Guide
GKS-U eligibility and requirements
Before you spend a month on documents, spend ten minutes here. These are the hard rules for the GKS undergraduate scholarship: citizenship, age, grades, and the restrictions that quietly rule people out.
This guide covers the eligibility rules for GKS-U, the undergraduate stream of the Global Korea Scholarship. For the program overview, start with the GKS-U complete guide. The rules below are based on the most recent official guidelines from NIIED; confirm the exact figures in the current year's guidelines, since they are reissued each cycle.
- Citizenship: you and your parents must hold citizenship of a GKS-invited country, and none of you may hold Korean citizenship. (The UIC program is open to all countries.)
- Age: you must be under 25. The exact birthdate cutoff shifts by one year every cycle.
- Education: you must have graduated, or expect to graduate, from high school (or an associate program, for the bachelor's track). If you already hold a bachelor's degree, you cannot apply.
- Grades: your cumulative GPA must clear the cutoff, roughly the top 20 percent or an 80 percent average. The exact thresholds and a conversion table are below.
- Restrictions: graduates of Korean high schools (including international schools in Korea) and former GKS degree scholars cannot apply.
- TOPIK: you do not need Korean to apply, but you must reach TOPIK level 3 to move from the language year into your degree.
Nationality
You must be a citizen of a country that NIIED has invited into the GKS program, and so must your parents. The critical rule: neither you nor your parents may hold Korean citizenship. If you or a parent hold dual citizenship that includes Korean, you are not eligible. If you previously held Korean citizenship, you must submit official proof that you renounced it.
Level of education
- The bachelor's program is for applicants who graduated, or expect to graduate, from a high school or an associate degree program.
- The associate program is for applicants who graduated, or expect to graduate, from high school.
- Applicants who already hold a bachelor's degree cannot apply to GKS-U. If you want a second degree at a higher level, that is the graduate stream.
If you are still in your final year, you apply with a certificate of expected graduation, then submit your final graduation certificate and transcript by the deadline NIIED sets (the most recent cycle required it by December 31). A provisional certificate that does not show a graduation date is treated as an expected-graduation certificate.
Age
You must be under 25 years of age. The cutoff is expressed as a birthdate and moves forward one year each cycle (for example, the most recent cycle required applicants to be born on or after March 1, 2001). Check the current guidelines for the exact date that applies to you.
Grades
Your cumulative grade point average (CGPA) over your whole previous program must meet one of these two conditions:
- A score in the 80th percentile or above on a 100-point scale, or ranked in the top 20 percent of your class, or
- A CGPA at or above the cutoff on a recognized scale:
| GPA scale | Minimum CGPA |
|---|---|
| 4.0 | 2.64 |
| 4.3 | 2.80 |
| 4.5 | 2.91 |
| 5.0 | 3.23 |
| 100-point | 80 |
If your transcript uses a scale GKS does not list, or shows no CGPA, you must submit an official document from your school describing its grading system and a converted grade your school confirms. A grade you convert yourself on a website is only accepted if your school officially authenticates it.
GPA conversion table
GKS publishes an official conversion table between the accepted scales and the 100-point scale. Use it to see where your GPA lands. (This is the official table from the guidelines; your own institution's authenticated conversion takes priority if it differs.)
| 4.0 scale | 4.3 scale | 4.5 scale | 5.0 scale | 100-point |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.97 - 4.0 | 4.26 - 4.3 | 4.46 - 4.5 | 4.95 - 5.00 | 100 |
| 3.92 - 3.96 | 4.22 - 4.25 | 4.41 - 4.45 | 4.90 - 4.94 | 99 |
| 3.88 - 3.91 | 4.17 - 4.21 | 4.36 - 4.40 | 4.84 - 4.89 | 98 |
| 3.84 - 3.87 | 4.12 - 4.16 | 4.31 - 4.35 | 4.79 - 4.83 | 97 |
| 3.80 - 3.83 | 4.08 - 4.11 | 4.26 - 4.30 | 4.73 - 4.78 | 96 |
| 3.75 - 3.79 | 4.03 - 4.07 | 4.21 - 4.25 | 4.68 - 4.72 | 95 |
| 3.71 - 3.74 | 3.98 - 4.02 | 4.16 - 4.20 | 4.62 - 4.67 | 94 |
| 3.67 - 3.70 | 3.93 - 3.97 | 4.11 - 4.15 | 4.57 - 4.61 | 93 |
| 3.62 - 3.66 | 3.89 - 3.92 | 4.06 - 4.10 | 4.51 - 4.56 | 92 |
| 3.58 - 3.61 | 3.84 - 3.88 | 4.01 - 4.05 | 4.45 - 4.50 | 91 |
| 3.49 - 3.57 | 3.75 - 3.83 | 3.91 - 4.00 | 4.34 - 4.44 | 90 |
| 3.41 - 3.48 | 3.65 - 3.74 | 3.81 - 3.90 | 4.23 - 4.33 | 89 |
| 3.32 - 3.40 | 3.56 - 3.64 | 3.71 - 3.80 | 4.12 - 4.22 | 88 |
| 3.24 - 3.31 | 3.46 - 3.55 | 3.61 - 3.70 | 4.01 - 4.11 | 87 |
| 3.15 - 3.23 | 3.37 - 3.45 | 3.51 - 3.60 | 3.90 - 4.00 | 86 |
| 3.07 - 3.14 | 3.27 - 3.36 | 3.41 - 3.50 | 3.79 - 3.89 | 85 |
| 2.98 - 3.06 | 3.18 - 3.26 | 3.31 - 3.40 | 3.68 - 3.78 | 84 |
| 2.90 - 2.97 | 3.09 - 3.17 | 3.21 - 3.30 | 3.57 - 3.67 | 83 |
| 2.81 - 2.89 | 2.99 - 3.08 | 3.11 - 3.20 | 3.45 - 3.56 | 82 |
| 2.72 - 2.80 | 2.90 - 2.98 | 3.01 - 3.10 | 3.34 - 3.44 | 81 |
| 2.64 - 2.71 | 2.80 - 2.89 | 2.91 - 3.00 | 3.23 - 3.33 | 80 |
Health and conduct
You must be in good mental and physical health to study in Korea for the full program, and have no grounds for disqualification from overseas travel (for example, a relevant criminal record).
Restrictions: who cannot apply
These quietly rule people out, so read them carefully:
- Anyone who graduated, or expects to graduate, from a Korean high school (including international schools in Korea) or a Korean associate degree program.
- Anyone who completed an online curriculum run by a Korean school or university, or who is currently in their final year at a Korean high school or university.
- Former GKS degree scholars, and anyone who received a degree-program scholarship from the Korean government before. (A previous GKS non-degree exchange scholar, or IRTS Korean-language scholar, can apply.)
- Anyone who withdrew or was disqualified from GKS after being selected within the last three years.
The TOPIK rule
You do not need any Korean to apply. But every scholar must reach TOPIK level 3 during the funded language year to move on to the degree, and some departments require level 4. Holding TOPIK level 3 or above at application time also earns extra points in selection, which we cover in the benefits guide and the complete guide.
What to do next
- Run the KoreaAdmit quiz to check your profile against GKS-U and other scholarships.
- If you qualify, read the embassy track vs university track guide to choose your route.
- Then build your documents and map the timeline.