KOICA Scholarship (CIAT): Master's and PhD in Korea

KOICA Scholarship Program (CIAT)

Full-cost Master's (17 months) or Doctoral (36 months) degrees in Korea for government officials from 97 ODA-partner countries, nominated by their own government. The 2027 intake's KOICA-round deadline (July 2026) has already passed; no 2028 date is published yet.

Checked 13 Sept 2026Share

Who can apply

National of one of the 97 designated partner countries for the current cycle
Currently a government official, with an official nomination from your own government; this is mandatory, not optional
Bachelor's degree by the cutoff date for the Master's track (preferably 2 years' relevant work experience); Master's degree by the cutoff date for the Doctoral track (preferably 3 years' experience after the Master's)
Preferably under age 40; strong spoken and written English (a test score isn't required at the KOICA stage but may be required later by the university)
Not eligible if you previously completed a Korean-government-funded Master's degree, or had a KOICA scholarship cancelled after enrollment; a completed Korean-government-funded Bachelor's does not bar a Master's application

A programme running since 1997, with thousands of alumni across 80+ countries

This isn’t a new or small-scale initiative. KOICA initiated its Scholarship Program in 1997, and its own materials describe more than 4,000 graduates across over 80 different nationalities to date, spanning fields from economics and trade to gender equality and rural development, alongside the specific fields this entry lists. That scale is worth knowing if you’re weighing how established the alumni network and university partnerships actually are.

Not a scholarship you can apply for directly

This is not a scholarship you can apply for directly. Every applicant needs an official nomination from their own government before KOICA will consider them at all, and the very first step, submitting your application package, goes to the KOICA country office or Korean Embassy in your home country, not to KOICA headquarters or a university. If you’re not already a government official with a route to that nomination, this programme isn’t reachable no matter how strong your academic background is.

The selection process is genuinely long

The selection process is genuinely long, and it’s worth understanding the whole shape of it before you commit time to an application. After the KOICA-office interview, passing candidates go through a separate university-run round: document screening, a local medical check-up (paid by the applicant, not KOICA), and a university interview, sometimes including an essay test. Only after clearing that does KOICA finalize acceptances and start the visa process. Between the initial deadline and arrival in Korea, the guideline lays out roughly seven months of sequential stages, and failing any one of them ends the process.

Coverage is comprehensive but has real gaps worth budgeting for

Coverage is comprehensive but has real gaps worth budgeting for. Tuition, a monthly allowance, dormitory housing, national health insurance and airfare are all covered, but KOICA is explicit that it does not compensate for any cost of the selection process itself, win or lose, including document authentication, the medical check-up, courier fees, and visa fees. If you change your flight itinerary for personal reasons during the programme, that additional cost is yours too.

One restriction easy to miss

One restriction is easy to miss: completing a Korean-government-funded Master’s degree through any programme, not just KOICA, disqualifies you from a future KOICA Master’s application, though it does not block a Doctoral application. If you’ve studied in Korea on government funding before, check exactly which restriction applies to your situation before you ask your government for a nomination.