Two tracks, not one, with different ages and calendars
Treat this as two scholarships bundled under one name rather than a single programme, because the undergraduate and graduate tracks run on separate age limits, quotas and application calendars. Undergraduate applicants must be under 25; graduate applicants (master’s and doctoral) must be under 40. The graduate cycle runs February to June, from NIIED’s announcement through to final results, while the undergraduate cycle runs an entirely different September to December. If you’re checking your own eligibility against a single “under 40” figure quoted elsewhere, that number applies to the graduate track only.
The scale, and where NIIED’s own numbers disagree with each other
This is South Korea’s flagship national scholarship, and it is genuinely large, though NIIED’s own page states its scale two different ways. Its summary quota box cites approximately 280 undergraduate places and 1,600 graduate places a year; its own detailed application-track tables add up to 286 undergraduate places (156 Embassy Track, 130 University Track) and 2,000 graduate places (800 Embassy Track, 1,200 University Track). Treat both figures as “roughly this scale” rather than a single precise number, since NIIED has not reconciled the two on its own page. Language training runs on top of the degree itself, which is why total duration exceeds the degree alone, up to six years for a bachelor’s including language preparation.
The two application routes matter more than they might look
Embassy Track applicants apply online and submit through the Korean embassy in their own country, and must list up to three universities including at least one from a separate Type B list. University Track applicants apply directly to a GKS-designated university instead. On the graduate track, a smaller specialised strand within University Track, Global Network, runs entirely in English with no Korean-language training at all, while the R&D strand focuses on science and engineering departments tied to industry partnerships. Between both tracks and both degree levels, GKS now spans more than 80 universities nationwide, split into Type A and Type B lists that differ by track.
An unusual nationality rule, and a GPA cutoff with one alternative
Eligibility is nationality-based in an unusual way: both the applicant and their parents must hold non-Korean citizenship, which rules out some dual-heritage applicants who might otherwise assume they qualify. A GPA of at least 80 percent in the applicant’s most recent programme is a hard cutoff on both tracks, though undergraduate applicants can instead qualify by ranking in the top 20 percent of their graduating class if their school does not report a comparable GPA.
No year-specific dates yet, on either track
No year-specific dates are published anywhere on the current page for either track, only the recurring monthly patterns above. Treat those as the shape of each cycle rather than a confirmed timeline for the next round, and check the GKS notice board directly closer to the time you plan to apply. For the wider cost picture of living and studying in Korea beyond what this scholarship covers, see the guide to studying in South Korea.