How I Got the GKS G 2025 Scholarship | 2025년 정부초청 외국인 장학생 얻은 법

 안녕하세요! 만나서 반갑습니다~

Back in high school, I fell in love with Korean dramas and dreamed of majoring in Korean Literature someday. But after lots of thinking (and a bit of fear), I chose to study Korean in a language course instead of university. To be honest? I regret that decision.

After studying Korean in a language course for about 5 years, I felt my skills had improved a lot but still not enough for a real working environment. Last year, I took the TOPIK II exam without expecting much. My only hope was to pass and maybe get level 4 out of 6. But when the results came out… I got level 5... I was happy, but also a little confused. I didn’t think I was that good. Maybe I was just lucky with a few guesses 😅

Still, it gave me confidence to dream a little bigger. Last January, when I found out the GKS Graduate Scholarship 2025 was open, I decided to try my luck. To match my long-time passion for Korean, I chose Korean Language and Literature as my major. I even prepared my study plan and personal statement in Korean — not just to show off a little 😅, but also because I believed writing in Korean might increase my chances of getting accepted.

A little information, GKS stands for Global Korea Scholarship — a fully funded scholarship provided by NIIED (National Institute for International Education) in South Korea.

It covers:
✅ Tuition fees
✅ Monthly living allowance
✅ Flight tickets
✅ Insurance
✅ +1 year of Korean language course before starting your degree

It’s a complete package, and honestly, I felt like it was made just for someone like me 😄

There are two ways to apply:
📌 Embassy Track – You send all required documents to the Korean Embassy in your country. If you pass their screening, they’ll forward your docs to the university.
📌 University Track – You send your documents directly to the university you’re applying to, and they’ll handle the selection.

When applying for GKS, there are two university types to choose from:

Type A:
Universities in Seoul or Korea’s top-tier schools (like KAIST — even though it’s not in Seoul).

Type B:
Universities located outside of Seoul, in cities like Busan, Gwangju, Daegu, etc.

Each type has a different quota, and the number of available spots also depends on your home country. You might also hear the term R-GKS, which stands for Regional GKS, it refers to GKS scholarships that are specifically for universities outside Seoul. It’s meant to help promote regional development and diversity across Korea.

After a lot of consideration, I decided to apply through the university track and chose a Type B university. Why? Because for my country, the quota for Type B university track was bigger than the others. 

Once I completed all the documents, I sent them via FedEx and waited nervously. A few days later, I got an email from the university. They confirmed my documents had arrived safely, and said if I pass the document screening, I’ll be invited for an interview.

Thank God, I received the interview invitation email for GKS. It was scheduled for mid-April, and the result would come out around late April. I was so nervous, especially because the interview was entirely in Korean, and it was my first time doing an interview in Korean I prepared as much as I could, practiced every day, and just hoped for the best. During the interview, I faced three professors, and although I stammered a bit while answering their questions, I tried to stay calm and confident. And now... I’m proud to say that I passed the interview process! This moment felt like a huge step forward, not just for the scholarship, but for my personal growth, too.

After passing the interview, the university sent my documents to NIIED for the final screening process. And then… the real waiting game began. I spent over a month full of nervous and hope, checking the Study in Korea website almost every day 😅

Finally, on June 9, the official result came out — and I PASSED THE SECOND ROUND TOO! 🎉😭

One step closer became a dream come true. After waiting with a mix of nervous and hope, the final announcement was released in early July, and... I PASSED THE FINAL ROUND!I’m officially a GKS G 2025 Awardee. I still can’t believe it. This journey was full of doubts, hard work, and so many prayer, but it all paid off.

합격해서 매우 행복해! 아직 꿈 같고 믿을 수가 없지만 진짜네~

Now I’m preparing for my departure to Korea in late August. Feel free to drop your questions in the comments — I’ll try my best to answer and help fellow future applicants! 🤗