With the increasing popularity of South Korea in recent years more people want to experience the life in this country. Especially, getting a chance to study in South Korea has become a dream of the majority. However, studying in Korea is not a cheap luxury considering relatively high prices in the country as well as high tuition fees. Therefore, a great number of students decide to pursue their education in Korea with scholarship provided by the Korean Government. These scholarships usually cover tuition fees and monthly allowances, thus, it is a great opportunity for students desiring to get their education in Korea.
This article gives a detailed information about the best and most popular scholarship program and provides 7 pieces of advice for those who want to win it. Here we go:
Global Korean Scholarship (GKS).
First and foremost, Global Korea Scholarship is the most popular option among foreign students. GKS, previously called KGSP (Korea Government Scholarship Program), is provided by Ministry of Education in South - NIIED (National Institute for International Education. The program has a specific certain requirements and benefits. Let us dive deep into this and discuss each of them.
The process:
The whole process includes 3 rounds of selection. The dates of application are different for Bachelor's Degree and for Master's/Doctoral degree. The application starts in October (Bachelor's) and in February (Master's/Doctoral) each year. Certain dates differ by country and can be checked on the official website of the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in each country. What's more, the quota for applicants also varies by countries and can be checked by downloading the GKS application information file in the website studyinkorea.go.kr.
There are two possible tracks for application: Embassy track and University track. Both have different processes and requirements, hence, you can choose the one that best fits your background and preferences.
Embassy track.
Round 1: After preparing all the necessary documents which will be discussed later, you prepare four folders (one with original documents for Embassy and three with document copies for three universities you want to apply in Korea) and submit it to the local Korean embassy by a designated time. Embassy implements document screening and choses most suitable candidates. The candidates who passed the document screening are invited to the interview at embassy. Candidates who successfully pass the interview move to the second round.
Round 2: The NIIED Selection Committee conducts the 2nd round of selection among successful candidates recommended by embassy. However, if the applicant passed the first round of embassy selection, there is a high probability that NIIED will also select him/her.
Round 3. The applications of the 2nd round successful candidates will be reviewed by three universities (that applicants initially chose) for admission. The universities might conduct interviews with applicants before making the final decision or they might accept or reject without interviews.
University track.
Round 1: Applicants choose only one university in South Korea and send hard copies of their documents by post to the university by the designated time which could bee checked on the official website of university. After document screening university conducts interviews with selected candidates. The interviews are usually conducted either by videocall (most probably) or by phone call (can also be). Successful applicant move on to the second round.
Round 2: This is the final round for university track applicants. The NIIED Selection Committee conducts the second round of selection among successful candidates recommended by universities. Here, however, NIIED is stricter in selection process and will reject a number of applicants because quite a lot of students usually pass the first round. Successful candidates are ultimate scholarship winners.
Now, lets discuss the required documents you need to prepare. You can download the whole list from the website studyinkorea.go.kr. Some of them are identity related documents, others play a vital role in the selection process. Those are: Personal Statement, Statement of Purpose and Recommendation Letter. Language certificates are optional, however, it is highly advised to get a high level certificate of the language that you will be studying in. Usually it is TOPIK for Korean language, IELTS/TOEFL/TOEIC for English language. Additional certifications, achievements will contribute to you selection chances, especially if they are related with the major you will be studying.
Now, we move on to the most interesting part.
Benefits of GKS Scholarship:
1. Round-trip Airfare.
2. 1,000,000 KRW of monthly allowance.
3. 210,000-240,000 KRW of yearly research fee.
4. Monthly medical insurance fee.
5. 1 year of Korean language course (for those who do not hold Topik level 5 or 6).
6. Additional 100,000 KRW of TOPIK fee (for those who hold valid Topik level 5 or 6).
7 pieces of advice from a successful candidate.
1. Enhance your major-specific knowledge.
I recommend to take as many online courses related to the major you want to study as possible. Korea wants to choose not the students who will come to Korea to study everything from scratch, but those, who already know a lot about the major they will pursue. Therefore, having a number of major-specific certificates will contribute a lot to your chances to be accepted. I can recommend platforms such as Coursera or Udemy for online education. You can consider other options too.
2. Give them details.
You have to be specific enough in your letters as well as during the interview. You should show them that you already know exactly what are your future plans and how education in Korea will assist you in implementing them. Show your clear purpose, detailed plans. They provide a huge scholarship, that's why they will give it to those who are clearly aware of what they want from life rather than those who simple want "to study in Korea".
3. Do not mention the soft power.
99% you will be asked why you decided to study in Korea. You might be a huge K-POP fan or K-drama lover, but it is not a good idea to provide this as a reason. There are millions of Korea fans over the world, so it is absolutely not a good reason to give. You can mention your interest in overall Korean culture, but definitely mention economic developement of Korea and other specific reasons why Korea's education will help you in implementing your future goals. Wanting to marry a Korean is obviously not a good reason either.
4. Prepare for interview in advance.
There are bunch of videos on YouTube about questions you will probably be asked during the interview. I strongly recommend to check them out, write down all possible questions and prepare answers beforehand. Then, it is helpful to imitate the real interview with someone who will ask you those questions and you will try to answer. Record the video of the whole process, watch it and define your weaknesses and work on them. Do this until you are satisfied with your performance.
5. Appearance and confidence is crucial.
When you have your interview, make sure you look good enough. Strict outfit, tidy hair and smile on your face are essential. No matter how much you are worried, do not show this to them. Look confident, keep eye contact and do not mumble when you answer the questions. You should make them feel that you know your worth and you are the one they are looking for.
6. Personal move from me.
If you speak both English and Korean languages, show this in your letters. What I mean is, write your personal statement in English and statement of purpose in Korean, or vice versa. This will show them that you are actually fluent in both languages. However, if you do not speak both, I do not recommend to do this. We do not know if they test it during the interview.
7. Scientific / Research Paper.
This is a secret move that not many people know about. Most of the candidates do not have any published papers in scientific journals. For students applying for Master's degree od Doctoral degree, it is of an enormous help. It is not easy to publish an article in academic journal, but if you manage to, you will significantly increase your chances.
As a successful candidate of GKS Embassy track, I recommend to start preparing for this program as soon as possible and start the document preparation at least 6-12 months before the start of application. There is an immensely high competition for this scholarship, so you better do your best. Good luck!
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