The Ministry of Education, Higher Education and Labour Skills has opened applications for 15 postgraduate scholarships in South Korea under the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) Scholarship Programme 2027.
The programme offers 11 master’s scholarships and four doctoral scholarships for eligible civil servants to pursue postgraduate studies at leading South Korean universities. Applications must be submitted through the Kuri portal by 1:30pm on 2 July.
According to the ministry, applicants for master’s programmes must hold a bachelor’s degree in a relevant field, have at least two years of work experience, be employed in the civil service, be under 40 years of age as of 6 July 2026, meet the required health standards, and obtain a minimum score of 570 in TOEFL or 6.0 in IELTS. Applicants must also satisfy any additional admission requirements set by the respective universities.
Doctoral applicants must hold a master’s degree in a relevant field, have at least three years of work experience after completing their master’s degree, be employed in the civil service, meet the same age, health and English language requirements, and fulfil any university-specific eligibility criteria.
The ministry also stated that applicants who have previously received government student loans must have maintained their repayments and not be in default.
The scholarships cover programmes in public management, climate change and environment, economic development, health policy, agriculture, fisheries, artificial intelligence, infectious disease control, digital health and the social economy.
Participating institutions include Handong Global University, Incheon National University, KDI School, Sungkyunkwan University, Kyungpook National University, Pukyong National University, the University of Seoul, and Yonsei University, including its Mirae Campus.
Further information, including programme details and application requirements, is available through the Kuri portal.
