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GKS Scholarship for South Africa students.

Each year, South Africa is allocated 2 undergraduate Global Korea Scholarship places on the embassy track (1 on the General track and 1 on the R-GKS track), plus 5 graduate placesfor master's and PhD study. GKS is the Korean government's fully funded scholarship, and South Africa is a partner country.

2
Undergraduate embassy places
5
Graduate embassy places

How South Africa students apply

There are two tracks. On the embassy track, you apply through the Korean embassy in South Africa, which screens candidates against South Africa's quota above and recommends them to NIIED. On the university track, you apply directly to a single Korean university. Which one fits you, and the trade-offs, are in the embassy vs university track guide.

The eligibility rules (citizenship, age, and GPA), the document set, and the month-by-month timeline are the same for every country. Work through them here: eligibility, documents, and the application timeline.

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Frequently asked questions

How many GKS scholarships does South Africa get?
South Africa is allocated 2 undergraduate Global Korea Scholarship places on the embassy track each year (1 on the General track and 1 on the R-GKS track). On the graduate embassy track, South Africa is allocated 5 places across master's and PhD study. These are the embassy-track quotas; the university track and other strands are open to applicants from any country and are not split by nationality.
Can students from South Africa apply for the Global Korea Scholarship?
Yes. South Africa is a GKS partner country, so its nationals can apply for both the undergraduate (GKS-U) and graduate (GKS-G) scholarships, either through the Korean embassy in South Africa (the embassy track) or directly to a Korean university (the university track).
Do students from South Africa need to speak Korean to apply for GKS?
No. GKS includes a funded year of Korean language study before your degree begins, so you can apply with no Korean. You only need to reach TOPIK Level 3 during that year to move on to your degree, and holding TOPIK at application time adds points.
What does the GKS scholarship cover for South Africa students?
GKS is fully funded: it covers tuition, a monthly living stipend, round-trip airfare, a funded year of Korean, plus settlement and completion grants and health insurance. The exact amounts are set each year in the official guidelines.
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