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Korean Government Scholarship Program

for Graduate Students

(Kangwon National University )

1. Program Objective

The Korean Government Scholarship Program is designed to provide higher education in Korea for international students, with the aim of promoting international exchange in education, as well as mutual friendship amongst the participating countries.

2. Total Number of Grantees : 330

o 2011 KGSP Allocation for Korean Embassies : 165 candidates (from 103 nations)

o 2011 KGSP Allocation for Entrusted Domestic Universities : 100 candidates (from 64 nations)

3. Eligible Universities and Fields of Study

o Eligible Universities : The 50 listed universities (or institutions) designated by NIIED

- Applicants recommended by the Korean Embassies or Adoption Associations must choose 3 desired universities out of the 50 universities listed below and apply for admission.

- Applicants recommended by Korean government departments must apply for admission to the university designated by the recommending department. If university is not designated, the applicants then must also choose 3 desired universities and apply for admission.

- Applicants recommended by entrusted domestic universities must complete a mandatory one-year Korean language course prior to university attendance.

* Detailed information about the fields and majors of the listed eligible universities can be found in University Information on the websites of NIIED and GKS.

o Available Fields of Study : The programs offered by the universities listed above <See University Information>

* Tuition costs will be covered up to five million won per semester for each scholar. If the semester tuition of a specific program at a particular university exceeds five million won, attendance in the program is possible upon the condition that the university covers the overage amount beyond the initial five million won.

* Night schools, seasonal programs, broadcasting schools, and cyber-schools (including online distant learning programs) are not eligible for application.

o Available Courses : Master’s programs and Doctoral 

 

4. Main Notes for the 2011 Selection

o The selection process for scholars will proceed in three steps. Firstly, applicants must be selected

by one of the following organizations: an embassy, an adoption association, or a university. Secondly, applicants who passed the first step must be selected by the NIIED Selection Committee. Finally, applicants who passed the second step must gain admission from a university.

o Organizations accepting applications: Korean embassies, adoption associations, and entrusted  

universities in Korea.

 * Applicants must apply for this program through only one organization. Applicants who submit

applications to more than one organization will be disqualified immediately.

o Selection Procedure

-      1^st Selection: Each 1^st selection organization will draft a selections standard based on the criteria supplied by NIIED, and recommend the best applicants according to its respective standards.

-      2^nd Selection: The NIIED Selection Committee will select the most successful candidates from the pool of applicants recommended by the 1^st selection organizations.

-      3^rd Selection: All candidates who passed the 2^nd selection successfully will be evaluated for admission by the universities which they applied; each candidate will gain admission from at least from one university.

* Applicants who were recommended by an entrusted university will automatically be granted admission to the universities which recommended them, upon the condition they are selected as a successful candidate in the 2^nd Selection.

o Application Procedure for Graduate Study

- The successful candidates who were recommended by Korean embassies, Korean government departments, or Korean adoption associations (the 1^st Selection) and passed the NIIED Selection Committee (the 2^nd Selection) must choose 3 universities from the 50 listed entrusted universitiesand apply for admission.

*The successful candidates who were recommended by Korean government departments must apply for admission to the university designated by the respective recommending departments.

- The successful candidates who were recommended by an entrusted domestic university will gain admission from the recommending university if they are selected by the NIIED Selection Committee (the 2^nd Selection).

5. Duration of Scholarship

o Master’s (01.09.2011 ~ 31.08.2014) : 1 yr. of Korean language + 2 yrs of Master’s

o Doctoral (01.09.2011 ~ 31.08.2015) : 1 yr. of Korean language + 3 yrs of Doctoral

6. Korean Language Course

o All the scholars basically take one year of Korean language course in the designated language institution.

o Only the scholars who will have passed at least Level 3 of the Test of Proficiency in Korean (TOPIK) are permitted to start their master’s or doctoral program.

o Scholars who do not pass at least TOPIK Level 3 after one year of Korean language course shouldcomplete an additional six-month coursework in the Korean language.

* Scholars who take the six months’ additional course are disqualified from extending their scholarship term beyond the designated duration of their scholarship.

o Language Institution : Institutions designated by NIIED (to be announced)

o Exemption from the Korean language course requirement: Korean proficiency at TOPIK Level 5 or 6 (with certification).

* Scholars who are exempted from taking the Korean language course may take their degree course starting from September 1^st, 2011 or March 1^st, 2012.

* Scholars who pass at least TOPIK Level 5 during the language course and want to start their degree course on March 1^st, 2012 should obtain permission from NIIED in advance.

7. Application Requirements

o The applicant and his/her parents must have foreign citizenships.

* Applicants who hold Korean citizenship are not qualified for this program.

o Applicants should be in good health, both mentally and physically, to stay in Korea for a long period of time.

* Applicants have to submit the Personal Medical Assessment (included in the application form) when he/she apply for this program, and then submit an Official Medical Examination Report issued in a hospital to NIIED after passing the NIIED Selection Committee (the 2^nd Selection). A serious illness reflected in the examination results will be the main cause of disqualification from the scholarship.

o Applicants must be under 40 years of age as of Sep. 1^st, 2011 (born after Sep. 1^st, 1971).

o Applicants must hold a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree as of September 1, 2011.

