2016 Korean Government Scholarship Program for Graduate Degrees: FAQ ELIGIBILITY Q1 A1 I am currently enrolled at a university in Korea for a Bachelor s/ Master s degree. Am I eligible to apply? Yes, you are eligible to apply for our scholarship program. NIIED has loosened the regulation which once restricted the application of those who have ever been enrolled at a Korean university. Starting from 2016, the students who have ever studied in Korea are eligible to apply for KGSP as long as they have not achieved degrees. Those who have taken classes at universities in Korea or participated in exchange student programs in Korea, therefore, may apply for KGSP. Q2 A2 I am expected to complete my Master s degree in August 2016. Am I eligible to apply for a Doctoral degree program under this scholarship? If you submit an official certificate of expected graduation or a provisional degree certificate issued by the university, you may apply for the 2016 KGSP. However, it is allowed in condition that the final degree certificate will be submitted to NIIED by August 31, 2016. The failure of doing so will result in the cancelation of the scholarship. APPLICATION SUBMISSION Q3 A3 May I apply for the program through the NIIED directly? No you may not. Applications must be submitted either to the Korean Embassy in your home country or to one of the designated Korean universities. Make sure to refer to the information on the application guidelines on how to submit your application. Also note that you may not submit your application to the embassy of your country in Korea.
Q4 A4 When is the deadline for application? Each Korean Embassy and university decides its own deadline. Although most deadlines fall within the month of March, you must contact the Korean Embassy in your home country or the university of your choice, regarding the deadlines. Q5 A5 Where can I submit my application? All applications must be submitted to the institutions of the 1st round of selection, which means the Korean Embassies or the Korean universities. Before submitting your application, you must carefully study the 2016 KGSP Application Guidelines, available on www.studyinkorea.go.kr. Please note that you must submit your application either to the Korean Embassy in your home country or to one of the designated Korean universities, not both. Q6 A6 I am a Korean adoptee who has a foreign nationality. Where can I submit my application for the KGSP graduate program? There is a separate quota assigned for the Overseas Korean Adoptees under the Embassy Track. The Korean adoptees from the countries selected by NIIED are eligible to apply under this option. If you hold the nationality of one of the selected countries, you may apply through the Korean Embassy in your country. A total of 15 persons will be selected under the Overseas Korean Adoptees option. Q7 A7 Should I submit the certificates of language proficiency (English or Korean) when I apply for the KGSP? The certificate of English proficiency (TOEFL or IELTS) or Korean proficiency (TOPIK) is an optional document, which means you may apply for KGSP without it. However, those with the language proficiency certificate will be given preferences in the selection procedure. It is also important to note that some embassies and universities DO REQUIRE the language proficiency certificate for all applicants.
Q8 A8 What should put in the section of GPA on the Application Form? Please put your GPA or scores for each semester. If you have completed your undergraduate program with 8 semesters for 4 years, write your GPA or scores of each semester in the blank. Make sure to put your GPA in front of the slash (/), and the full GPA behind the slash (/). For example, if your GPA is 3.5 out of 4.5, you must put 3.5/ 4.5. Q9 A9 How many recommendation letters should I submit? NIIED requires ONE letter of recommendation. It is highly advised that applications ask their professors and academic advisors for this letter. However, in case the university of your choice asks for more letters of recommendation, you must submit additional letters. Q10 A10 Q11 A11 Q12 A12 Should I include a detailed research proposal in the Statement of Purpose? Yes. You must at least describe the general direction and outlines of your study plans, if not in full detail. Please elaborate on your study objectives in Korea, tangible plans during and after your degree program. According to the guidelines, I have to submit 4 copies of application documents: one in original and three in photocopies. How may I submit the sealed documents, such as transcripts and recommendation letters? Please submit a SINGLE copy of the sealed documents. The Korean Embassies will make photocopies after opening them, and then forward both the original and photocopied documents to NIIED. For all other documents that are not sealed, the applicants must prepare the photocopies. Applicants who apply via university track may submit ONE original application documents. Can I submit the documents that are in languages other than Korean or English? KGSP requires that all documents be translated into Korean or English, and then be authenticated by the issuing institution or by a notary public. If your country has joined the apostille convention, you can get your document apostilled.
