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Master's and PhD in Korea for international students

Who can apply, when, what tuition costs and how graduate students are paid, outside GKS. Sources read October 15, 2026.

The short answers

Who can apply
Each university words its own rule: at Seoul National University, you and both parents must hold foreign citizenship. All 4 universities on this page also admit applicants schooled abroad. Eligibility
When to apply
Each university sets its own window; KAIST usually takes spring-entry applications from mid-August to early September. Rounds
Tuition
Graduate tuition depends on the university and field: Yonsei University charged KRW 5,479,000 a semester in most liberal-arts departments and KRW 7,711,000 in most engineering departments in fall 2026. Tuition
How you are paid
There is no single stipend: BK21 FOUR sets a minimum for students its units select (for international students, at the unit head's discretion), and in 2026 the Graduate Student Stipend for STEM Fields tops up total monthly support to KRW 800,000 for a master's student and KRW 1,100,000 for a PhD student at participating universities. Pay

This page has no calendar of open rounds: each university's admissions page has the current one. Scholarships: GKS-G and Scholarships in Korea.

Who can apply to a Korean graduate school as an international student?

Each university sets the rule in its own words, by nationality or by schooling abroad.

Seoul National University
You and both parents must hold foreign citizenship, or you completed every year abroad from the first year of elementary school to a bachelor's degree.
KAIST
Citizens of countries other than Korea only. Applicants of Korean descent show that they and their parents renounced Korean citizenship, or meet KAIST's schooling-abroad rule.
Yonsei University
Neither you nor your parents may be Korean citizens; its other tracks are for applicants who completed their whole curriculum abroad.
Korea University
You and your parent or parents must not be Korean citizens, including through a multiple citizenship; a second route is for overseas Koreans schooled abroad.

Degree and advisor

Degree you need
A bachelor's degree for a master's programme, a master's for a PhD, or a qualification the law treats as equal (Study in Korea). A master's takes 2 years or more and a PhD 3 or more; some universities run integrated courses.
An advisor first?
Only in some departments: Korea University's medical departments require an advisor's permission before you apply, and some Yonsei University departments ask you to name one.
Language test
Set by each university: Seoul National University and Korea University accept TOPIK level 3 or an English test score, and some departments set stricter rules of their own; KAIST asks for an English test score, except on one track and, from fall 2027 entry, for some citizens and degree holders. TOPIK levels explained

Seoul National University · KAIST · Yonsei University · Korea University

When do Korean graduate schools take applications?

Programmes start in March or September, and Study in Korea says each graduate school's window can differ.

Seoul National University
Took fall 2026-entry applications from March 3, 2026 to March 5, 2026. Took spring 2027-entry applications from July 6, 2026 to July 9, 2026.
KAIST
Usually: spring entry from mid-August to early September, fall entry from early January to early February. Took spring 2027-entry applications from August 18, 2026 to September 1, 2026. Lists fall 2027 entry as January 7, 2027 to February 5, 2027, marked “TBA”.
Yonsei University
Took fall 2026-entry applications from April 6, 2026 to April 13, 2026. Took spring 2027-entry applications from October 7, 2026 to October 14, 2026.
Korea University
Took spring 2027-entry applications from September 1, 2026 to September 10, 2026. Its guide is for spring 2027 entry and says some programmes admit students in both spring and fall.

Seoul National University · KAIST · Yonsei University · Korea University

How much is graduate tuition in Korea?

Each university sets tuition by field; these are 3 universities' own figures, not a range.

Seoul National University
First semester after entry, at the 2026 academic-year rate: KRW 3,278,000 in humanities, KRW 3,997,000 in engineering.
KAIST
Fall 2026: KRW 9,559,000 a semester at the Daejeon campus; students on a government scholarship pay KRW 750,000 of it, and KAIST scholarship students pay part of it.
Yonsei University
Fall 2026: KRW 5,479,000 a semester in most liberal-arts departments, KRW 7,711,000 in most engineering departments, plus a KRW 1,028,000 entrance fee.

