Frequently Asked Questions for Korean Government Scholarship Program

Korean Government Scholarship Program FAQ (for both undergraduate and graduate studies)

Q: When can I apply for Korean Government Scholarship Program?
A: For undergraduate program, the announcement will be posted on the Korean Embassy website around August or September; and for graduate program, the announcement will be made around February.
Korean Embassy website:
http://mys.mofat.go.kr/english/as/mys/bilateral/bilateral/index.jsp

Q: Do I have to apply to the University for Admission first in order to be qualified for the scholarship?
No, it doesn’t work that way. You must send your application to the Embassy.
This is how the process will go:
1)      You send your application to the Embassy
2)      Embassy reviews your application
3)      Around 5~10 applicants will be shortlisted for the Embassy interview (interview is conducted in English, not Korean)
4)      Embassy selects 2 or 3 applicants (depends on the quota) from the interview → 1st Selection
5)      Embassy sends the documents of the applicants who passed the 1st Selection to NIIED in Korea
6)      NIIED reviews the application and selects the applicant → 2nd Selection
7)      NIIED sends the applicant’s documents to the 3 universities selected by applicant (applicants are required to choose 3 universities in the application form)
8)      University reviews applicant’s documents and confirms the selection→ 3rd Selection
9)      Applicant is granted the scholarship

Q: How can I apply for this program? Where should I send my documents to?
A: You may visit the Embassy to submit your documents (you can just submit at the guardhouse. ‘Attention: KGSP’) or you can also send your documents by post to this address:
To: Embassy of the Republic of Korea, No. 9 &11 Jalan Nipah off Jalan Ampang 55000 Kuala Lumpur
Attention: KGSP

Q: I am a foreigner residing in Malaysia. Can I apply for this program?
A: No you cannot. Please apply to the Korean Embassy in your own country.

Q: Around how many people apply for this program every year?
A: It depends, but usually we receive around 50 applications every year.

Q: I’m currently studying in a college and I wish to apply for the undergraduate program. Can I submit my college results?
A: You may, but we will review your high school results (SPM, O’Level etc) in order to be fair to other applicants.

Q: Is Unified Examination Certificate (UEC) result qualified in Korea?
A: Unified Examination Certificate is not well known in Korea so you may need to inquire the university you wish to apply. You’re advised to provide explanation in your application document that UEC result is equivalent to high school results similar to O'Level so that the school can understand what UEC is.

Q: I only have 1 original copy of my document, so I cannot submit it. What should I do?
A: Original copy refers to the document certified by the relevant authorities; you do not need to submit the real original document. Documents can be certified by your School Principal / Division A Government Officer / Commissioner of Oath. Please refer to this link for more information: http://www.kln.gov.my/web/guest/services-consular-malaysians-local?p_p_id=101_INSTANCE_V9fv&p_p_lifecycle=0&p_p_state=normal&p_p_mode=view&p_p_col_id=118_INSTANCE_s1Pf_column-1&p_p_col_pos=2&p_p_col_count=5&_101_INSTANCE_V9fv_struts_action=%2Fasset_publisher%2Fview_content&_101_INSTANCE_V9fv_urlTitle=services-authentication-of-documents-and-notarial-service-2&_101_INSTANCE_V9fv_type=content&redirect=%2Fweb%2Fguest%2Fservices-consular-malaysians-local

Q: It is stated that I need to submit 1 copy of original and 3 photocopies, does this mean that I need to prepare for 4 set of documents?
A: Yes, that is correct.

Q: From whom should I get the recommendation letter?
A: You may get it from any teachers/professors/lecturers who have taught you before at the high school (for undergraduate program) or college/university (for graduate program).

Q: My professors/lecturers stay in overseas. How can I get recommendation letter from them?
A: Please send the softcopy of recommendation letter to your professor/lecturer by e-mail and ask them to send the letter directly to Embassy of Republic of Korea in Kuala Lumpur by post.

Q: I’m interested in studying Business in Korean university but I do not know which university offers this major. How can I know this?
A: Please visit http://www.studykorea.go.kr/
At the right hand side of the main page, type your desired major at the ‘Major’ field and hit the ‘Search’ button.


Universities offering this major will be displayed.


Q: I do not know which universities are excellent in Korea. How can I know this?
A: It is hard for the Embassy to recommend a university for you. We advice you to search for ‘Korean universities ranking’ in any search engine or consult withhttp://www.studykorea.go.kr/

Q: I do not have any certificate of English language proficiency such as TOEFL or IELTS, do I have to sit for the test? Can I submit my MUET result?
A: TOEFL/IELTS is not compulsory; it is just an added advantage if you have the certificate. It is up to you to sit for the test or not. If you want to submit your MUET result, you may.

Q: Are the courses in Korean university conducted in Korean or English?
A: Nowadays English courses are offered by many universities in Korea. You need to check carefully before you select the universities by visiting the English website of the university you are interested in.

Q: I cannot speak Korean at all; can I still apply for this program?
A: Yes, you can. Scholarship grantees are required to take a preliminary Korean language course at the institution designated by NIIED for 1 year. However, the grantees with level 5 or higher in TOPIK (Test of Proficiency in Korean) can be exempted from the preliminary Korean language course.



All the information you need to know is stated in the guideline, so it is appreciated if you could read the guideline carefully before sending your inquiries.

Thank you.