KOICA Scholarships

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KOICA Scholarships in Korea 2023/2024; Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) is offering scholarship program for students from developing countries to undertake full-time postgraduate study at participating Korean universities.

The fields of study are targeted to address agreed development needs of partner countries, such as International Development, Women and Development, Public Policy, Fishery Science, Agriculture and Rural Development, etc., in line with Korea’s bilateral aid program.

KOICA provides a wide range of benefits to the grantees (attendees) covering living expenses while in Korea for the minimum period required to complete the program.

Course Level: Scholarships are available for pursuing masters studies at participating Korean universities.

Eligibility

Applicants for KOICA Scholarship Programs must satisfy both the general eligibility criteria and specific criteria established for each course.

Applicants will also need to satisfy all requirements of the Korea Immigration Service.

General Eligibility Criteria:

Applicants must:

  • Be a government official, an employee in the public sector, or a researcher in a state institute working in his/her home country with a bachelor’s degree or higher.
  • Be nominated by his or her government.
  • Have sufficient command of both spoken & written English to take classes conducted entirely in English and to write academic reports and a thesis in English.
  • Have a positive attitude and a strong will to get adjusted to a multicultural environment and to understand the hosting country’s culture.
  • Have good moral characteristics to endure student life on campus.
  • Be in good health, both physically and mentally, to undergo the program.
  • Pregnancy is regarded as a disqualifying condition for participating in this program.
  • Having tuberculosis or any kind of contagious disease is regarded as a disqualifying condition for participation in this program.
  • Have not previously received a scholarship or participated in a scholarship program, including a KOICA Scholarship Program, from the Korean government.

Course Specific Criteria

In addition to the above general eligibility criteria, applicants must also meet specific eligibility criteria imposed by each course. (Please refer to the “Program Information” of each program.

For example, only women can apply for the course of “Capacity Development of Women Leadership” at Ewha Womans University).

KOICA Scholarships in Korea are Open for Students of Following Countries

Students from Asia (Laos, Vietnam, Indonesia, Cambodia, Philippines, Mongolia, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Nepal, East Timor, Pakistan, Afghanistan); Africa (Sudan, Madagascar, Morocco, Algeria, Angola, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Cameroon, Tunisia, Cote d’Ivoire, DR Congo, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Senegal, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Egypt, Rwanda, Uganda, Libya, Gabon and Mozambique); Americas (Guatemala, Paraguay, Peru, Nicaragua, Dominican Republic, Bolivia, Ecuador, El Salvador, Honduras, Jamaica, Colombia, Haiti, Costa Rica, Panama, Uruguay and Venezuela); Middle East (Yemen, Jordan, Iran, Palestine, Iraq and Lebanon); Oceania (Solomon Islands, Fiji and Papua New Guinea) and Eastern Europe Central Asia (Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Ukraine, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tadzhikistan, Belarus and Serbia) can apply for the KOICA Scholarship Program.

Note: Countries are subject to change depending on the course and will be decided annually by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the Ministry of Strategy and Finance.

KOICA Scholarships in Korea Cover

KOICA provides a wide range of benefits to the grantees (attendees) covering living expenses while in Korea for the minimum period required to complete the program.

The benefits include:

  • Air travel fare: Economy class, round-trip airfare via the most direct route to and from Korea
  • Full tuition fees
  • Accommodation (mainly the dormitory of a training institute)
  • Living allowance
  • Meals
  • Textbooks and materials
  • Study visits, field trips, etc. during the program
  • A medical check up after entry into the program
  • Overseas traveler’s health insurance: Expenses for medical treatments and hospital care due to diseases or accidents within the scope and limit of insurance coverage.

How to Apply

There are usually two selection rounds annually. There are two rounds for each selection: the document review and the telephone interview (an “essay test” may be included in some cases).

After being nominated by his/her government, the applicant should submit the application package to the KOICA office or the Embassy of Korea in his/her country.

KOICA Headquarters receives applications only through diplomatic channels, which means that one cannot send application documents directly to KOICA Headquarters or universities.

For more information: https://koica.go.kr/sites/ciat/index.do

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