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GKS Scholarship for Costa Rica students.

Each year, Costa Rica is allocated 4 graduate Global Korea Scholarship places on the embassy track, for master's and PhD study. GKS is the Korean government's fully funded scholarship, and Costa Rica is a partner country.

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Undergraduate embassy places
4
Graduate embassy places
2
Graduate university places (1 general + 1 R-GKS)

Source: 2026 GKS-U Application Guidelines, 3. Program Quota, Embassy Track (p. 4) and 2026 GKS-G Application Guidelines, Program Quota (pp. 6 to 8), published by NIIED. Compare all countries and download the dataset.

How Costa Rica students apply

There are two tracks. On the embassy track, you apply through the Korean embassy in Costa Rica, which screens candidates against Costa Rica's quota above and recommends them to NIIED. On the university track, you apply directly to a single Korean university. Which one fits you, and the trade-offs, are in the embassy vs university track guide.

The eligibility rules (citizenship, age, and GPA), the document set, and the month-by-month timeline are the same for every country. Work through them here: eligibility, documents, and the application timeline.

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Frequently asked questions

How many GKS scholarships does Costa Rica get?
Costa Rica has no undergraduate embassy-track allocation in the 2026 guidelines, but the undergraduate UIC university-track program is open to applicants from any country. On the graduate embassy track, Costa Rica is allocated 4 places across master's and PhD study. The graduate university track adds 2 places for Costa Rica (General 1, R-GKS 1). These quotas are set per country in the official guidelines; a few strands, like the undergraduate UIC program and the graduate Research program, are open to all countries instead.
Can students from Costa Rica apply for the Global Korea Scholarship?
Yes. Costa Rica is a GKS partner country for the graduate scholarship (GKS-G), through the Korean embassy in Costa Rica or directly to a Korean university. At the undergraduate level, Costa Rica has no embassy-track quota in the 2026 guidelines, but the UIC university-track program accepts applicants from any country.
Do students from Costa Rica need to speak Korean to apply for GKS?
No. GKS includes a funded year of Korean language study before your degree begins, so you can apply with no Korean. You only need to reach TOPIK Level 3 during that year to move on to your degree, and holding TOPIK at application time adds points.
What does the GKS scholarship cover for Costa Rica students?
GKS is fully funded: it covers tuition, a monthly living stipend, round-trip airfare, a funded year of Korean, plus settlement and completion grants and health insurance. The exact amounts are set each year in the official guidelines.
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