Let’s be honest, South Korea is not often talked about but this is a top go-to study destination in East Asia. Now, the reason will be the language. You know, a lot of English speakers won’t really feel welcome until they decently understand Korean. That’s just that. Now, for this post, we will talk about the SNU scholarship in South Korea for undergraduate. You need to understand that SNU here stands for Seoul National University.
So, since we’re looking at scholarship programs for undergraduate applicants, it means that you’ll be receiving the scholarship award as you receive the admission. You’ll also be applying for this SNU scholarship before or during the time you are applying for admission. You can find scholarships from many different supporting organizations. However, in this post, I’ll only talk about two of them mentioned on the SNU website.
SNU Scholarship in South Korea for Undergraduate in 2024-2025
Seoul National University currently has two undergrad scholarships. We have the Overseas Koreans Scholarship and the Korean Government Scholarship Program (KGSP).
1. Overseas Koreans Foundation Scholarship
This is going to be our first, and we’ll begin with the eligibility. You can apply online, alongside other documents, and submit to the Korean embassies in the country you are in. It’s the embassy that will make the first selection before the Overseas Koreans Foundation selects your application.
This scholarship is primarily for overseas Korean students who will be taking an undergraduate degree at SNU. There is a bit of a bias with this one because it is limited to Koreans only, as long as they studied abroad.
So, if you are a Korean who studied abroad, this scholarship is for you. Here, the full tuition is covered for 8 semesters. As for the living expenses, we are looking at 900,000 KRW, the amount you’ll be paid per month for 8 semesters only. There’ll also be a medical insurance subscription handled by a private company.
You’ll also receive airfare money, but it only applies to one economy round trip. If you need to improve your Korean, you can take a class on that. However, the ‘Overseas Koreans Foundation Scholarship’ is only going to cover the Language Education Institute fee for 6 months.
This scholarship is open in February or March each year. The process takes the entire month. So, for February, the application will be valid throughout that month.
2. Korean Government Scholarship Program (KGSP)
Okay, KGSP is the second one. Now, why I love and recommend this scholarship is that you can apply irrespective of your home country. This scholarship is offered by the National Institute for International Education in South Korea.
So, any international student is eligible. This scholarship is going to cover your tuition for 8 semesters in your 4-year undergraduate programs at SNU.
Unfortunately, if your program is longer than 4 years, you are not eligible for KGSP. Examples of such programs are medicine, pharmacy, veterinary medicine, and architecture.
The only problem I have with KGSP is that it only takes in about 20 to 40 recipients every year. The full tuition fee is only valid for 8 semesters. KGSP will also cover your living expenses with 900,000 KRW per month and airfare for one economy round trip.
Since you’re not a South Korean, this scholarship will cover one year of your Korean language training fee. So, this language situation is the reason some students don’t see South Korea as a preferred study destination. Korean language training is mandatory and if you don’t achieve TOPIK grade 3 within one year, you won’t be eligible to start your degree program.
The application period is in September for this scholarship. All you have to do is submit applications for this program to the Korean embassy in your country. It’s not going to be easy but it gets easier the more you get into it.
Conclusion
So, in the end, if as an undergraduate considering South Korea, Seoul National University could be the one for you since it offers undergraduatr scholarships for students. Remember that the embassy always makes the first selection before while the scholarship management makes the final selection. As such, make sure your application counts.
Read Also: Medical Scholarship in South Korea for International Students