Q13 A13 Q14 A14 Q15 A15 I am a Japanese citizen, currently working in Vietnam. May I apply for the program through the Korean Embassy in Vietnam? No, you may not. If you choose to apply in the Embassy Track, you must submit your application to the Korean Embassy in Japan. In addition, those who hold the citizenship of the countries to which the KGSP quota is not assigned, are unable to apply for KGSP through the Korean Embassies in those countries. I am a Chinese citizen. In the application guidelines, there is quota only assigned in the Embassy Track for the Chinese citizens. Does that mean that I must apply at the Korean Embassy in China? No, you should not submit your application to the Korean Embassy in China. According to the mutual agreement between Korea and China, Chinese applicants should submit their application to China Scholarship Council (CSC) affiliated with Ministry of Education in China. Likewise, the Czech citizens should also submit the application to their Ministry of Education according to the mutual agreement between the governments of Korea and Czech Republic. I am American living in Los Angeles, United States. I am going to apply for the program via the Korea Embassy. How should I submit my application to the Embassy in Washington D.C.? Under the discussion between NIIED and the Embassy, you can submit your application to your nearest Korean Consulate. In case of you, you can submit it to the Korea Consulate in LA. Embassy in Washington and regional Consulates in the United States will cooperate to select the prospective candidates. This arrangement is available only for the United States. CHOICE OF UNIVERSITY & MAJOR Q16 A16 May I choose any field of study for a Master s (or Doctoral) degree program? You may choose the majors and programs listed in the University Information announced on our website, www.studyinkorea.go.kr. Although it is not required, it is highly recommended that you apply for a major that is in the same field of study as your previous degree. For example, those who majored in economics for undergraduate degrees are recommended to apply for a Master s degree in economics. NIIED is unable to be held responsible for any disadvantage arising from applying for a field in which an applicant has no prior experience. NIIED strongly recommends that you contact the universities to consult on the majors and degree programs you are interested in.
Q17 A17 Q18 A18 How many majors and universities can I apply for admission? If you apply in the University Track, you may choose only ONE university and ONE major. If you apply in the Embassy Track, you may choose THREE universities and the majors offered at each university. Note that you may not choose three different majors from a single university. Please refer to the application guidelines and the university information. I am from Mongolia and I want to apply for Master s degree in Electronic Engineering. Would I stand a better chance to be selected if I apply for regional universities other than non-regional universities? Not really. The Ministry of Education in Korea has created a separate admission track for regional universities, especially in the field of Natural Science and Engineering, as part of the endeavor to attract talented students at those universities. What can be said at this point, however, is that the application of those who apply for a degree program in the field of science and engineering at a regional university, might be given additional consideration, depending on the applicant s country of origin. For example, the University Track quota for Mongolian applicants is 10. Out of the total 10, 6 will be selected among all fields. The rest of 4 will be selected exclusively among the applicants in the science and engineering fields. That is to say, the applicants in the field of science and technology have practically double chances to be considered in the selection procedure. Since not all applicants will have this second chance, it is highly recommended to check the quota table in the application guidelines. Q19 A19 I am from Malaysia. May I apply for a major in the field of Liberal Arts and Social Science at one of the regional universities? Yes, you may as long as the university of your choice offers a degree program for KGSP grantees. You are eligible to apply for any degree program listed in the University Information. Therefore, you are free to choose to apply for any one of the 66 designated universities, both regional and non-regional alike. However, out of the total quota of 8 assigned for the University Track applicants from Malaysia, 5 will be selected from all range of available majors because 3 is reserved for the applicants in the field of science and engineering.
Q20 A20 I am going to apply for the program via Embassy Track. Application guidelines say that applicants should choose up to 3 preferred universities and departments (or majors). Do you have any useful tips on choosing those universities and majors? First, make sure to carefully study the application guidelines and the University Information. Then feel free to contact the university of your interest for further inquiries. You have to bear in mind that passing the 2nd round of selection will not guarantee an admission to the university that you chose. The admission rate for the successful candidates of the 2nd round is about 80%. It might be wise to broaden your scope on the universities since each university has its strength and specialize in different fields. You would want to check which university is the leading institution in the field of study you would like to pursue for your graduate degree. KOREAN LANGUAGE PROGRAM Q21 A21 Is it mandatory for all KGSP grantees to pass at least Level 3 in TOPIK after one year of Korean Language Course? Yes, it is. If a grantee fails to achieve at least Level 3 on TOPIK (Test of Proficiency in Korean) before the end of the 1-year Korean language program, he/she cannot proceed to the degree program, with their scholarship status revoked and canceled. Please note that NIIED will assign the language institution for each KGSP grantee with various factors in consideration, and the assignment of language institution will not and cannot be altered. Through the language program, grantees are required to live on-campus of the language institution and it is strictly forbidden to live with family members. Q22 A22 May I be exempted from the Korean Language Course? If you have an advanced level (Levels 5 or 6) on TOPIK, you are exempted from the language course and you must start your degree course starting from the following semester of the date you achieve the advanced level on TOPIK. In addition, you will receive the Korean Proficiency Grant of 100,000 KRW per month.