 * Applicants who have ever enrolled in the same program in Korea as the one they are applying for will be disqualified from the program. For example, an applicant who has previously enrolled in a master’s program in Korea cannot apply for the KGSP Master’s Program.

* Applicants who apply for the Master’s program must hold a Bachelor’s degree or a diploma that is equivalent to or higher than a Bachelor’s degree.

 * Applicants who apply for the Doctoral program must hold a Master’s degree or a diploma that is equivalent to or higher than a Master’s degree.

* Applicants who are expecting to obtain the relevant required degree or diploma by August 31^st, 2011 must submit a certificate of degree or diploma expectation, and submit the official certificate of degree or diploma by September 1^st, 2011.

o Applicants must maintain a grade point average (G.P.A.) of at least 2.64 on a 4.0 scale, 2.80 on a 4. 3 scale, 2.91 on a 4.5 scale or grades/marks/score of 80% or higher from the previously attended institution.

* If the transcript is not indicated in grades/marks/scores format, or is difficult to convert into percentages, attachment of official explanation from the attended institution is required.

o Applicants who have Korean proficiency or English proficiency may be given preference.

o Applicants who apply for natural science and technology program may be given preference. 

8. Scholarship

o Scholarship Period : same as the period of invitation.

o Payment:

-Airfare : Round-trip economy class ticket.

* Airfare for entry will not be provided to scholars who already presently live in Korea for academic study or employment.

* The fees for domestic travel within a scholar’s home country and for travel insurance to and from Korea will not be provided.

-Monthly Allowance : 900,000 won (KRW) per month.

-Research Allowance : 210,000 won for scholars in the humanities and social sciences; 240,000 won for scholars in natural and mechanic sciences, per semester.

-Relocation (Settlement) Allowance : 200,000 won upon arrival

-Language Training Fee : Full coverage

-Tuitions : All admission fees are waived by the host institution. The tuition is paid by NIIED.

-Dissertation Printing Costs : 500,000 ~ 800,000 won, depending on the actual costs.

-Medical Insurance : 15,000 won per month will be provided (limited coverage).

-Special funding for scholars who are proficient in the Korean language (TOPIK Level 5 or 6): 100,000 won per month (commencing from the degree program)

9. Detailed Selection Procedure

o The guideline, application form, and university information will be available at the websites of NIIED (www.niied.go.kr), GKS (www.gks.go.kr), Korean Embassies, and entrusted domestic universities.

o For applicants who apply for KGSP via overseas Korean Embassies

- (1^st Selection) Korean Embassies make its own selection schedule and plan based on the criteria provided by NIIED, and accept the applications. They select 1.5 times as many candidates as their quota from the pool of applicants and recommend them to NIIED.

- (2^nd Selection) NIIED Selection Committee selects as many successful candidates as each embassy quota amongst the pool of candidates recommended by the Embassies.

- (3^rd Selection) NIIED submits the documents of successful candidates to their 3 universities of indicated preference, and requests admission of the candidates into their master’s or doctoral programs. The universities have to notify the result to the candidates and NIIED by the designated date. The candidates who gain admission from more than one university will have to make a final decision and notify their respective local Korean Embassy and NIIED by the designated date. Only the candidates who gain admission within the 3^rd Selection period can be accepted as official KGSP scholars.

o For applicants who are recommended by government departments

  * The applicants recommended by government departments are mainly government officials or experts attached to public duties.General applicants cannot be accepted through into this application category.

- (1^st Selection) The Korean Government Departments request their counterpart government departments in the designated countries to select as many candidates as their quota. The counterpart government departments meets the quota of candidates, and recommend them to NIIED via the Embassy of Korea in their home countries.

- (2^nd Selection) The NIIED Selection Committee judges the qualification of candidates, and determines the successful candidates.

- (3^rd Selection) NIIED submits the documents of successful candidates to their already-designated universities, and requests admission of the successful candidates into their master’s or doctoral programs. The universities have to notify the result to the candidates and NIIED by the designated date. Only the candidates who gain admission within the 3^rd Selection period can be accepted as official KGSP scholars.

* In case that the universities to which the candidates applied are not designated by the government departments, the candidates will have to choose 3 universities amongst the 50 listed, and apply for admission to them.

o For applicants who apply for KGSP via entrusted domestic universities

- (1^st Selection) Each entrusted university will draft its own selection schedule and plan based on the criteria provided by NIIED, and accepts the applications. Each entrusted university will select up to 10 candidates from all the quota-assigned countries and recommend them to NIIED. They cannot recommend more than 2 candidates from a single country.

- (2^nd Selection) NIIED Selection Committee selects as many successful candidates as each Country’s quota from all the candidates recommended by the universities.

- (3^rd Selection) The candidates who are selected in the NIIED Selection Committee will be accepted to the university which recommended them, and also be accepted as official KGSP scholars.

o For applicants who apply for KGSP via Korean adoption associations

*Only Korean adoptees who have foreign citizenship can apply for this program via Korean adoption associations. General applicants cannot be accepted through this application category.

