South Korea

The Government of South Korea offers two scholarships to Québec university students. These scholarships are awarded through the National Institute for International Education (NIIED), for master’s degree or doctoral studies.

Scholarships are awarded for all fields offered at institutions of higher education in South Korea, including Korean studies.

To be eligible, you must meet the following criteria:

• Be a Canadian citizen and be in good health.
• Be a Québec resident according to the Regulation respecting the definition of resident in Québec and have your permanent residence in the province within the meaning of the Health Insurance Act  and its Regulation respecting the application of the Health Insurance Act .
• Hold a bachelor’s or master’s degree for master’s-level programs, and a master’s degree for doctoral-level programs; these degrees must have been obtained by February 28, 2023.
• Meet the requirements of the Korean authorities with regard to the maximum age requirement, that is, be born after September 1, 1982.
• Have a good understanding of English or Korean. For more information on language requirements and evaluation of language competencies, please contact the Consulate General of the Republic of Korea in Montreal .
• Have earned a cumulative grade point average above “B” at the last educational institution you attended.
• Be admitted to a program of study at an educational institution in South Korea
• Be able to obtain a visa and student study permit from the Ministry of Justice of South Korea under Korean immigration laws.
• Have a certificate attesting that you have achieved at least level 5 in the Test of Proficiency in Korean (TOPIK)  in accordance with the criteria established by the Korean government. You must include this certificate with your scholarship application in order to receive an exemption from the mandatory Korean language course. If you have not achieved Level 5 in the TOPIK, you will need to take Korean language classes for one year before starting postsecondary studies and then obtain a certificate attesting that you have reached Level 3 on the test. The costs associated with these courses are paid by the Korean party. Proficiency in the Korean language may be an asset but is not required.

It is recommended that applicants for the research program obtain permission from the research institution, university or other eligible Korean organization before arriving in South Korea.

To be eligible for the six-month to one-year research program, you must have previously been awarded a scholarship under this same scholarship program. You must also have resided outside of South Korea for at least one year after completing this program.

If you have already received the scholarship, you cannot obtain a second scholarship unless you move from one level of study to a higher level of study.

To change your program of study or university, you must first obtain authorization from the South Korean and Québec governments.

All programs, including Korean studies, in higher education institutions in South Korea.

Both scholarships are offered for a duration of:

• two years for a master’s program
• three years for a doctoral program
• six months to one year for a research program

Persons who have not attained TOPIK Level 5 will be required to take Korean language courses for one year prior to the start of their postsecondary studies.

The scholarships include:

• An economy-class plane ticket to South Korea and another ticket of the same category for the return trip to Québec.
• A monthly allowance to cover living expenses for the duration of the program, upon arrival and registration at NIIED.
• A waiver of tuition fees. The duration of this waiver is determined by the host institution. If the scholarship recipient does not obtain the minimum mark required, they will be required to pay the tuition fees.
• An allowance for research, which includes the cost of textbooks and other relevant materials, student association membership fees, thesis examination and printing fees, etc.
• Payment of all costs associated with the language course, for up to one year.
• Medical insurance covering the duration of your studies in South Korea. In the case of a serious illness or accident, the fees paid directly are reimbursed. The NIIED assists the scholarship recipient in determining what is covered by insurance.

Ideally, documents should be submitted in English or Korean. Please consult the 2023 GKS-G Application Guidelines (DOCX 501 Kb) for more information, including identifying which documents you must submit in their original form and the requirements for submitting copies and documents in French:

Your application package must include the following documents:

• The forms and documents (see the 2023 GKS-G Application Guidelines and 2023 GKS‑G Application Forms) required to process your application in Québec and South Korea, available at the Korean government website .
• Your Korean Government Scholarship Program Application Form (PDF 137 Kb) submitted on the prescribed form.
• Your résumé.
• The pledge (PDF 229 Kb) using the prescribed form.
• Your act of birth (if you were not born in Canada, you must provide a proof of Canadian citizenship and proof of your status as a Québec resident as per the Regulation respecting the definition of resident in Québec)
• The formulaire de confirmation (PDF 220 Kb) (confirmation form, in French only).

Late or incomplete files will not be accepted.

• The application package must be sent to the Ministère in two phases, first by email and then by mail.

1. You must put your application documents into a single, compressed, encrypted and password-protected folder and email it to bge@mes.gouv.qc.ca. You must also provide the Ministère with your password separately in a different email from the one containing the encrypted folder.
2. After your email submission, your printed application package must be sent to the Ministère for delivery no later than.

• An evaluation committee comprised of professionals from the Ministère evaluates the applications according to the following criteria: previous educational experience, relevance of the study plan or research project (expected spin-offs for the host and home communities, and for the applicant’s personal journey), motivation (discovery of the local culture, interest in learning the language of the host country, if applicable), thoroughness of the presentation of the application.
• The Ministère recommends the selected candidates and submits their files to the host country.
• The host country makes the final selection.