Scholarships Where TOPIK Is a Bonus, Preference or Review Factor in Korea
A TOPIK score can help selection without being a universal scholarship minimum. These reviewed routes use TOPIK as additional points, favorable consideration or one element of holistic review. They are not interchangeable: the AKS exception applies only to Korean Cultural Studies, the Catholic University award gives zero language points below TOPIK 4 without disqualifying the applicant, and admission language rules remain separate. A blank score field is never treated as proof that TOPIK is unnecessary.
4 programmes from the published database. Application status as of 2026-11-03 (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.
Design Lab Seoul International Student Scholarship 2026
For currently enrolled CUK undergraduates from Mongolia, Myanmar, Yemen, Uzbekistan or India with CUK grades from the preceding semester. Students on leave and those newly admitted or transferred in Fall 2026 are excluded. Selection is competitive: TOPIK and overall GPA each contribute 50 points; TOPIK below level 4 or no TOPIK earns zero points, but does not disqualify. One highest-scoring applicant per country is selected. Recipients must attend the December 2026 ceremony and submit a thank-you letter.
Undergraduate
KRW 1,000,000 living allowance
For currently enrolled CUK undergraduates from Mongolia, Myanmar, Yemen, Uzbekistan or India with CUK grades from the preceding semester. Students on leave and those newly admitted or transferred in Fall 2026 are excluded. Selection is competitive: TOPIK and overall GPA each contribute 50 points; TOPIK below level 4 or no TOPIK earns zero points, but does not disqualify. One highest-scoring applicant per country is selected. Recipients must attend the December 2026 ceremony and submit a thank-you letter.
Currently enrolled eligible nationalities
Eligible nationalities: Mongolia, Myanmar (Burma), Yemen, Uzbekistan, India
Open Fall 2026 · Scholarship application deadline: 2026-11-06 KST · 17:00 KST
Email the signed application and consent forms, with TOPIK certificate if level 4 or higher, or submit in person to K340 Global Student Support Team.
One-off living-cost award in December 2026. Ceremony attendance and a thank-you letter are required of selected students; no automatic renewal is specified.
Top 30% by admission score; comprehensive document review including TOPIK; no separate scholarship application; external tuition awards cannot be combined.
Both parents must have non-Korean nationality
Closed Spring 2027 · Admission application · International Undergraduate Admission deadline: 2026-09-23 KST · 17:00 KST
Official source ↗· Printed pp.3–4,18–19; scholarship table and campus department contact list
Source checked:
Undergraduate
50% tuition · First semester only
Next 20% by admission score; comprehensive document review including TOPIK; no separate scholarship application; external tuition awards cannot be combined.
Both parents must have non-Korean nationality
Closed Spring 2027 · Admission application · International Undergraduate Admission deadline: 2026-09-23 KST · 17:00 KST
Official source ↗· Printed pp.3–4,18–19; scholarship table and campus department contact list
Source checked:
Later semesters and re-application
The admission scholarship covers the first semester only. Enrolled-student merit scholarships are separate college-ranking awards: top 10% full tuition; the next 20% half tuition.
AKS Degree Admission Tuition Exemption and Government Grant
The Academy of Korean Studies · Graduate School of Korean Studies
Full tuition exemption for the standard study period: two years for master’s students and three years for doctoral students. Separately, 15 new students per semester are selected for a Government Grant of KRW 800,000 per month for one year.
Foreign nationals or overseas Koreans with the required prior degree. Korean Cultural Studies is master’s only and uses the listed English-language route; TOPIK is optional and favorably considered. Other majors require TOPIK 4 or higher. The official Korean notice lists TOEFL iBT 80, IELTS Academic 6.5 and TEPS 301. No parent-nationality condition is stated.
The verified 2027 Spring call is closed. Online applications through Study in Korea ran from August 31, 2026 at 10:00 to September 18, 2026 at 17:00 KST. No later opening is inferred.
The tuition exemption continues through the stated standard study period. The Government Grant is awarded for one year; the official English notice says it may be renewed upon evaluation, but does not state the evaluation criteria. Admission or the tuition exemption does not guarantee the stipend.
Seoul Metropolitan Government · Seoul Future Foundation
Full admission and tuition fees, KRW 1,000,000 per month for living expenses, health-insurance premiums, and one one-way economy airfare reimbursement. The official 2026 guide estimated approximately KRW 20,000,000 per recipient annually and about 30 recipients.
Applicant and both parents must not hold Korean nationality. Applicant must be under 40 (born on or after January 1, 1986), hold or expect a bachelor's degree by August 31, 2026, and have academic performance of at least 80/100 or one of the listed CGPA equivalents. The award is for eligible STEM master's programmes at nine participating Seoul universities. Language requirements vary by university; TOPIK is an additional-point factor, not a universal minimum.
The 2026 call is closed. Online submission ran from December 22, 2025 to March 6, 2026 at 16:00 KST, and original postal documents were due March 25. Both online and postal submissions were required. No 2027 dates are inferred.
Renewed every six months for up to two years while the recipient remains full-time in the selected master's programme and earns an average GPA of at least 80 each semester. The guide lists payment suspensions for overlapping scholarships (except compensation-based awards), changing the graduate school, degree or major, leave or withdrawal, and unmet obligations; it states that up to two leaves of absence are allowed.
Submit the online application by March 6, 2026 at 16:00 KST and original postal documents to the Seoul Future Foundation by March 25. Both were required. The cycle is closed.
Applicant and both parents must not hold Korean nationality; applicant under 40; bachelor's degree by August 31, 2026; academic performance at least 80/100 or a listed CGPA equivalent; designated STEM master's programme at a participating Seoul university.
Full admission and tuition, KRW 1,000,000 monthly, health insurance, and one one-way economy airfare reimbursement; approximately KRW 20,000,000 annually in the 2026 guide.
Can I apply without TOPIK to every programme on this page?
No. The answer is route-specific. S275 does not disqualify an applicant without TOPIK, while AKS makes TOPIK optional only for Korean Cultural Studies and requires TOPIK 4 for its other majors. Admission rules can still be stricter than the scholarship rule.
Does TOPIK guarantee selection?
No. These programmes also evaluate grades, admission documents, research fit, nationality or other criteria. TOPIK may add points or preference but does not replace the remaining conditions.
Are the recorded calls open now?
Not all of them. Closed 2026 calls remain labelled closed; use the current official notice before applying.