Scholarships in South Korea – The 2027 Guide for International Students
The Korean government's Global Korea Scholarship (GKS) pays full tuition, flights, a year of Korean language training, and a living allowance for around 280 undergraduates worldwide. If you miss it, KAIST, Seoul National University, Sungkyunkwan University, and Yonsei all run their own scholarships for international students, and most of them consider you automatically when you apply for admission. For the 2027 intake, GKS applications are expected to open around September 2026.
South Korea is becoming one of the best-value places in the world to earn a top-ranked degree. And also to mention, the number of international students in South Korea is surprisingly increasing, there are now more than 310,000 international students in South Korea. Its universities rank among Asia's strongest, its graduates are recruited by the region's biggest employers, and a large share of international students here pay little or no tuition at all.
In 2026, Seoul became the world's number-one student city in the QS Best Student Cities 2026 ranking. Through the Study Korea 300K Project, the government has widened its scholarships, eased student visa rules, and given graduates longer to find work after they finish.
In this guide, you will learn available scholarships in South Korea for international students for the 2027 intake. Some scholarships cover full tuition. The most generous, such as the Global Korea Scholarship, also pay for flights, housing, insurance and a monthly allowance.
Why study in South Korea
Seoul was named the world's best student city in the QS Best Student Cities 2026 ranking, taking the top spot with a perfect score of 100 while Tokyo came second and London, first for six editions in a row, dropped to third. South Korea's capital scored well across the indicators used to compile the ranking, and it performed especially well on employer activity, which reflects how strongly both domestic and international employers rate graduates of universities in Seoul.
Types of Scholarships in South Korea
- Government scholarships: mainly the Global Korea Scholarship, funded by the Ministry of Education and run by NIIED. The most generous, and the most competitive.
- University scholarships: offered directly by the universities, often awarded automatically when you apply for admission, based on grades and sometimes language ability.
- External scholarships: such as Sungkyunkwan's Samsung-backed award, which is like a full university scholarship with its own conditions.
13 Scholarships in South Korea for the 2027 Intake
Global Korea Scholarship (GKS)
GKS, formerly known as KGSP, is the Korean government's flagship scholarship, funded by the Ministry of Education through the National Institute for International Education (NIIED). In the 2026 cycle it offered 280 undergraduate places worldwide, with 150 selected through Korean embassies and 130 through partner universities, and the 2027 cycle is expected to follow the same structure.
The scholarship includes:
- Full tuition, where NIIED pays up to 5 million KRW per semester and your university waives anything above it, plus the admission fee
- A living allowance of 12,840,000 KRW per year during the language year and 13,680,000 KRW per year during your degree, roughly US$9,900 a year, which is an all-inclusive amount covering living costs, health insurance, settlement support, TOPIK fees, and a completion grant
- A one-year Korean language program worth 5.2 million KRW, taken before your degree begins
- One round-trip economy flight ticket
You can check more details here.
Seoul National University (SNU) Scholarships
SNU is South Korea's #1 university, ranked 38th in the world in QS 2027. According to their official scholarship page, the main award you apply for before admission is GKS itself, plus the Overseas Koreans Scholarship for students of Korean heritage abroad, which covers tuition for up to 8 semesters and monthly living costs (SNU lists 900,000 KRW, but confirm the current amount). More options open after you enroll, so if you miss GKS, plan to pay for your first year and then compete for internal scholarships with your grades.
Yonsei University Scholarships
Yonsei, #2 in South Korea and 42nd worldwide in QS 2027, is one of the three SKY universities. Its Underwood International College (UIC) teaches in English, and its Admissions Scholarship covers full tuition for 4 years. Every international applicant is considered automatically, winners are picked on academic records, and the offer arrives inside your admission packet, with a GPA condition each semester to keep it. If you enroll without it, UIC also runs merit and need-based scholarships each semester covering the full, half, or one-third of tuition.
Korea University Scholarships
Korea University, third of the SKY trio and #3 in South Korea in QS 2027, decides scholarships as part of your admission application, with no separate form. Entering international students are reviewed through the Office of International Affairs, and enrolled students compete each semester for more awards based on grades. The details change with each intake, so download the current admission guide from the OIA site before you apply.
