Closing Date: 31 July 2026
Applications are now open for the 2027 KOICA Scholarship Program for postgraduate study in Korea
About KOICA
The Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), established in 1991, is a governmental agency dedicated to providing Korea’s grant aid programs. KOICA aims to foster friendly, cooperative relationships, and mutual exchanges with partner
countries by offering support for their socioeconomic development. KOICA is involved in a diverse range of initiatives, including the Fellowship Program, Korea Volunteer Dispatching Program, Humanitarian Assistance & Disaster Relief, Public-Private
Partnership, and Bilateral and Multilateral Projects, among others.
KOICA Fellowship Program
Just like its acronym that sounds like “seed” in Korean, CIAT (Capacity Improvement and Advancement for Tomorrow) aims to sow seeds of hope across KOICA’s partner countries. CIAT is a cooperation program that invites policy-makers, public servants, and experts from KOICA’s partner countries to Korea for technical training and knowledge sharing. It has established partnerships with numerous public organizations, research institutes, universities, and other institutions in Korea to provide
high-quality training programs.
In particular, CIAT Scholarship Programs offer various supports to talented government officials from partner countries who wish to study and obtain a graduate degree in Korea. These efforts have resulted in a high level of
satisfaction among participants. Upon returning to their home countries, CIAT participants contribute not only to their own societies but also strengthen the bilateral partnership between Korea and their respective partner countries
KOICA Scholarship Program Eligibility
A. Nationality
- All applicants must be citizens of the designated countries listed above. These countries are selected by the Korean government (KOICA) from the OECD DAC List of ODA Recipients.The list of designated countries is subject to annual changes based on the policies of the Korean government (KOICA).
B. Employee Status and Government Nomination - All applicants must be government officials and receive official nominations from their respective governments for the KOICA Scholarship program.
C. Age - (Preferably) Under the age of 40
D. Health - All applicants must be in good health, both mentally and physically, to study in Korea for the full duration of the program.
- Applicants with disabilities, but in good mental and physical health, are eligible to apply.
- Applicants with severe illness are NOT ELIGIBLE to apply
Minimum Level of Education and Field experience
Program Minimum Level of Education or Minimum Experience in the Field of Study
Master’s Bachelor’s Degree (as of July 31, 2026) (Preferably) 2 years
Doctoral Master’s Degree (as of July 31, 2026) (Preferably) 3 years after completing
Master’s degree program
- Some programs may have specific educational qualifications, which can be found in the Program Information provided by each university.
F. English Proficiency - Applicants must have a strong command of English, both in speaking and writing. Proficiency in English is required to attend classes conducted entirely in English and to be able to write academic reports and theses in English. An official English proficiency test score is not required at the KOICA Round. However, it may be required by certain universities at the University Round.
G. Restrictions - Individuals who have previously received a scholarship for a degree program from the Korean government are NOT eligible to apply. Individuals who have previously enrolled in a degree program through a Korean government-sponsored scholarship program, other than the KOICA-administered scholarship program, are NOT eligible to apply for a Doctoral course.
- However, individuals who have received a bachelor’s degree scholarship from the Korean government are eligible to apply for a master’s course.
- Individuals who were previously KOICA scholars and had their scholarship cancelled* after enrollment are NOT eligible to apply.
*Cancellation of Scholarship means that a KOICA scholarship participant either withdrew from the program or had their scholarship forfeited due to cumulative warnings, etc., during their scholarship period.
