Non-GKS Government Scholarships for International Students in Korea
These government or local-authority programmes support degree study in Korea but are not GKS. Their target groups differ sharply: a programme may be limited to public officials, arts applicants, sport professionals, STEM master’s applicants, participating research teams or students connected to a city. A government label does not make the route, benefit or duration interchangeable with GKS.
6 programmes from the published database. Application status as of 2026-10-17 (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.
Full tuition, accommodation, monthly allowance, airfare, insurance and settlement support. Amounts and funded duration are set by the selected course.
Primarily government officials from partner countries. Government nomination, a qualifying prior degree and sufficient English are required. Course-specific admission criteria also apply.
Use the KOICA country-office or Korean-embassy nomination route and the selected course’s official instructions. This is separate from ordinary university admission.
Dates not listed · Scholarship application
Award duration and continued support
Funding covers the approved course period, subject to the programme’s academic and participation rules. It is not an automatically renewable general university scholarship.
Master’s: KRW 1,000,000/month; PhD: KRW 1,600,000/month at the listed participating universities.
Full-time graduate students selected by a participating BK21 department or research team. University and project-specific participation and concurrent-award restrictions apply.
Apply through the participating department or research team after enrollment. The programme does not use the university admission deadline as its scholarship deadline.
Dates not listed · Scholarship application
Department or research-team selection after enrollment.
Award duration and continued support
Payments require continued eligible project participation and available funding. Team selection and semester conditions differ by university; no automatic full-degree funding.
University application routes (3)
Chung-Ang University
Dates not listed · University route
Apply through the participating department or research team after enrollment.
Must be participating graduate student in selected BK21 department
Local authority scholarshipUndergraduate;Master;PhD;Integrated
Global Busan Scholarship (GBS)
Busan Metropolitan City
Up to KRW 2,200,000 per person, paid once.
International degree-seeking students interested in employment and settlement in Busan, with a good attitude toward study and campus life. Students graduating in February or August 2027 receive priority. The reviewed Pusan National University call selected up to two students; this is not the citywide quota.
The Pusan National University application closed on July 8, 2026 at 23:59 KST. Submit the application and privacy consent in Korean to isupport@pusan.ac.kr. Other universities may have separate nomination schedules; this deadline applies only to the reviewed university route.
Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism / Korea National University of Arts
Full regular-semester tuition; KRW 800,000/month living support (may increase under admission rules); airfare, language training and health insurance. Settlement: KRW 200,000; graduation support: up to KRW 1,000,000.
Applicant and both parents must hold eligible DAC-recipient citizenship, including all dual nationalities. Arts portfolio and Korean proficiency requirements vary by department. Previous Korean government scholarship recipients face reapplication restrictions; consult the guide.
2027 intake closed May 15, 2026. Apply online through K-Arts; selected candidates submit authenticated originals by July 31. Next-intake information is expected in February 2027; this is not an application opening date.
Regular semesters only. Required language training needs 85% attendance; withdrawal after arrival can require repayment. TOPIK 5–6 generally exempts pre-entry training; department exceptions apply.
Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism / Korea Sports Promotion Foundation / Seoul National University
ODA-recipient-country students: full scholarship covering tuition, airfare, dormitory, living expenses and insurance. Other-country sports administrators or athletes may receive partial scholarships; no fixed percentage is promised.
Former/current sport administrators or athletes with a bachelor's degree in any field; applicant and both parents must be non-Korean. English: IELTS 6.0, TOEFL iBT 80 or TEPS 269; a fully English-taught prior degree may provide alternative proof. English-medium classes.
Fall 2026: email scanned documents by March 29, then submit originals after confirmation; originals must arrive by April 10. Both deadlines are 18:00 KST. The next intake has no verified application schedule here.
Support belongs to the selected Global Sport Management master's programme. The reviewed financial-aid page does not specify a universal renewal GPA or payment duration; the recipient's award terms apply.
Seoul Metropolitan Government / Seoul Future Foundation
Full tuition and admission fees; KRW 1,000,000/month living support, health insurance and one economy-class entry flight. Living support depends on time spent in Korea.
STEM master’s applicants at nine designated Seoul universities; applicant and both parents must not hold Korean nationality. Born on or after January 1, 1986; bachelor’s degree by August 31, 2026. Grades: 80/100 or CGPA 2.64/4.0, 2.80/4.3, 2.91/4.5 or 3.23/5.0. Language requirements vary by university; TOPIK provides selection bonus points, not an automatic award.
Fall 2026 recruitment is closed. Online deadline: March 6, 2026, 16:00 KST; original documents had to arrive by March 25. Both submissions were required. No 2027 schedule has been confirmed.
Up to two years, renewed every six months. Maintain full-time study at the selected graduate school and a semester average of at least 80. Other scholarships (except compensation-based awards), changing programme or major, and interruption of study can suspend support.