Fledge

Global Korea Scholarship (GKS) for a bachelor's

2027 GKS-U: one Korean language year from spring 2027, then the bachelor's degree, normally from March 2028. The Embassy Track for this intake closed on 30 September 2026. If you finish school in 2027, your call is the 2028 GKS-U, expected in September 2027.

The Korean government pays for a full bachelor's degree at a Korean university: one year of Korean language study, then 4 to 6 years of degree study, with tuition, a monthly allowance (about 1,130,000 KRW in the language year and 1,200,000 KRW in the degree years) and an economy flight. It is for Mongolian citizens under 25 who finished high school with an average of 80 out of 100 or more, or a place in the top 20% of their class.

Checked against official pages on 8 October 2026.

Key dates

  1. 2027 guideline published by NIIED

    9 September 2026

  2. Embassy Track online application (closed)

    15 September 2026, 11:00 to 30 September 2026, 18:00 Korea time (10:00 to 17:00 Ulaanbaatar time)

  3. Embassy Track round 1 results

    By 16 October 2026

  4. Last University Track (UIC bachelor's) deadlines

    8 to 30 October 2026, set by each university. Ajou, Dong-A, Inje, Keimyung, Kookmin and Yeungnam close on 30 October.

  5. Signed originals of round 1 passers must reach NIIED

    By 30 October 2026 (the embassy sets an earlier hand-in date)

  6. NIIED round 2 results (Embassy Track)

    Within November 2026, on the GKS Notice board of Study in Korea

    Usual window. Check the new call.

  7. University round 3 results

    By 18:00 on 23 December 2026, Korea time

  8. Choose your final university on Study in Korea

    By 18:00 on 29 December 2026, Korea time

  9. Final graduation certificate due (if you applied before graduating)

    By 31 December 2026

  10. Final list of 2027 GKS-U scholars

    Expected 7 January 2027; invitation letters follow by email within January

  11. Next Embassy Track call (2028 GKS-U)

    Not published yet. Usually the guideline comes out in early to mid September and the online window runs from about 15 to 30 September.

    Usual window. Check the new call.

What it pays

  • Tuition: NIIED pays up to 5,000,000 KRW per semester; the university pays anything above that and the admission fee
  • Korean language program fee: 5,200,000 KRW for the one language year
  • Monthly allowance in the language year: 13,560,000 KRW a year (about 1,130,000 KRW a month)
  • Monthly allowance in the degree years: 14,400,000 KRW a year (about 1,200,000 KRW a month)
  • The allowance is all-inclusive: living costs, housing, health insurance, Korean proficiency grant, TOPIK fee, settlement allowance and degree completion grant all come from it
  • Economy-class airfare at actual cost (the embassy's 2027 poster lists round-trip airfare)
  • Length: 5 to 7 years in total (1 language year plus 4 to 6 degree years)
  • Not covered: travel inside Mongolia and travel insurance for the flight to Korea

Who can apply

  • Citizenship: you are a Mongolian citizen, and neither you nor your parents hold Korean citizenship (dual citizenship with Korea is not allowed)
  • Age: under 25, born on or after 1 March 2002 (2027 call)
  • School: you finished high school, or will finish by 31 December 2026. If you finish 12th grade in 2027, you cannot use the 2027 call
  • No bachelor's degree yet
  • Grades for all of high school: an average of 80 or more out of 100, OR a place in the top 20% of your class, OR a CGPA of at least 2.64/4.0, 2.80/4.3, 2.91/4.5 or 3.23/5.0
  • Good physical and mental health, and nothing (such as a criminal record) that stops you travelling abroad
  • You did not study at a high school in Korea (including international schools there) and never had a Korean government scholarship for a degree
  • A language test is not required by NIIED, but some departments set their own TOPIK or English minimum

How you apply from Mongolia

Most Mongolian applicants use the Embassy Track: you apply online on Study in Korea (www.studyinkorea.go.kr) during a two-week window in the second half of September, and the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Ulaanbaatar makes the first selection. Mongolia has 4 Embassy Track places for 2027 (2 General, 2 R-GKS). The other door is the University Track: you send your application to one Korean university, mainly to its UIC science and engineering program, which is open to every country. NIIED in Korea makes the second selection on both tracks, and on the Embassy Track the universities you chose make a third.