DEGREE PROGRAM Q23 A23 May I change my final choice of a university for a graduate degree during the preliminary Korean language course? No, you may not. Changing the university or transferring to another university is NOT PERMITTED under any circumstances. Changing a major, however, might be allowed very limitedly, provided the related departments of the university agree to the change of your major. Q24 Is it possible to extend my scholarship period for completing my thesis (or dissertation) beyond the designated period? A24 No, it is not. According to the KGSP Academic Regulations amended in 2012, the KGSP grantees from the 2012 are not permitted to extend the scholarship period. THANK YOU for your interest in the Korean Government Scholarship Program for Graduate Degrees. In case you need further assistance, we recommend you take the following steps: 1. Carefully read and study the Application Guidelines, which contains detailed information on the application procedure. 2. If you still have difficulty finding information, please contact GKS Team at NIIED.
2016 GKS 정부초청외국인대학원장학생선발관련 FAQ 지원자격 Q1 한국에서학사 / 석사과정에다니고있는학생입니다. KGSP 석사 / 박사과정에지원할수있습니까? A1 지원할수있습니다. 2016 년부터한국유학경험자에대한지원자격을완화하여, 한국에서학부나대학원을졸업한사실이없다면 KGSP 학위과정에지원할수있습니다. 한국에서학위과정경험자나교환학생경험자도지원가능합니다. Q2 석사과정이 2016 년 8 월에끝나는데 2018 KGSP 박사과정에지원할수있습니까? A2 현재재학중인대학에서장학생지원기한내에석사학위졸업예정증명서를받아제출하면지원가능합니다. 그러나졸업예정증명서를제출하고장학생에합격한사람은 2016 년 8 월 31 일까지반드시공식졸업증명서를 NIIED 에제출하여야하며, 그러지못할경우장학생자격이취소됩니다. 지원서류 Q3 NIIED 로지원서를바로제출해도됩니까? A3 아닙니다. 지원서는반드시 1 차선발기관 ( 재외공관혹은 KGSP 수학대학 ) 으로제출해야합니다. 제출방법에대해서는모집요강을참고바랍니다. 한국에있는지원자출신국가대사관으로도지원서를제출할수없습니다. Q4 지원서제출마감일이언제입니까? A4 정확한마감기한일은 1 차선발기관에서 2016 년 3 월중에별도날짜를지정합니다. 그러므로정확한마감기한을알기위해지원서를제출할해당 1 차선발기관에직접문의해야합니다.
