Global Korea Scholarship for Undergraduates 2027

Written by Keagan HendricksStaff Writer (Unisa Alumnus)

Reviewed & verified by Naledi KhumaloSenior Admissions and Bursaries EditorVerified

The Global Korea Scholarship for Undergraduate Degrees (GKS-U) is the Korean government’s full scholarship for foreign students to complete a bachelor’s or associate degree in South Korea, usually after a year of Korean language study. It is run by the National Institute for International Education (NIIED) under Korea’s Ministry of Education. The guidelines for the 2027 intake, published on the Study in Korea website on 9 September 2026, give South Africa two places through the Korean Embassy, and the online application for those places closes on 30 September 2026 at 18:00 Korea time, which is 11:00 in South Africa.

Embassy and university routes into GKS-U

NIIED fills 286 undergraduate scholarships worldwide for 2027, through two tracks with different rules and deadlines.

Embassy Track

The Embassy Track has 156 places spread across 74 invited countries. South Africa’s quota is one place in the General programme, which covers 28 “Type A” universities (among them Seoul National University, Korea University, Yonsei University, POSTECH and UNIST) and 42 regional “Type B” universities, plus one place in R-GKS, which is limited to the Type B regional universities. General applicants choose up to three universities, at least one of them Type B; R-GKS applicants choose up to two Type B universities. An applicant may enter only one of these programmes.

Embassy Track applications are made online on the Study in Korea website between 15 September (11:00) and 30 September 2026 (18:00), Korea Standard Time. The Embassy of the Republic of Korea in South Africa, in Pretoria, runs the first round of selection and can be reached at embsa@mofa.go.kr or 012 460 2508.

University Track

The University Track takes applications directly at participating Korean universities between September and November 2026, each on its own schedule and by its own method (online, in person or by post). It has two programmes: University Industry Cooperation (UIC), with 100 places in science and engineering at 13 institutions and open to every country, and an Associate Degree programme with 30 places at nine colleges. Each University Track applicant may choose only one university and one department. South Africans who fail the Embassy Track first round can still apply through the University Track, which is why its deadlines run later.

Age 25, the 80% rule and other eligibility limits

• Citizenship of an invited country, such as South Africa (UIC is open to all countries). Neither the applicant nor a parent may hold Korean citizenship.
• Under 25, meaning born on or after 1 March 2002.
• A completed or expected high school qualification. A Grade 12 learner finishing in 2026 applies with a certificate of expected graduation and must supply the final certificate and transcript by 31 December 2026 if selected in the first round. Anyone who already holds a bachelor’s degree cannot apply.
• Grades of 80% or more on a 100-point scale, or a place in the top 20% of the class, or an equivalent grade point average.
• Good physical and mental health, and no grounds (such as a criminal record) that would bar overseas travel.

Former Korean government degree scholars and anyone who graduated from a Korean high school are excluded. Night-school, online and short programmes are not covered, and scholars may not change field after selection.

What NIIED pays in Korean won

The allowance is all-inclusive: it has to cover living costs, accommodation and health insurance, and also contains Korean proficiency grants, the TOPIK exam fee, a settlement allowance and a degree completion grant. A bachelor’s scholarship lasts five to seven years (one language year plus four to six years of degree study). Applicants with TOPIK level 5 or 6 skip the language year. A scholar who withdraws within three months of enrolling at the university must repay everything received.

Forms, apostilles and the selection calendar

The first-round application consists of NIIED’s seven forms (application form, personal statement, study plan, recommendation letter, applicant agreement, personal medical assessment and consent form) plus scanned copies of proof of citizenship for the applicant and parents, proof of family relationship, the high school certificate and transcript, and a passport. Language test results and up to five award certificates are optional. The forms and the full 2027 GKS-U application guidelines are attached to the NIIED notice, together with University Information files listing the departments applicants may choose.

Candidates who pass the first round must then send originals, with official certificates apostilled or consular-confirmed. For the Embassy Track the calendar is: first-round results by 16 October 2026, NIIED’s second round in November, university selection by 23 December, and the final list of 2027 scholars expected on 7 January 2027.

For comparison, Hungary’s government runs a similar full scholarship for South Africans through the Stipendium Hungaricum programme. Students who would rather study at home can search the undergraduate bursaries list.

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