One scholarship, three routes

GKS-U is one scholarship, but what you send and who judges you depend on the route you take and the department you choose. On the Embassy Track you apply online and pass three rounds: the Korean Embassy in Ulaanbaatar, NIIED, and then each university you listed, which reviews you in its own way (its own forms, an interview, a portfolio). The Regional program (R-GKS) is part of the Embassy Track, with its own places and only regional universities, while the University Track is now only for a short list of science and engineering departments (UIC) that you apply to directly. The rules below are from the 2027 round (guideline of September 2026), so check the University Information file and the page of every university you choose, because each department can add its own requirements. The guideline closes no field, but only departments in that file count (no night, short-term or online programs), and the 2027 file has no dentistry, pharmacy or Korean medicine and only one medicine program.

Pick one to see what your application involves.

Embassy Track: General program

You apply online on Study in Korea in the second half of September and list up to three universities, with one department at each: Type A or Type B, and at least one must be Type B. Mongolia had 2 General places in the 2027 round. After the embassy and NIIED, every university you listed runs its own round 3, so one school may only read your file while another asks for its own forms, an interview or a portfolio.

How they select
Round 1: the Korean Embassy in Ulaanbaatar (2027 round: results by 16 October 2026). Round 2: NIIED (results in November). Round 3: each university you listed reviews you between mid-November and 23 December. If none of them accepts you, you are out, even after passing NIIED.
Language
No language test is needed to apply, but TOPIK and TOEFL or IELTS scores earn points. After the one-year Korean program you need TOPIK 3 to start the degree, and some universities ask for more: Sungkyunkwan asks TOPIK 4 for every department. English-taught programs ask for an English score when you apply, for example Hanyang (TOEFL iBT 80 or IELTS 6.0) and Ewha's Scranton College (TOEFL iBT 80, IELTS 6.0 or New TEPS 326).

Universities and how each one selects

  • Seoul National University · Seoul

    70 departments in the 2027 list: humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, engineering, business, nursing, Medicine (6 years), fine arts and music. Mostly taught in Korean; TOPIK 3 to start the degree.

  • Yonsei University · Seoul

    50 departments. Yonsei takes GKS students only through the Embassy Track. Nursing starts in March only, with the first year at the Incheon International Campus.

  • Korea University · Seoul

    53 departments with no fixed quota per major; the College of International Studies teaches in English.

  • Sungkyunkwan University · Seoul / Suwon

    39 departments; every one needs TOPIK 4 after the language year.

  • Hanyang University · Seoul

    58 departments; Data Science, Business Administration (Global Management) and International Studies are taught in English. Architecture takes 5 years.

  • Kyung Hee University · Seoul / Yongin

    69 departments on the Seoul and Global (Yongin) campuses; Business Administration and Global Hospitality & Tourism Management have English tracks.

  • Ewha Womans University · Seoul

    Women only. 61 departments; the Division of International Studies (Scranton College) teaches its majors in English.

Each university's own selection is in Plus: what it tests, how and when.

Step by step

  1. Step 1 · Before the call, by August

    Check that you can apply this year

    Read the eligibility part of the newest NIIED guideline. The 2027 call needs you to be born on or after 1 March 2002 and to have finished high school by 31 December 2026. If you finish 12th grade in 2027, plan for the 2028 GKS-U call, expected in September 2027. Then check your grades: you need an average of 80 or more out of 100 across high school, or a place in the top 20% of your class.

    Tip: If your average is under 80, ask your school for an official letter saying you are in the top 20% of your class. The official FAQ accepts this with your transcript.

  2. Step 2 · When the guideline comes out, early to mid September

    Choose your track and programThe how-to for this step is in Plus.

  3. Step 3 · September

    Pick universities and departments from the official fileThe how-to for this step is in Plus.

  4. Step 4 · Several months before you apply

    Take TOPIK or an English test if you canThe how-to for this step is in Plus.

  5. Step 5 · August to early September, before you apply

    Get your certificates apostilledThe how-to for this step is in Plus.

  6. Step 6 · August to September

    Write your Personal Statement and Study PlanThe how-to for this step is in Plus.

  7. Step 7 · August to September

    Ask a teacher for a recommendation letterThe how-to for this step is in Plus.

  8. Step 8 · Embassy Track: about 15 to 30 September · University Track: by each university's own date, usually October

    Submit your application before the deadlineThe how-to for this step is in Plus.

  9. Step 9 · Mid to late October

    If you pass round 1, hand in signed originals quicklyThe how-to for this step is in Plus.

  10. Step 10 · November 2026 to January 2027

    Follow rounds 2 and 3 and choose your universityThe how-to for this step is in Plus.

Documents to prepare

18 in Plus

How they choose

In Plus

For applicants from Mongolia

7 in Plus

Mistakes that cost applications

6 in Plus

Official sources

All scholarships