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Many great things come from South Korea: Samsung, the Korean wave, self-driving cars, and kimchi, just to name a few.
The country even earned their first Nobel Prize for Literature in 2024 from author Han Kang, making her the first Asian woman to receive this high honour.
With much to see and gain from time well spent in this East Asian country, it’s no surprise that South Korea’s international student population has jumped 10-fold in the past two decades.
Better yet, the country’s capital city, Seoul, ranked third on the QS Best Student Cities 2025 list, so there’s no time like now to join in on the fun, especially with some financial help.
The best scholarships in South Korea for international students:
South Korea has been a hit with international students thanks to its varied offerings, and with these scholarships in South Korea, you’re bound to find something affordable for you. Source: AFP
Global Korea Scholarship
Available for both undergraduate and postgraduate programmes, the Global Korea Scholarship (GKS) is one of the most popular fully-funded scholarships in South Korea that international students can opt for.
The scholarship covers airfare and tuition and provides a monthly stipend of over 1,000,000 South Korean won (US$685) with other incentives, including full medical insurance, research allowance, Korean proficiency grant, the TOPIK Exam Fee, and more.
Enrollees are required to take one year of Korean language training courses.
To apply, your parents must be citizens of their country of origin (and obviously not Korean), be under 25 years of age for undergraduate studies and under 40 for graduate studies. A grade point average of above 80% (GPA) and a bachelor’s or master’s degree is necessary upon date of arrival.
With one of these scholarships in South Korea under your belt, you’ll be able to thoroughly enjoy South Korea’s performance arts scene with less financial worry. Source: AFP
Korea National University of Arts, Art Major Asian plus Scholarship
Those inclined towards the performance arts shouldn’t miss out on the Korea National University of Arts‘s (K-Arts) Art Major Asian plus (AMA+) Scholarship. This artist human resource development programme aims to promote the development of genuine artists and enhancement of art education in developing countries.
The scholarship covers a two-way airfare to and from South Korea, a full tuition waiver, a monthly allowance of 800,000 won (US$548), a six-month intensive Korean language training, health insurance, and more.
Eligible applicants and their parents must be citizens from official development assistance (ODA) recipient countries, completed or be expected to have completed secondary education or a bachelor’s degree programme prior to admission to K-Arts. You will also have to meet the required Korean proficiency level that each department sets when applying.
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Korea University Scholarships
Over 70% of programmes at Korea University are taught entirely in English, easily making them one of the top Korean universities for international students.
You could join their close to 2,000-strong international student body easily with the university’s various scholarships. The Global Leader Scholarship offers eligible incoming students who can maintain a GPA of 3.0 or higher in their first semester a half-tuition waiver, and those who maintain a 3.5 GPA or higher a full-tuition waiver fee for two semesters.
It doesn’t end there too. For continuing students, you get to enjoy various partial or full tuition fee waivers based on your academic performance and merit.
Konkuk University Scholarships
If you’ve earned your Test of Proficiency in Korean (TOPIK) before even enrolling into Konkuk University, you’re in luck with scholarships.
The TOPIK test, which measures the Korean language proficiency of non-native speakers, is oftentimes a marker for international students to earn their financial aid in South Korean universities.
At Konkuk, those without a TOPIK level 4 can earn a 40% waiver on tuition for their first semester, while those holding TOPIK level 4 can have a 50% waiver. Students holding TOPIK level 5 or 6 — the highest levels possible — can get 70% off their first semester’s tuition.
After their first semester, international students who perform well academically will earn scholarships based on merit.
For example, a grade improvement could earn you a scholarship amount of 600,000 to 1,000,000 won (US$411 to US$685) per semester. Those who scored a GPA of 4.0 the previous semester could even get a scholarship amount of 3,000,000 won (US$2,057) for the new semester.
South Korea has earned a reputation as a leading global digital technology centre and is home to leading global digital companies such as Samsung, SK, LG, and Naver. Source: AFP
Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST) Scholarship
This might be hard to believe, but the Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST) offers a full tuition waiver for international students without any conditions.
You’ll also be provided a one-way flight ticket to South Korea, as well as a 200,000 won (US$137) settlement subsidy to help you transition into your new life abroad.
On top of that, those who gained at least 11 credits in the previous semester and aren’t on academic probation will be awarded a monthly student allowance of 130,000 won (US$89) and a monthly meal allowance of 270,000 won (US$185). Students who achieved a GPA of at least 3.0 out of the 4.5 scale in the previous semester will earn an additional international allowance of 130,000 won (US$89) per month.
That aside, GIST has great offerings for master’s and PhD students too. This includes offering paid research assistantship opportunities alongside the monthly student allowance.
Obtaining scholarships in South Korea means alleviating some of your financial burden. Source: AFP
Kyung Hee University Scholarships
Ranked within the top 350 in the QS World University Rankings 2025 list, Kyung Hee University has various scholarships that international students should take note of.
Those with a TOPIK 5 certification upon enrollment can get half of their first semester’s tuition waived, while those with TOPIK 6 can have the full first semester fee waived.
If not TOPIK-specific, those who seek to enrol into the university’s Department of Korean and scored within the top 50% during the admission evaluation can earn themselves a full tuition waiver for their first semester in school. The same applies to those applying to the College of Engineering, the College of Electronics and Engineering, the College of Software Convergence, and the College of International Studies.
The best part about getting one of these scholarships in South Korea? More money to spend on the other nice things in life. Source: AFP
Sogang University Scholarships
Just off the admission basis, Sogang University already has one of the best scholarships in South Korea for international students.
The Admissions Scholarship I is offered to those with outstanding admission scores (top 5%), granting them a full scholarship for eight semesters of a student’s time in the university. This is followed by Admissions Scholarship II, which offers those who scored within the top 6-10% half the scholarship amount of Admissions Scholarship I.
Admissions Scholarship III is then offered to those within the top 25% within their application, and in turn allows for a 25% scholarship on fees; Admission Scholarship IV is the last of its category, given to the top 50% of successful candidates, rewarding them with an admission fee waiver.
Disclaimer: This article was last updated on April 10, 2025.