KAIST Scholarships
KAIST in Daejeon, #4 in South Korea and 65th worldwide in QS 2027, offers undergraduate programs in English. There is no separate scholarship form: you select KAIST Scholarship inside the admission application itself. It covers full tuition for 8 semesters, 350,000 KRW a month, and health insurance, and you keep it after your first year with a GPA of 2.7 out of 4.3, one of the easier bars in Korea.
You can check more details here.
Pohang University of Science And Technology (POSTECH) Scholarships
POSTECH in Pohang, #5 in South Korea and 106th worldwide in QS 2027. Every student admitted through the international track gets a full tuition scholarship, and it runs for all 8 semesters if you keep passing enough credits with the required grades. On top of tuition, international students are eligible for a settlement grant, a living allowance, work-study jobs, and a Korean language scholarship.
Sungkyunkwan University (SKKU) - 5 Scholarships
SKKU, #6 in South Korea and 108th worldwide in QS 2027, has been run by the Samsung Foundation since 1996, and offer six scholarships for international undergraduates:
- Admission scholarships
- Scholarship for Excellent Korean Language Professionals
- Scholarship for Excellent English Language Professionals
- Merit-Based Scholarships
- Samsung Global Sungkyun Scholarship for International Students
- SKKU Global Leader Scholarship
Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST) Scholarships
UNIST in Ulsan gives every international undergraduate a full tuition waiver in the first semester, and after that it follows your grades: a GPA of 2.0 keeps it through freshman year, and from second year you need 3.1 for a full waiver or 2.7 for half, per the official scholarship page. Olympiad medalists get the Global UNISTAR Scholarship of 630,000 KRW a month (gold) or 330,000 KRW (silver), other students get a dream scholarship of 130,000 KRW a month, and every new arrival gets one-time aid of 500,000 KRW.
Hanyang University Scholarships
Hanyang, #7 in South Korea and 155th worldwide in QS 2027, rewards students after arriving. The Hanyang International Excellence Awards cut tuition by 30, 50, or 70 percent for a semester, decided through documents and an interview each March and September, and you need a TOPIK certificate plus a GPA of 3.0 or higher to apply. Students on GKS or another outside scholarship are excluded, so this is the route for self-funded students lowering their costs each term.
Kyung Hee University Scholarships
Kyung Hee, with campuses in Seoul and Yongin, has one of the widest admission scholarship options in South Korea, and most awards arrive with your acceptance letter. The top student in each college gets full first-semester tuition, TOPIK level 6 gets full and level 5 gets half, and the SDGs Scholarship gives students from lower income countries, and students with refugee status in Korea, full tuition for up to 4 years if conditions are met.
Sogang University Scholarships
Sogang University offers admission scholarships to international undergraduates based on admission results and language skills, with reported levels at the full, half, or a quarter of tuition and the admission fee. The exact levels are set in each year's admission guidelines, so download the current guide from Sogang admissions before applying. The widely shared Sogang GSIS scholarships of 25 to 100 percent belong to its Graduate School of International Studies.
Konkuk University Scholarships
Konkuk in Seoul is worth knowing mainly as a GKS partner that adds its own extras on top of the government package. GKS scholars at Konkuk get a guaranteed dormitory place with housing support of up to 200,000 KRW a month, a one-to-one student mentor, and Korean culture programs. Outside GKS, Konkuk offers tuition cuts for enrolled international students based on grades and TOPIK level.
You can check more details here.
Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST) Scholarships
The Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST) admits international undergraduates through its own admissions track, and like KAIST and POSTECH it is a government-backed science institute where financial support is part of the model. GIST offer full ride scholarship to international students.
Next Steps for the 2027 Intake
If you are aiming for September 2027, your working timeline starts now: gather transcripts and passports over the coming months, request recommendation letters by mid-2026, and be ready when GKS opens around September 2026. University admission rounds for KAIST, SKKU, and Yonsei run on their own calendars, so confirm each deadline on the official pages linked above.
You can browse scholarships on Global Admissions, read our full GKS application guide, or create a free account to get deadline updates for South Korean universities sent to you before the 2027 cycle opens. You can also book a call with our student advisor for comprehensive guidance here.
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Angel is from the Philippines and is responsible for a wide range of tasks at Global Admissions to help students achieve their dreams. She is focused on boosting the company's growth presence, writing articles, and assisting with applicant screening.
