + Korean-language training
Applicant and parents must not hold Korean citizenship, including Korean dual nationality. Embassy Track nationality quotas apply; UIC is open to all countries. Born on or after March 1, 2002. High-school or associate-degree graduate by December 31, 2026; bachelor’s degree holders cannot apply.
Embassy applications: September 15–30, 2026 (KST). University Track has separate university schedules and designated departments.
Embassy General: up to 3 universities, including at least one Type B; R-GKS: up to 2 Type B universities. University Track: one university and one department.
University Track deadlines and eligible departments are set separately for each university. A common national programme does not establish one application deadline for all routes.
Award duration and continued support
Bachelor’s: funded degree period of 4–6 years, plus a 1-year Korean-language programme. Associate degree: 2–3 years, plus language training. TOPIK 5 or 6 submitted at application exempts the language year. NIIED and university academic regulations apply throughout the award.
Official source ↗· 2027 application guidelines and eligible university files
GKS Exchange Students Program · Non-degree Exchange
National Institute for International Education (NIIED)
KRW 630,000 per month for one semester (four months), plus actual-cost economy round-trip airfare under programme limits.
Foreign undergraduate, master’s or doctoral students enrolled at an overseas university that has an agreement with a selected Korean host university. Home-university overall grades must be at least80% of the maximum. The exchange must include degree coursework; language-only study is excluded. Previous recipients of a Korean government scholarship and anyone holding Korean citizenship, including dual nationals, are ineligible. No parental-nationality rule or numerical TOPIK/English cutoff is stated in this programme overview.
Ask the selected Korean host university about its GKS exchange nomination call. NIIED selects operating universities, which recommend candidates for NIIED review. Student deadlines and required documents are set by that institutional call. The official policy gives no current common application dates, and this record is not an open recruitment notice.
Dates not listed · Scholarship application
Selected host universities set exchange nomination deadlines.
Award duration and continued support
One semester (four months) of non-degree exchange support. Monthly payment varies with days of stay and the semester end date. No full-degree tuition award or automatic extension is stated.