The Korea Foundation

2024-25 KF Scholarship for Graduate Studies

*Important Notice: This call for applications is for applicants from all nations excluding those in North America, Europe, and Japan.

Applicants from those nations are invited to apply when a new call for applications is issued in the spring of 2025.

Program Outline

The KF Scholarship for Graduate Studies (GS) is designed to provide scholarship support to graduate students majoring in a Korea-related field or focusing on a Korea- related research topic at a university located outside of Korea.

Eligible Applicants

M.A. students or Ph.D. candidates in the humanities, social sciences, arts & cultural studies, or any other relevant field with a Korea-related research topic who fulfill the following criteria:

- Have enrolled (or are about to enroll) as a full-time student at a university located outside of Korea*

*Please note that students who have enrolled (or are about to enroll) at graduate schools aimed at training professionals in specific fields, such as MBA schools, law schools, or interpretation and translation schools, are ineligible for this program.

- Have not previously obtained a Ph.D. degree

- Hold citizenship or permanent residency status in a country outside of Korea*

*Applicants who are Korean citizens must have already obtained permanent residency status in a country outside of Korea as of August 2024.

Scholarship Period

1 year

-Applicants from Asia (excluding Japan), Eurasia, Middle and South America, Africa, Middle East, and others: from September 1, 2024 to August 31, 2025.

-Applicants from Oceania: from March 1, 2025 to February 28, 2026.

Scholarship Support

Graduate studies scholarship*

*The scholarship amount varies depending on the region [Scholarship amount search]

Application Schedule

- Application Submission Period: August 1 to September 10, 2024 (18:00 KST)

- Reference Letter Submission Deadline: September 12, 2024 (18:00 KST)*

*Please note that any letters submitted after this deadline will not be accepted.

- Notification of Results: November 2024 (subject to change without prior notice)

Required Documents

1. Online application (https://apply.kf.or.kr/)

2. Supplemental documents (to be uploaded together with the online application, except for reference letters, which are to be submitted directly by referees)

① Study/research proposal

- Complete the form available on the online application portal.

- Include all required information and a separate bibliography.

- If the application is for a renewal for a second or third scholarship period, applicants must submit a progress report describing their research progress and related activities during the previous scholarship period.

② Reference letters

- Three (3) letters of recommendation* (one from the applicant’s thesis/dissertation supervisor, one from a professor who is qualified to assess the applicant’s research proposal, and one from a professor or lecturer who is able to assess the applicant’s Korean language competency)

*If the application is for a renewal for a second or third scholarship period, only one (1) reference letter is required, and should be from the applicant’s thesis/dissertation supervisor.

How to submit reference letters:

• Clicking on “Send email to request recommendation” within the online application form will automatically send emails to the indicated referees asking them to submit reference letters for the respective applicant.

• If the application is submitted without clicking on “Send email to request recommendation,” emails will be sent automatically to the indicated referees upon submission of the application.

• Reference letters must be prepared in a designated form and directly submitted by referees via an upload link, as explained in the email that is sent to them.

Important reminder

• If reference letters are not submitted by the September 12 (18:00 KST) deadline, the application will not be considered as complete and will be automatically excluded from the screening process. Please note that it is applicants’ sole responsibility to inform referees of this in advance and ask them to submit their letters before the deadline.

③ Copy of academic transcripts

- Applicants enrolled in M.A. degree courses must submit academic transcripts for their undergraduate degree(s) and the previous year(s) of their M.A. degree (if in their second year or above).*

*For applicants applying for a renewal of the scholarship period, only academic transcripts for the previous year(s) of their M.A. degree are required.

- Applicants enrolled in Ph.D. degree courses must submit academic transcripts for their undergraduate and M.A. degrees, and the previous year(s) of their Ph.D. degree (if they are in their second year or above).*

*For applicants applying for a renewal of the scholarship period, only academic transcripts for the previous year(s) of their Ph.D. degree is required.

④ Curriculum vitae

- Information about applicants’ educational experience, including the title of applicants’ thesis/dissertation and the date(s) on which they obtained their degree(s), professional experience, scholarship and grant award history, research accomplishments, and publications.

⑤ Proof of nationality or permanent residency status

- Copy of picture ID indicating nationality, residency permit, or any other relevant details

*Please note that any "Unique Identifiable Information (UII)" in the copy, such as Passport No., Social Security No., shall be masked or covered according to the Personal Information Protection Act. Even if the application is submitted, applications containing UII may be rejected.

How to Apply

Important Reminders about the Program

1. M.A. students are eligible for scholarship support for up to two years; Ph.D. candidates are eligible for scholarship support for up to three years.

- Scholarships are not automatically renewed. Those who wish to renew their scholarship period for a second or third year must submit an application during the relevant application period. The evaluation of such renewal applications will be made through a screening process.

2. Scholarship recipients may not receive any other concurrent grants or scholarships provided by the KF or other Korean institutions.

3. During the semester, scholarship recipients must reside in the country in which the university at which they are enrolled is located, and devote their time exclusively to studying and conducting research.

4. If recipients leave the university during the scholarship period, the scholarship for the remaining period must be returned to the KF. In addition, a report describing the recipient’s progress during the scholarship period must be immediately submitted to the KF.

5. Scholarship periods may not be deferred to the following year. If, for any reason, recipients must postpone the scholarship period, they must withdraw from the program and reapply for the program the following year.

6. Scholarships shall be awarded in two installments, as follows:

- The first installment (80% of the total scholarship) will be disbursed after all required documents, including enrollment certificates, are verified.

- The second installment (20% of the total grant) will be disbursed after a final report is submitted to and reviewed by the KF.

7. Scholarship recipients are required to submit a final report detailing the academic achievements made during the scholarship period within thirty (30) days of the end of the period, using the KF’s standard report form.

8. Upon obtaining their degree, scholarship recipients are required to submit a copy of their thesis/dissertation to the KF. Recipients must also inform the KF about any major academic achievements and activities they are involved in, as well as any appointments to academic positions, even after the scholarship period has ended.

The KF will monitor recipients’ research progress annually for three (3) years following the conclusion of the scholarship period. Recipients who do not fulfill the above stated responsibilities will be ineligible for future support from the KF.

Important Reminders about the Application

1. All personal information included in the application form will be exclusively used for the program’s purposes. By submitting the application, applicants agree to the collection of their personal information by the KF.

2. All applicant actions (log-in, data entry, button clicks, etc.) are saved as real-time logs and it is the applicant's responsibility to complete the document within the deadline. To ensure fair deliberation, all applications not submitted within the deadline will be disqualified without any exception.

3. Please be careful when uploading attached files as they will be blocked if the file contains the applicant's unique identification information or contains special strings that are considered malicious code.

4. After the completion of the evaluation process, universities will be notified about successful applicants via the email address indicated on the application.

Inquiries

- About the program: KF Fellowships Department (scholarship@kf.or.kr)

- About systematic errors*: KF Tech Support Team (tech-support@kf.or.kr)

*Following additional information should be included in the email for timely response: 1) Full Name, 2) Time of occurrence, 3) Detailed description of the error (Highly preferable with screenshots.)