Guide
Fully Funded Scholarships in Korea for International Students (2027)
Everyone has heard of GKS. Far fewer applicants know that university and corporate scholarships, in aggregate, fund more international students than GKS does. Here is the wider map.
A fully funded scholarship covers tuition and gives you enough to live on, so you can complete your degree without family money or a part-time job. Korea has more of these than most applicants realize. They fall into three groups: government, university, and corporate or foundation awards.
- Three sources of funding: the government (GKS), individual universities, and companies or foundations.
- GKS is the largest single award, but university scholarships collectively fund more international students.
- Science and tech institutes like KAIST and POSTECH fund most international students generously and teach in English.
- Apply to several. The biggest mistake is betting everything on GKS. You can hold a university offer and apply for GKS at the same time.
- Match first, then apply. Eligibility varies a lot by nationality, field, and degree level, so filter before you write essays.
1. Government scholarships
The Global Korea Scholarship (GKS) is the flagship. It is run by the Korean Ministry of Education and covers tuition, a monthly stipend, airfare, insurance, and a year of Korean lessons, for both undergraduate and graduate students. It is the most generous single award in the country and also one of the most competitive.
If GKS is on your list, read our dedicated walkthrough first: Global Korea Scholarship (GKS): eligibility, benefits, and how to apply.
2. University scholarships
This is the category most applicants underuse. Many Korean universities waive part or all of tuition for strong international applicants automatically, based on your admission file, with no separate essay. Others run named, fully funded awards. A few worth knowing:
- KAIST International Student Scholarship and POSTECH Global Scholarship. Korea's two leading science and technology institutes teach in English and fund international students generously, often covering tuition plus a stipend.
- SNU President Fellowship. A competitive, high-value award at Seoul National University.
- Yonsei, Korea University, Hanyang, Sungkyunkwan, and Ewha all run their own international scholarship schemes, ranging from partial tuition waivers to full rides.
The cleanest way to see what each school offers, and whether it is full or partial, is our filterable scholarships index and the per-university pages in the universities directory.
3. Corporate and foundation scholarships
Korean companies and foundations fund international students, often with a focus on particular regions or fields.
- POSCO Asia Fellowship (POSCO TJ Park Foundation).
- Hyundai Motor Chung Mong-Koo Global Scholarship.
- Samsung Global Sungkyun Scholarship (Samsung, with Sungkyunkwan University).
These can be extremely generous, but they tend to have narrower eligibility, so read each one's nationality and field rules carefully.
How the categories compare
| Source | Examples | Typical coverage | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Government | GKS / KGSP | Tuition, stipend, airfare, Korean year | Applicants who fit the age and grade cutoffs |
| University | KAIST, POSTECH, SNU, Yonsei, Korea U | Tuition waiver to full ride | Strong students set on a specific school |
| Corporate / foundation | POSCO, Hyundai, Samsung | Often full, sometimes plus stipend | Specific regions or fields |
How to find the ones you actually qualify for
Scholarship eligibility in Korea turns on a few variables: your nationality, your field of study, your degree level, your grades, and sometimes your financial need. Reading every program page by hand is slow and demoralizing.
- Filter first. Run the free KoreaAdmit quiz. It matches your profile against current awards so you only spend time on scholarships you can actually win.
- Shortlist three to five. A realistic shortlist beats a scattergun. Include at least one university scholarship, not just GKS.
- Track deadlines in one place. University and corporate deadlines do not line up with the GKS calendar.
- Reuse your materials. A strong study plan and personal statement can be adapted across applications, which is how funded students apply to several without burning out.
What to do next
- Take the quiz to get a personalized list of scholarships you qualify for.
- Browse the full scholarships index and the universities directory.
- If GKS is your priority, go deep with the GKS guide.
- New to the whole process? Start with How to Study in Korea.