Korean Government Scholarship 2016

1. Nationality

• Applicants and their parents must hold foreign citizenship.
• Korean citizens, including those who hold dual citizenship, are NOT eligible to apply.
• Applicants and their parents who had previously held Korean citizenship must submit the document of the renunciation of their Korean citizenship.

2. Age
 Applicants must be under 40 years of age as of September 1, 2016 (born after September 1, 1976).
3. Degree Requirements

• Applicants must hold a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree as of August 31, 2016.
• A Bachelor’s degree, or a diploma equivalent to or higher than a Bachelor’s degree, is required for a Master’s program applicant.
• A Master’s degree, or a diploma equivalent to or higher than a Master’s degree, is required for a Doctoral program applicant.
• An Applicant who is expected to obtain the official diploma by August 31, 2016 must submit a certificate of expected degree at the time of applying. The official diploma must be submitted as soon as it is issued by the applicant’s alma mater.
• Applicants who have completed a degree, Bachelor’s, Master’s or Doctoral, in Korea are NOT eligible to apply.
• Applicants who have been enrolled at Korean universities as exchange students are eligible to apply.
• A KGSP scholar who graduated or are expected to graduate as of August 31, 2016 is eligible to apply under the following conditions:
• He/ she is allowed to apply only via Embassy Track; and
• The re-application is allowed only once.

4. Grades

• Applicants must maintain a grade point average (GPA) higher than any ONE of the followings:
• 2.64 on a 4.0 scale;
• 2.80 on a 4.3 scale;
• 2.91 on a 4.5 scale; or
• Score percentile: 80%
• Please refer to the Appendix A for the GPA conversion table.
• Applications with GPA below the threshold above will be automatically disqualified and discarded.
• It is required to submit an official document issued by the applicant’s alma mater describing the university’s evaluation system as well as the applicant’s academic achievement in any ONE of the following cases:
• An applicant’s transcript does not include information on GPA, marks or score percentile; or
• The grades on an applicant’s transcript are difficult to be converted into any one of the GPA criteria mentioned above. 

5. Health

• Applicants must be in good health, both mentally and physically, to stay in Korea for an extended period of time.
• Applicants must submit the Personal Medical Assessment, or Form 6, at the time of applying.
• All applicants who pass the 2nd round of selection must submit the results of the Comprehensive Medical Examination conducted by a licensed physician or a doctor.
• All of the following persons will be disqualified and their scholarships will be canceled:
• Applicants who are tested HIV and drug positive; and
• Applicants with serious health concerns to an extent that they are unable to pursue their studies for an extended period of time in Korea.
• Applicants with disability who meet the above criteria are eligible to apply.
• Those who are in pregnancy are NOT eligible to apply.

6. Restrictions
 Those who had withdrew from the scholarship after being selected as KGSP grantees in previous years are NOT eligible to apply.

7. Preferred Qualities

• Applicants with certified scores on their proficiency in Korean or in English might be given preference. Some examples include the following:
• Proficiency in Korean: TOPIK (Test of Proficiency in Korean)
• Proficiency in English: TOEFL, TOEIC, or IELTS Academic
• Applicants in the field of natural science, technology, and engineering might be given preference.
• Applicants for the majors under the Industrial Professionals Training Project (산업전문인력 역량강화사업) of the government of Korea might be given preference.
• The faculty members at a higher education institution from countries that receive Korea’s Official Development Assistance (ODA) might be given preference.
• Descendants of the Korean War veterans receive additional 5% of the total marks during the selection reviews. 

Application can be done by post.

Application Submission

1. Applicants must apply for the Korean Government Scholarship Program via either the Embassy Track or the University Track.
2. Institutions accepting applications
3. 117 Embassies of the Republic of Korea: At some embassies, the Korean Education Center or the Korean Cultural Center is the department in charge of accepting and reviewing the KGSP applications.
4. Contacting the embassy to inquire on the department in charge is strongly recommended.
5. 66 Universities in Korea
6. The application submitted to more than ONE institution above, will be automatically disqualified and discarded.
7. Those who apply as overseas Korean adoptees must apply through the Korean Embassy in their home countries. Only those from the selected 12 countries (see the table in the section II-1-(2)) are eligible to apply under this option.
8. KGSP alumni are eligible to apply through the Embassy Track only.
9. Applicants from China must submit their applications to the China Scholarship Council, in accordance with the agreement between the government of Korea and the government of China.
10. Applicants from the Czech Republic must submit their applications to the Ministry of Education of the Czech Republic, in accordance with the agreement between the government of Korea and the government of the Czech Republic.