Scholarships and Fellowships in Korea That Restrict Paid Work
These award terms explicitly require recipients to be unemployed or prohibit paid work during the funded period. A full-time study label alone is not treated as a work ban. Scholarship conditions are also separate from Korean immigration permission: satisfying one does not override the other.
2 programmes from the published database. Application status as of 2026-10-20 (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.
Gyeongsang National University · Jinju / Tongyeong
Graduate Full-Time Scholarship · GNU
Master; PhD; Integrated
Full tuition in semester 1 · 70% tuition from semester 2
Full-time, unemployed students; previous degree obtained within five years before admission; advisor recommendation; research/teaching obligations; previous-semester GPA 3.0+ for continuing students. No concurrent tuition scholarships.
Application dates are not listed for this policy. Check the official announcement for a new call.
Official source ↗· Full-Time Scholarship conditions and tiering from 2026; BK21 eligibility and benefits
Source checked:
Later semesters and re-application
The rate changes from 100% in semester 1 to 70% from semester 2. Continue full-time study without employment, obtain advisor recommendation, fulfill department obligations and previous-semester GPA 3.0+. From semester 3, department continuation criteria also apply; selection is repeated.
Government scholarshipMaster;PhD;ResearchResearch fellowship
AKS Graduate Fellowship
The Academy of Korean Studies · Graduate School of Korean Studies
KRW 750,000 per month for six months; free on-campus dormitory and Korean language courses. Economy return airfare reimbursed at actual cost within the city ceiling, capped at KRW 2,088,000 per person.
As of September 1, 2026: enrolled in a master’s or doctoral programme at an overseas university, or master’s coursework completed with dissertation pending. Doctoral ABD applicants are ineligible. Research must concern Korea/Korean studies. Foreign nationals qualify; Korean nationals must have completed all equivalent primary, secondary and university education outside Korea. Previous AKS Graduate Fellows cannot reapply. Korean proficiency is preferred; no minimum TOPIK/English score is stated. No parental-nationality requirement is stated. This is a non-degree research visit in Korea, not tuition support for enrollment in a Korean degree.
The 2026 call is closed: online application April 27, 2026, 10:00–May 8, 17:00 KST through gradaks.recruiter.co.kr. Name an AKS academic advisor. Upload application, personal statement, research plan, degree/enrollment/coursework certificates, transcripts, passport and photo; valid language certificates are optional. The home-university advisor must email a recommendation from their own account within the same application period. Documents must be Korean or English, or accompanied by notarized translations. Selected fellows submit original documents by post. Up to five fellows; no selection if none qualifies. Insurance is advised at the fellow’s own cost. Final report minimum: 16,000 Korean characters or 5,000 English words, excluding bibliography. Obtain prior approval for exceptional overseas conference travel, acknowledge AKS in publications and provide return-ticket details. No later call dates are announced here.
September 1, 2026–February 28, 2027; no extension. Select an AKS advisor and complete at least one advisor-taught course or independent study with a successful grade. Present findings, submit a final thesis/report and proof of stay in Korea; complete obligations at least two weeks before departure. Academic-status proof was due September 21. Paid work and registration at another Korean institution are prohibited. Delayed arrival, early departure or time abroad reduces the stipend by KRW 25,000 per day. Airfare is paid after completing obligations; certain cases receive one-way fares only. Unsuccessful courses or missing reports/presentations can remove airfare; false information or non-compliance can revoke support and require repayment.