Global Korea Scholarship (GKS) for Exchange Students 2026 (Monthly stipend)

Level of study: Bachelor's / Master's

Continue your studies in South Korea! Great news! The Korea Global Scholarship for international students is now available. In this article, we will provide a detailed explanation of the Korea Global Scholarship, its benefits, and a step-by-step application process.

The Global Korea Scholarship (GKS) is a fully funded scholarship for exchange students. This scholarship is offered to Master's and Bachelor's students for the 2026-2027 academic year. The scholarship covers living expenses, a settling-in allowance, airfare, and health insurance.

The SNU ISI program offers students a unique opportunity to experience academic life at Seoul National University, Korea's most prestigious university and one of the world's leading universities. Taught by a distinguished faculty from Seoul National University and visiting faculty members, the program allows students to delve deeply into the study of Korea and East Asia, as well as a wide range of subjects including economics, business administration, history, politics, sociology, and the arts.

Since its founding in 2007, more than 2,000 students from around the world have participated in the SNU ISI program to learn, experience and enjoy an unforgettable summer of academic activities, events and lifelong friendships.

Objective: To provide meaningful experiences for exchange students regarding Korean culture and education; to enhance the global competitiveness of Korean universities.

Scholarship Summary

Level of study: Bachelor's / Master's
Institutions: Seoul National University's partner universities
Study in: South Korea
Program duration: 4 months or 10 months (depending on the student's exchange period)
Deadline: June/December (annually)

Available training courses:

Faculty of Humanities

Korean language and literature
Language and Literature
English language and literature
French language and literature
German language and literature
Russian language and literature
Spanish language and literature
Linguistics
Asian languages and civilizations
Korean history
Asian history
Western history
Archaeology and Art History
philosophy
Religious Studies
Aesthetics

Faculty of Social Sciences

Political Science and International Relations
- Political Science
- International relations
Economy
sociology
anthropologist
psychology
Geography
social welfare
communication

Faculty of Natural Sciences

Mathematical Sciences
statistics
Physics and Astronomy
- Physics
- astronomy
chemistry
Biological sciences
Earth and Environmental Sciences

College of Agriculture and Life Sciences

botany
Forestry
Biotechnology for food and animals
Applied Biology and Chemistry
Biosystems Science and Engineering and Biomaterials
Landscape architecture and rural systems engineering
Agricultural economics and rural development

College of Business Administration

Business Administration

College of Education

education
Learning the Korean language
English language teaching
Learning German
French language teaching
Teaching social studies
Teaching history
Geography education
Moral education
teaching mathematics
teaching physics
Chemistry education
Biology education
Earth Science Education
physical education

College of Engineering

Civil and Environmental Engineering
Mechanical Engineering and Aerospace Engineering
Materials science and engineering
Electrical Engineering and Computer Engineering
Computer Science and Engineering
Chemical and Biological Engineering
Architecture and Architectural Engineering
Industrial Engineering
Energy Resources Engineering
Nuclear engineering
Marine engineering and ocean engineering

College of Fine Arts

Oriental drawing
coloring
sculpture
Crafts and Design

College of Liberal Studies

Liberal Studies

Faculty of Human Ecology

Consumer and child studies
Food and nutrition
Textiles, trade, and fashion design

College of Music

audio music
to express
Instrumental music
- piano
- winds
- string
Korean music

College of Nursing

nursing

College of Pharmacy

pharmacy
Pharmacy Manufacturing

Faculty of Veterinary Medicine

Introductory Veterinary Medicine
Veterinary medicine

Multidisciplinary programs for undergraduate students

Computer Science
Entrepreneurship
Global Environmental Management
Information Science and Cultural Studies
Media Arts
Technology Management
Comparative studies of the humanities in East Asia

For more information, click here.

restriction:

The College of Business Administration is limited to students who are currently majoring in Business Administration or Economics at their home university.
Applicants wishing to major in Korean History, Psychology, and Statistics must provide proof of Korean language proficiency. A satisfactory level of Korean language proficiency is defined as either (1) Level 5 or higher on the official Korean language proficiency test, or (2) Level 5 or higher on the Korean language test administered by the Language Institute at Seoul National University.
The Faculty of Law has not been open to undergraduate students since spring 2018.
The College of Law, a graduate-level law school, will open its doors to undergraduate students starting in the fall of 2025. Please note that these undergraduate students will be enrolled as graduate (Master's) students at Seoul National University College of Law during their studies.

Applicants wishing to study medicine, pharmacy, dentistry, nursing, music, and business administration must be informed in advance of their eligibility by Seoul National University coordinators.

The medical school is no longer available to exchange students.
The Faculty of Dentistry is open only to Master's students currently enrolled in a Master's program at the Faculty of Dentistry or its equivalent at their home university. The student exchange program is not available to undergraduate students at the Faculty of Dentistry.
Specialization in vocal music is limited to students who are currently studying vocal music at their home university.

Scholarship coverage

The GKS scholarship offers the following benefits to scholarship recipients:

Living expenses: 630,000 won per month.
Settlement allowance: 200,000 won upon arrival.
Round-trip airfare: Compensation is available up to the specified amount.
Medical insurance: 20,000 won per month (paid by each university).

Eligibility criteria for the GKS exchange student scholarship

To qualify for the GKS scholarship, the candidate must meet all of the following requirements:

Required language: English.
Eligible countries: All countries.
Applicants must be currently enrolled in at least the second semester of their home university program (i.e., they must have completed at least one semester prior to applying).

Therefore, we cannot accept graduate students enrolled in the first semester of the Master's program at the application stage.

Applicants must meet the following GPA requirements. (From Fall 2020 Admissions)
- Undergraduate level: Cumulative GPA 2.5/4.0 (equivalent to 2.7/4.3) or percentile ranking 83
- Master's Degree: Cumulative GPA 3.0/4.0 (equivalent to 3.3/4.3) or 89th percentile ranking

How to apply for the Korea Global Exchange Scholarship?

Please follow the application instructions below to apply for this scholarship.

Applicants must be nominated by their universities, and the application package must be sent by the university via email, along with an official nomination letter for the GKS scholarship.
Candidate students will receive detailed information on how to log in and apply online from their designated Seoul National University coordinator.
Apply to the exchange program through the Online Application Form, fill in the application, and upload the scanned copies of the documents below to the application system:
- A certificate of enrollment from the university you are currently studying at.
- Official transcript from the university.
- A letter of recommendation from a professor at the current university.
- Statement of purpose (free essay in English or Korean).
- A copy of the applicant's passport.
- For applicants in Fine Arts, Music and Physical Education: Photos of works/recordings of performances.