Q5 지원서는어디로제출하면됩니까? A5 지원자들은 1 차선발기관 에지원을해야합니다. 1 차선발기관 에는, 재외한국대사관과국내대학이있습니다. 지원자들은지원서를제출할 1 차선발기관을결정하기전에반드시모집요강을자세히읽어봐야합니다. 모집요강은 GKS 홈페이지 (www.studyinkorea.go.kr) 에게시되어있습니다. 그리고지원서제출은오직한기관을통해서만가능합니다. Q6 외국국적의한국인입양인은어디에서류를제출합니까? A6 해외입양인은별도선발하고있으며, 입양인지원은먼저본인의국적국가가입양인배정인원을받아야하고, 그후에자국의한국대사관을통해서신청하시면됩니다. 입양인은전체선발인원의 15 명까지선발합니다. Q7 언어능력증명서 ( 영어, 한국어 ) 는꼭제출해야합니까? A7 영어능력시험증명서 (TOEFL, IELTS) 와한국어능력시험증명서 (TOPIK) 는 KGSP 지원시에선택사항이며의무사항이아닙니다. 그러므로언어능력증명서없이도지원은가능합니다. 그러나제출시에는선발에우선선발조건으로적용되며, 1 차추천기관에서는언어능력증명서를장학생추천을위해요구할수도있습니다. 한편, 2 차합격후대학에진학을위해입학허가를신청할때도특정학과에서는별도로어학능력을요구할수도있습니다. Q8 지원서 (Application Form) 의성적 (GPA) 란에는무엇을기재합니까? A8 각각해당학기의본인의 GPA 또는점수를기재하면됩니다. 만약에학부과정을 4 년동안 8 학기로졸업했다면각 8 학기의 GPA 또는점수를각각의빈칸 ( / ) 에기재하면됩니다. 빈칸의 / 앞에는본인의 GPA 또는점수를, / 뒤에는만점 GPA 또는점수를기재합니다. 예 ) 3.5/4.5 또는 85/100
Q9 추천서는몇부를제출해야합니까? A9 지원자는기본적으로 1 부의추천서를제출합니다. 그리고추천서는이전에재학했던학교의교수님으로부터받는게좋습니다. 그런데 3 차대학입학전형시지망대학으로부터추가로추천서를요구할시그대학에추가추천서를제출할수도있습니다. Q10 A10 학업계획서 (Statement of Purpose) 에구체적인학업계획 (proposal) 을포함해야합니까? 예, 구체적인학업계획은아니더라도대체적인학업계획은제시해야합니다. 즉, 한국에서의학업목표와계획, 그리고학업후계획등을제시하면됩니다. Q11 A11 지원서류제출시원본 1 부및복사본 3 부를제출하도록되어있는데, 봉인된성적증명서와추천서는어떻게복사하여제출합니까? 발급받은서류중봉인된서류 ( 성적증명서및추천서등 ) 는원본 1 부만제출하면됩니다. 그러면해외공관에서장학생후보자를선발후, 그선발된후보자의봉인된서류를 3 부별도복사해서 NIIED 로송부할것입니다. 그외봉인되지않은서류는반드시지원자본인이 3 부복사하여원본과함께제출해야합니다., 대학을통해지원하는자는원본 1 부만제출하면됩니다. Q12 서류가영어또는한국어로되어있지않은경우에는어떻게제출합니까? A12 지원서류가영어또는한국어로되어있지않은경우에는반드시번역을해야하며, 번역본이원본과동일함을증명하는공증을한국공관또는공증사무소를통해받아야합니다. 만일해당국가가 아포스티유 (apostille) 가입국가라면아포스티유확인을받아도됩니다. 아포스티유확인을받을때서류가영어가아니라면아포스티유확인을받은서류를공증받아야합니다. Q13 A13 저는일본국적이지만현재베트남에서거주하고있습니다. 지원서를베트남대사관에제출해도됩니까? 불가능합니다. 공관을통해지원할경우반드시자국에있는한국대사관에지원해야합니다. 덧붙인다면, 자신의국가의한국대사관에장학생인원이배정되지않았다면, 그한국대사관엔장학생선발권이없습니다.
Q14 A14 저는중국국적의지원자입니다. 중국의경우는공관추천만있는데, 그럼중국에있는한국대사관에지원을합니까? 아닙니다. 중국은한국과의협정에의해중국교육부에서서류를접수하여 1 차선발하도록되어있습니다. 그러므로중국지원자들은중국교육부의국가유학기금관리위원회 (China Scholarship Council) 로지원해야합니다. 체코도중국과동일하게체코교육부에서 1 차선발을하므로체코교육부로서류를제출해야합니다. Q15 A15 저는미국 LA 에거주하고있는미국지원자입니다. 공관을통해이프로그램에지원하고싶은데, 지원서류를워싱턴의한국대사관에제출해야합니까? 미국의경우는지역간거리가너무멀기때문에자기지역에있는한국총영사관에지원서류를제출하면됩니다. 워싱턴에있는한국대사관에서지역의총영사관과협의하여지원서류를처리할것입니다. 대학및전공선택 Q16 석사나박사과정지원할때어떤분야든지지원할수있습니까? A16 NIIED 홈페이지 (http://www.studyinkorea.go.kr) 에게재한 University Information 에제공된학과중에서만지원할수있습니다. 지원학과는본인학위과정의전공과동일한전공을지원하길권합니다. 예를들어, 학부에서경제학을공부한경우석사과정은경제학을선택하길권합니다. 그렇지않으면대학으로부터입학허가를받지못할수가있습니다. 전공선택에대해서는반드시지원하고자하는대학의학과와상담을하고지원하길바랍니다. Q17 대학입학을위하여몇개의대학과전공에지원할수있습니까? A17 국내위탁대학을통해지원하는지원자는지원서를제출하는하나의대학과그대학에서제공하는하나의전공만선택할수있습니다. 재외공관을통해지원하는지원자는 University Information" 에있는대학중 3 개의대학에지원하되, 각대학별로하나의전공만선택할수있습니다. 자세한내용은다음모집요강을참고하시기바랍니다.
