The Global Korea Scholarship (GKS), funded by the Korean Government, is one of the most generous fully-funded scholarships open to international students, including Cambodians, who wish to study in South Korea.
Who is it for?
GKS supports international students at two academic levels — undergraduate programs, and graduate programs (Master’s and PhD). Fields of study are broad, including science, engineering, and food-related disciplines.
What GKS Covers
GKS is a fully-funded scholarship. It generally covers:
- Round-trip airfare
- Tuition fees
- A monthly living stipend
- One year of Korean language training
- Settlement and research allowances
- Medical insurance
How to Apply
Applications are submitted through one of two tracks:
Embassy Track
Apply through the Korean Embassy in your country. This track is often recommended for first-time applicants.
University Track
Apply directly to a participating Korean university that accepts GKS applications.
View the GKS application guide →
⚠️ The linked guide is a helpful third-party resource, not the official portal. Always confirm eligibility, benefits, and deadlines on the official Study in Korea website or through the Korean Embassy before applying.
Getting your documents ready
Most applications are lost on paperwork rather than on merit. The documents below take longer to obtain than people expect, and several have to be certified or officially translated:
- Academic transcripts and degree certificates, often certified and translated.
- Proof of language ability, with a valid test result — check the validity period before you book.
- A CV covering study, laboratory skills, and any practical or industry experience.
- A personal statement or study plan.
- A research proposal, for graduate-level applications.
- Reference letters — give referees several weeks, plus your CV and drafts to work from.
- Identity and health documents as specified by the programme.
Embassy track or university track?
Writing a statement that stands out
Selection panels read a great many statements that could have been written by anyone. What separates a strong one is specificity: a clear reason for this country and this programme, a concrete example of work you have actually done, and a plan that connects the study to what you intend to do afterwards.
For food-science applicants, local relevance is a genuine strength. A proposal built around a Cambodian product — the shelf life of a traditional dried or fermented food, or how a processing variable changes its quality — is more distinctive than a generic topic, and easier to argue is worth funding.
- Name the specific department, laboratory or supervisor, and why their work fits yours.
- Give one worked example of a problem you investigated and what you found.
- Keep the research question narrow enough to be finished in the time available.
- Say what you intend to do with the qualification afterwards.
- Have someone else read it for clarity before you submit.
After you submit
Selection normally runs in stages — document screening, then interview, and sometimes a medical check — spread over several months. Keep copies of everything you submitted, since later stages often refer back to them, and be ready to explain any part of your proposal in an interview. If the outcome is unsuccessful, the documents are reusable: many successful applicants apply more than once, and a year of laboratory or production experience in between usually strengthens the next attempt.
Where to check the real requirements
This page is an orientation, not an application guide. Eligibility rules, deadlines, covered costs and required documents for the Global Korea Scholarship are set by the awarding body and change from year to year. Use the official links above as the authority, and confirm every detail there before you rely on it.
For general guidance on choosing a programme, approaching a supervisor and writing a proposal, see the graduate school page; both study-abroad routes are compared on the scholarships page.
(See the two tracks described above.) The embassy track is often suggested for first-time applicants because the process is more structured, while the university track can suit applicants with a clear target institution and an existing link to a department. Applicants normally choose one track only — check the current rule before applying, as this is a common disqualifier.