- (1^st Selection) Korean Adoptions Associations make its own selection schedule and plan based on the criteria provided by NIIED, and accept the applications. They select the most appropriate applicants and recommend them to NIIED.

- (2^nd Selection) NIIED Selection Committee selects 15 successful candidates from all the applicants recommended by the various Korean Adoption Associations around the world.

- (3^rd Selection) NIIED submits the documents of each successful candidate to his or her respective 3 universities of indicated preference, and requests admission of the applicant into his or her master’s or doctoral program. The universities have to notify the result to the candidates and NIIED by the designated date. The candidates who gain admission from more than one university have to make a final decision and and notify their Adoption Association and NIIED by the designated date. Only the candidates who gain admission within the 3^rd Selection period can be accepted as official KGSP scholars.

10. Selection Criterion

  o All documents including transcript, self-introduction, study plan, certificates of language proficiency (Korean and English), recommendations, published papers and awards, etc., will be evaluated.

11. Required Documentation

o Place of submission

*Foreign embassies in Korea are not 1^st Selection Organizations and do not accept applications.

*NIIED do not accept applications directly from an applicant. NIIED accepts and judges only the recommended by

the 1^st Selection organizations. They are:

- For applicants applying via a Korean embassy : the Korean embassy in the country of origin.

 *Korean educational institutes affiliated with the local Korean embassy may accept applications and select and recommend candidates in place of embassies in some countries.

- For applicants applying via a Korean Government Department : Counterpart Government Department or Korean Embassy in the country of origin.

- For applicants applying via a domestic university : One of the 50 designated universities

- For overseas Korean adoptees : Adoption Association

o Deadline of Submission : The date set forth by the 1^st Selection Organizations within March 2011

* Deadline for the recommendation of candidates to NIIED is March 31^st, 2011.

* Candidates whose paperwork are not submitted on time by their respective 1st Selection Organizations will be excluded from the NIIED Selection Committee.

o Required documents :

Check List for Application Documents	Master’s	Doctoral
1. Personal Data (Attachment #1)	○	○
2. Self-Introduction (Attachment #2)	○	○
3. Study Plan (Attachment #3)	○	○
4. Letter of Recommendation (Attachment #4)	○	○
5. Pledge (Attachment #5)	○	○
6. Personal Medical Assessment (Attachment #6)	○	○
7. Copies of diploma(s) from previously attended undergraduate institution(s)	○	○
8. Official transcript of previously attended undergraduate institution(s)	○	○
9. Copies of diploma(s) from previously attended graduate institution(s)	-	○
10. Official transcript of previously attended graduate institution(s)	-	○
11. Certificate of TOPIK score (original copy), if available	△	△
12. Certificate of TOEFL or IELTS score (original copy), directly sent from ETS/IELTS, if available	△	△
13. Published papers, if available (one or two)	△	△
14. Awards, if available (one or two)	△	△
15. Copy of passport (possible to submit after selection)	○	○
16. Certificate of citizenship of parents of applicant : birth certificate,  passport, etc. (* applicable only to overseas Korean immigrants)	△	△
17. Adoption documents (*applicable only to overseas Korean adoptees)	△	△

o Number of copies for submission

- One original document (placed in a separate envelope) and 3 extra copies.

o Note

 * Selection for successful candidates will be done strictly by the NIIED Selection Committee.

Therefore, appropriate documents should be submitted by the deadline. 

- Dual applications are not accepted. Applicants must apply for this program via only one organization.

- Documents should be presented in their original form. Documents not in English or Korean must be accompanied by a complete English or Korean translation authenticated by the issuing institution.

- Submitted documents will not be returned to the applicants.

- Incomplete or incorrect documents may lead to application rejection or failure in the Selection Committee, and scholarship revocation if after entry into Korea.

- In case of submitting photocopied documents, applicants must submit the original to the 1^st Selection Organization, and have the original one and the photocopied one collated. The confirmation of collation should be indicated in the photocopied documents.

- Applicants who are expected to graduate from their respective home undergraduate/graduate institutions by September 2011, should submit the certificate (or letter) of expected graduation.Applicants must submit the official certificate of graduation to NIIED by September 1^st, 2011.

- Applicants must accurately fill out the health checklist truthfully. All successful candidates must take a medical exam after passing the 2^nd Selection. In accordance with the requirements of the Korea Immigration Service and the KGSP Program, the candidates who are judged to be unfit for this program will not be accepted.

- Applicants may submit the copies of published papers, if available.

- Applicants may submit the copies of awards, if available.

- Applicants who have enrolled in a Korean university must submit one recommendation letter of the Head of the department additionally.

* Applicants must submit all the documents by the checklist order. (Checklist for the application documents should be on the front page, followed by the required documents, stapled and attached.)

* Transferring to a different university is not permitted in any case after confirming the host university. In regards to changing majors, it would be permitted only under the mutual agreement of the departments concerned, with the scholarship period unchanged. (2 years of Master’s, or 3 years of doctoral, in total). However, quitting a program and applying for a new program is not permitted.