Q18 A18 저는몽골국적의지원자로전자공학석사과정을지원하려고하는데서울에있는대학보다지방에있는대학에지원하는것이더유리한가요? 단정적으로말할수는없습니다. 한국의교육부에서는우수한이공계장학생을지방에많이유치하기위해서이공계지원트랙을만들어서시행하고있습니다. 몽골의대학교선발인원 10 명중 6 명은전공구분없이선발하고, 나머지 4 명은지방대이공계지원자들만을대상으로선발하기때문에이공계학생들은한번의기회를더가질수는있다고말씀드릴수있습니다. Q19 A19 저는말레이시아국적의지원자입니다. 지방대전형대학에속한대학의인문사회계열에는지원할수없습니까? 지원할수있습니다. 지원자는 66 개대학중정부초청장학생에게개설한전학문분야를지원할수있습니다. 우수한인문사회계열지원자는지원에제한이없으므로수도권이든지방이든소신껏지원하면됩니다. 다만말레이시아장학생을선발할때, 말레이시아의배정인원 8 명중 5 명을전공구분없이먼저선발하고, 나머지학생중에서지방대학교이공계를지원한자중에서 3 명을선발합니다. Q20 A20 저는공관을통해서이프로그램에지원하려고합니다. 이때대학을 3 개까지선택을해야하는데, 어떻게하는것이가장좋을까요? 공관을통하여지원하는지원자는대학선택에주의를해야합니다. KGSP 장학생 2 차전형에합격했다고대학에서입학허가를해주는것은아닙니다. 2 차합격생의대학입학합격률은 80% 정도입니다. 대학선택에있어시야를넓게가지고판단하는자세가필요합니다. 한국의모든대학은각자의강점과특성화분야가있습니다. 관심있는대학이강점을갖고있는분야가무엇인지알아보시고, 본인이지원하고자하는분야에서우수한실적을보이는대학을찾아보신다면많은도움이될것입니다.
한국어연수 Q21 KGSP 학생들은한국어연수후에반드시 TOPIK 3 급이상을취득해야합니까? A21 네필수사항입니다. 만일 1 년의한국어연수후에도 TOPIK(Test of Proficiency in Korean) 3 급을취득하지못할시에는학위과정에진학할수없으며, 장학생자격이취소됩니다. 또한, 한국어연수기관은 10 개내외의거점연수기관중, NIIED 가결정하며, 배치된한국어연수기관은변경할수없습니다. 한국어연수기간동안에는집중적인한국어연수를위해가족동반을금지하며, 배치된연수기관의기숙사생활을원칙으로합니다. Q22 한국어연수를면제받을수있나요? A22 지원당시에이미 TOPIK 5 급혹은 6 급을취득한경우에는한국어연수를면제받고바로 9 월에시작하는학위과정을시작해야만합니다. 또한, 한국어연수중에 TOPIK 5 급이상을취득한후차년도 3 월부터한국어연수를면제받을수있습니다. 한국어연수를면제받는경우 NIIED 의허가를얻어바로학위과정에진학해야합니다. 또한학위과정진학후부터 TOPIK 5 급이상취득자는매달 100,000 원의추가장학금을받을수있습니다. 학위과정 Q23 2016 년도대학원장학생으로학위과정중에대학과전공을변경할수있습니까? A23 변경할수없습니다. 학위과정대학은장학생으로합격후종료시까지절대변경할수없습니다. 단, 학과는동일대학내에서이전학과와신규학과의상호동의하에대학의허가를얻을경우에만변경할수있습니다. Q24 학위과정종료후논문작성을위하여장학기간을연장할수있습니까? A24 개정된규정 (2012 년도 ) 에의하여 2012 년도대학원장학생부터학위과정종료후장학기간연장을할수없습니다. (2016 학년도대학원장학생포함장학기간연장불가 )