Korea University's tuition table does not say whether a figure is per semester, so it is linked, not quoted: tuition table.

Living costs: cost of studying in Korea.

How are graduate students paid in Korea?

Korea has no single graduate stipend: BK21 FOUR sets a minimum of KRW 1,000,000 a month for a master's student its unit selects, and a unit head may pay international students doing specific tasks up to the BK21 FOUR rates. In 2026 the Graduate Student Stipend for STEM Fields tops up total monthly support to KRW 800,000 for a master's student and KRW 1,100,000 for a PhD student at participating universities, excluding KAIST, GIST, DGIST, and UNIST. It is a floor on total support, so do not add it to the other figures; BK21 FOUR money, by contrast, can be paid on top of research pay.

RuleMonthly figureWhat the figure is
BK21 FOUR 4단계 BK21KRW 1,000,000 master'sKRW 1,600,000 PhDKRW 1,300,000 PhD coursework completedMinimum for students a unit selects; international students doing specific tasks may be paid up to the rate, at the unit head's discretion.
Student research pay 학생인건비at least KRW 2,200,000 master'sat least KRW 3,000,000 PhDBudgeting basis for national R&D, not pay; each student researcher must get at least 10% of it.
Graduate Student Stipend for STEM Fields 이공계 연구생활장려금KRW 800,000 master'sKRW 1,100,000 PhDFloor on total monthly support at participating universities; the government tops up any shortfall.

Who each rule covers

BK21 FOUR: who
Full-time students with at least 40 hours a week of education and research who are not enrolled in employment insurance, the national pension, industrial accident insurance or workplace health insurance. Science-and-technology and Innovation Talent units may select at most 70% of participating students. Each rate applies for 2 years from entry for a master's student and 4 for a PhD student (6 in an integrated course).
BK21 FOUR: until when
The programme period runs from September 1, 2020 to August 31, 2027. On April 28, 2026 the Ministry of Education said stage 5 will start in September 2027, with a draft plan by the end of 2026.
Research pay: who
Student researchers on national R&D projects (Ministry of Science and ICT notice 2026-38, in force May 6, 2026); universities apply the same article. The 10% floor does not apply when pay from other research institutions already takes a student's monthly research-pay rate above 90%.
Graduate Student Stipend for STEM Fields: who
Full-time science and engineering students doing research as student researchers (master's, PhD, integrated, and registered after coursework) at 48 participating universities as of September 3, 2026; KAIST, GIST, DGIST, and UNIST cannot take part. The calls state no nationality condition.

BK21 FOUR · Ministry of Education · Student research pay · Graduate Student Stipend for STEM Fields · Ministry of Science and ICT: press release on participating universities (September 3, 2026)

Which scholarships cover a master's or PhD?

GKS-G, the Korean government scholarship for graduate study, has its own page: GKS Graduate Scholarship. POSCO, KAIST's graduate scholarships and other programmes are on Scholarships in Korea.

Which visa do graduate students get?

Master's students come on D-2-3 and PhD students on D-2-4, both kinds of the D-2 student visa.

Proof of funds
The Ministry of Education's standard for degree students is at least KRW 20,000,000 a year in the Seoul capital region and KRW 16,000,000 elsewhere (revised March 27, 2026). The Ministry of Justice's manual asks for a year's tuition and living costs, and from Vietnam an escrow-style bank statement. Seoul National University asks for no less than KRW 20,000,000, possibly more depending on tuition; Yonsei University for at least KRW 22,000,000.
E-visa
Master's and PhD entrants at certified universities can apply for an e-visa, says the Ministry of Justice's manual, except nationals of Cuba, Syria, North Macedonia, and Kosovo.
Part-time work
Part-time work rules and income.

Ministry of Education · Ministry of Justice · Seoul National University

Sources

StudySunbae is independent of every university and ministry on this page. Each figure is quoted from a listed source read on October 15, 2026; a university or ministry can change it, and its own page decides.