Everything you have to prepare, in one place.
The documents and steps that decide a Korean university application, in the order you should tackle them. Each one links to the full guide we wrote from the official admission guidelines. Application tracking and writing help are coming next; this is where they will live.
Start here
Before the paperwork, get the shape of it: the two ways in, and which one fits you.
The documents you are judged on
Grades open the door. These two documents decide who walks through it. They are written in your own words, and they are where a strong applicant pulls ahead.
Statement of purpose
Why this field, why Korea, why you. What admissions committees and scholarship reviewers actually reward, section by section, and the mistakes that sink otherwise strong candidates.
Study plan
The companion document to your statement: what you intend to study, how, and what you will do after. Today it is covered in the same guide as the statement of purpose, since reviewers read the two together.
Supporting documents
The paperwork that proves your record. Most applications stall here, not on grades, because these take the longest and cannot be rushed at the end.
The document checklist
Every certificate, transcript, and form a Korean university or scholarship asks for, what each one is, and how early to start it.
Apostille and certified translation
The single step that stalls the most applications: authenticating your diploma and transcripts, in the right order, with the country-by-country rules that trip people up.
Recommendation letters
Who to ask, how to ask so they say yes, and how to brief your recommender so the letter is specific and credible instead of generic.
Timeline and deadlines
Most applicants miss deadlines, not cutoffs. Work backward from the day you want to start.
Applying through GKS
If you are going for the Global Korea Scholarship, the process has its own forms, deadlines, and an interview. Start with the pillar guide, then the pieces below.
GKS, start to finish
The full Global Korea Scholarship walkthrough for undergraduates: tracks, eligibility, benefits, and how the application unfolds.
GKS-U documents
The forms, certificates, and apostille requirements specific to the undergraduate GKS application.
GKS-G documents
The graduate version: forms, research plan, and recommendations that the GKS-G application asks for.
The GKS interview
If you reach the interview, you are close. The common questions, how the embassy and university tracks differ, and how to practice without sounding rehearsed.
Not sure which universities to aim for yet?
Browse the directory of universities open to international students, then come back here to prepare your application.