GKS Scholarship 2026: Deadlines, Eligibility & How to Apply

GKS scholarship 2026: Latest Updates

• For the first time, applications for undergraduate track will be accepted online via the study in Korea portal.

• Many other countries have been added to the list of partner countries, including South Africa, Madagascar, Syria, Czech Republic, and Cuba for the 2026 academic cycle.

GKS Scholarship 2026 Overview

Here are the major highlights of GKS scholarship for 2026 admission cycle.

Also Read: Korean Language Courses

GKS Scholarship 2026 Eligibility Criteria

These are the GKS Scholarship 2026 eligibility criteria that all applicants must fulfil to apply for the scholarship.

• Nationality: The applicant must be a citizen of the countries designated by NIIED. The parents of the applicant must not be a South Korean citizen.

• Academic record: The applicant must secure a CGPA of at least 80% or be in the top 20% of the class

• Age limit: Be at least 25 years old on 1 March 2026. For graduate programs, the applicant must be below 40 years of age on September 1, 2026. However, academic professors from Official Development Assistance countries have an age limit of 45 years.

• Qualification: For graduate programs, the applicants must also have a bachelors or master degree by July 31, 2026. For undergraduate programs, the applicant must have passed or about to pass from high school or any other degree program by 31 December, 2025

How to Prepare for the GKS Scholarship Application?

These are some important considerations while preparing for the GKS Scholarship 2026 application process.

• Keep checking the official website: Regularly monitor the official website of Study in South Korea for all the important updates and announcements

• Korean Government Scholarship eligibility: Go through the official announcement to know the eligibility criteria you need to fulfil including the academic requirements, age limits, and other requirements for GKS 2026 scholarship application.

• Know the participating universities for the GKS scholarship program: You must check the official website to know the list of universities and departments participating in accepting students from this scholarship.

• Know the application process for study in Korea scholarship: Go through the processes for both embassy track and university track.

• Language Proficiency / TOPIK: If you have TOPIK level 5/6 when you will be applying, you may not have to do the 1-year Korean language program. If not, language training will be part of the scholarship. Even without TOPIK, sometimes if students demonstrate English language proficiency with IELTS score or TOEFL score, it helps.

• Keep handy all the mandatory documents: Begin preparing your academic records, personal statements, etc that you will require while applying for this Korean Government Scholarship 2026.

GKS 2026 Timeline for Indian Students

Related reads:

• Permanent Residency in South Korea

• Top Engineering Universities in South Korea

• Study Abroad Scholarships for Indian students

Documents Required for Applying to Global Korea Scholarship 2026

These are the mandatory documents required to apply for GKS scholarship 2026. Indian applicants must prepare and submit:

1. Application form

2. Personal Statement & Study Plan

3. 2 Recommendation Letters

4. High School (for UG) / Bachelor’s/Master’s transcripts (for PG).

5. Proof of graduation / expected graduation certificate.

6. Copy of Passport

7. Birth certificate / Nationality proof.

8. Medical Assessment Form

9. TOPIK or English proficiency (optional but helpful).

10. Notarized translations in English/Korean if documents are in Hindi or regional languages.

How to Apply for GKS Scholarship 2026?

How to apply for the GKS Scholarship 2026 for international students? These are the steps that you must follow to apply for South Korea GKS scholarship 2026.

• Step 1: Download the official GKS application guidelines for your study level from the official study in Korea website and go through it thoroughly.

• Step 2: Decide whether you want to apply through university track or Embassy track.

• Step 3: Complete your application by creating an account and submitting the application on the official website.

• Step 4: Collect all the mandatory documents

• Step 5: Submit your application online along with all the required documents. Check if the embassy requires you to submit a hardcopy as well.

• Step 6: Once your application is shortlisted, get ready to give an interview (mandatory for embassy track).

Application Tracks for GKS Scholarship 2026 for international students

These are the two tracks to apply for Korean education scholarship 2026:

Embassy Track (recommended for India)

If you choose the embassy track, you will be able to select 3 Korean universities in preference order and get more flexibility. These are the steps to apply for the Global Korea Scholarship 2026 via the Embassy track.

1. Submit all the required documents at the Korean embassy in New Delhi.

2. Once your application gets shortlisted, you will be called for an interview by the Embassy.

3. Once done, your application will be sent to NIIED in Korea

4. The final step is when youtube confirmation from the NIIED

University Track

If you have already selected the Korean university where you want to study, applying for the Study in Korea scholarship via the university track is the best option. These are the steps to apply for the GKS scholarship 2026 via university track:

1. Simply apply to the chosen university in Korea among the list of universities accepted by NIIED.

2. Submit all the required documents to their international office

3. Once your application is accepted, you are recommended to NIIED.

GKS 2026 Benefits for International Students

The scholarship is fully-funded and these are the GKS Scholarship 2026 benefits for international students:

• Airfare: This covers actual flight expenses for entrance and final departure in South Korea for education.

• Settlement Allowance: While arriving in South Korea, the GKS scholarship offers Rs 12,589 (KRW 200,000).

• Monthly Allowance: This scholarship provides Rs 56,642 (KRW 900,000) per month for students.

• Korean Proficiency Grants: The GKS scholarship offers Rs 6,293 (KRW 100,000) per month.

• Degree completion Grants: In a final departure the scholarship offers Rs 6,293 (KRW 100,000).

• Health Insurance: According to NIIED, the required amount will be provided every month by the GKS Scholarship.

• Language Training Fee: Each quarterly, NIIED offers Rs 81,803 (KRW 1.3 million and the university provides over KRW 1.3 million.

• Tuition fee Benefits: Up to Rs 3.47 lakhs (KRW 5 million) in tuition fees are covered by NIIED, with an additional payment made higher than KRW 5 million by GKS Scholarship.