Guide
GKS-U timeline and deadlines
GKS-U runs on a fixed annual rhythm. Miss the autumn window and you wait a full year. Here is the calendar, the selection rounds, and exactly what to confirm at the source.
This guide lays out the GKS undergraduate calendar. For the program overview, see the GKS-U complete guide. The months below describe the typical pattern from recent cycles; the exact dates are published in each year's guidelines, so always confirm them at the source.
- Guidelines drop in autumn, typically around September or October, on the NIIED / Study in Korea website.
- Deadlines are in October: the embassy track closes in mid-October, the university track in late October.
- The embassy track has three selection rounds; the university track has two.
- Final scholars are announced in early January, and the funded Korean language year begins the following year.
- A missed embassy round is not always the end: because the university deadline is later, embassy-track applicants who fail the first round can reapply through the university track in the same cycle.
- Start your documents before the guidelines even drop, because the apostille is the slowest step.
The annual calendar
| Stage | Embassy track | University track |
|---|---|---|
| Guidelines published | Autumn (around September / October) | Autumn (around September / October) |
| Application deadline | Mid-October | Late October |
| First-round result | Late October | Mid-to-late November |
| Documents arrive at NIIED | Mid-November | Late November |
| Second-round result | Within November | Mid-December |
| Third-round result | By late December | Not applicable (two rounds) |
| Final scholars announced | Early January | Early January |
For reference, the most recent cycle set the embassy deadline at October 17, the university deadline at October 31, and announced final scholars on January 9. Treat these as a guide, not a promise: confirm the current year's exact dates.
How the selection rounds work
- Embassy track (three rounds): the embassy reviews applications and recommends candidates to NIIED (first round), NIIED evaluates them (second round, often with an interview), and your chosen universities make the final decision (third round).
- University track (two rounds): the university reviews and recommends you (first round), then NIIED evaluates (second round).
Work backward, not forward
The single most common mistake is starting in September when the guidelines drop. By then, your apostille and translations may not finish in time. Work backward from the October deadline: shortlist over the summer, start document authentication immediately, draft your study plan and personal statement, and have everything ready before the window opens. The full document set is in the GKS-U documents guide, and the broader Korean-admissions calendar is in the application timeline guide.
What to do next
- Check the eligibility guide and the embassy vs university track guide.
- Start your documents and apostille now, whatever month it is.
- Run the KoreaAdmit quiz to line up your university shortlist.