K-Arts External Affairs Division · funded by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (ODA) — Korea's full arts scholarship for students from developing countries.
The applicant AND both parents must hold citizenship of an OECD DAC ODA-recipient country — K-Arts' FAQ describes this as the "ODA 142 countries" list. This entry does not state whether any particular country is on that list, because the list is revised by the OECD: check the current DAC list of ODA recipients, and confirm with K-Arts before you spend time on an application.
There is no single application date. EACH MAJOR HAS ITS OWN DEADLINE — K-Arts states this explicitly in its FAQ. Read the notice for your specific major; a date you saw for another department does not apply to you.
A portfolio is required unless your department says otherwise, and many majors additionally require an audition or a practical exam. What exactly you must prepare is department-specific and is not the same across the six schools — get it from your major's own notice, not from a general summary.
The Korean-language rule is genuinely ambiguous in K-Arts' own published text: each department sets its own TOPIK level, a King Sejong Institute completion certificate issued within the last two years may be accepted in some cases, and whether K-Arts' own language test can substitute for TOPIK is stated inconsistently. Do not assume either way — contact the K-Arts External Affairs Division at +82-2-746-9076.
Level
Bachelor (after high school) · Master's (after a Bachelor's)
Field
Arts only — Music, Drama, Dance, Film·TV·Multimedia, Visual Arts, Korean Traditional Arts
Tuition
Fully covered for the regular semesters
Monthly stipend
800,000 ₩ per month
Extras
Round-trip economy airfare · 6-month Korean course before entry · national health insurance
Citizenship
The applicant AND both parents must be citizens of an OECD DAC ODA-recipient country
Language
Taught in Korean; each department sets its own TOPIK level
Deadline
Each major has its own deadline — the 2027 intake is already past document screening; the 2028 cycle is not announced
Deadlines
🔴 2027 intake · current cycle
Closed. The guideline notice and the document-screening result have both already been published on the K-Arts notice board, so the application window has passed. The exact dates of this cycle could not be read on karts.ac.kr and are not stated here. ⚠️ Not confirmed on the official site — verify before relying on it
🔴 2025 intake · last fully published cycle (past)
Guideline Feb 2024 → online application 21–31 Mar 2024 → screening result 25 Apr 2024 → Korean test 3 May 2024 → department review Jun 2024 → final grantees 28 Jun 2024 → entry to Korea end of Aug 2024. Shown as the shape of a cycle, NOT as dates to apply by.
⚪ 2028 intake · next cycle
Not announced yet — no official date published ⚠️ Not confirmed on the official site — verify before relying on it
Overview
AMA⁺ is a fully funded arts scholarship at Korea National University of Arts (K-Arts), financed by Korea's Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism as an Official Development Assistance (ODA) programme and administered by K-Arts' own External Affairs Division — there is no separate agency behind it. It has run since 2005 and has produced over 300 alumni from around 30 countries. It funds Bachelor's degrees for high-school graduates and Master's degrees for Bachelor's holders, across K-Arts' six schools: Music, Drama, Dance, Film·TV·Multimedia, Visual Arts and Korean Traditional Arts. Which majors are actually open to AMA⁺ changes from year to year, so the list must be read from that year's guideline rather than assumed.
Who can apply
The applicant and both parents hold citizenship of an OECD DAC ODA-recipient country (K-Arts calls this the "ODA 142 countries" list).
Bachelor's applicants: a high-school diploma or 12+ years of pre-tertiary education. Master's applicants: a Bachelor's degree or an equivalent qualification.
A portfolio, unless the department states otherwise. Many majors also hold an audition or a practical exam — the requirement is set per department, not centrally.
Korean at the level your department requires. Each department sets its own TOPIK level; a King Sejong Institute (or similar institute) completion certificate issued within the last two years may be considered as an alternative in some cases.
You may apply to AMA⁺ and to K-Arts' general international admission at the same time — K-Arts treats them as two separate applications.
Age limit and minimum GPA: K-Arts does not state either on its published AMA⁺ pages. Treat both as unconfirmed and ask the External Affairs Division rather than assuming a threshold.
What it covers
Full tuition for the regular semesters of your degree.
Monthly living allowance of 800,000 ₩.
Round-trip economy-class airfare — one flight in at entrance and one out at graduation.
Six months of intensive Korean language training before your degree programme starts.
A Korean-proficiency incentive grant of 100,000 ₩ per month for one year.
A graduation thesis or production allowance of up to 1,000,000 ₩ — for art students this is what pays for the final work itself.
National Health Insurance coverage while you study.
Financial support
Tuition
Full coverage, regular semesters
Monthly stipend
800,000 ₩ per month
Settlement
200,000 ₩, one-time on arrival
Airfare
Round-trip economy — entrance and graduation
Korean proficiency grant
100,000 ₩ per month for 12 months
Thesis · production allowance
Up to 1,000,000 ₩
Korean language training
6 months before entrance, covered
Insurance
National Health Insurance
How to apply — step by step
Wait for the guideline notice The cycle opens with an "AMA+ Scholarship Admission Guideline and Application Forms" notice on the K-Arts English notice board. Open the notice for YOUR major — deadlines differ between majors.
Submit the online application All documents go in through the online form. In the last fully published cycle the window was about ten days — treat this stage as short and have your documents ready before it opens.
Document screening K-Arts checks eligibility and the submitted documents, then publishes a "Result of Document Screening" notice. The 2027 intake has already reached this stage.
K-Arts' own Korean language test Applicants who pass screening sit a Korean test set by K-Arts. It is a separate test from TOPIK; whether it can stand in place of TOPIK is stated inconsistently in K-Arts' own text, so confirm with the External Affairs Division.
Major screening — portfolio, audition, interview This is where the department itself judges you: portfolio review and/or audition, sometimes with an interview. The form this takes is department-specific.
Final grantee announcement K-Arts publishes the list of selected AMA⁺ scholars on the same notice board.
Send original documents Selected applicants submit notarized and apostilled (or consular-authenticated) originals by post or in person. Start the apostille process early — it is the step that most often runs late.
Visa, entry and the Korean course After the visa is issued you enter Korea and begin the six-month Korean language training before the academic term starts.
Required documents
Personal statement Your background and why you make the art you make — the one place an arts committee hears your voice rather than reading a form.
Study plan What you intend to study at K-Arts and what you plan to make there.
Portfolio Required unless your department says otherwise. Your name must appear on every page, and the format and content are set by the department — follow your major's notice exactly.
Three letters of recommendation Signed within the last six months. Recommendations from government, ODA or embassy officials may earn extra evaluation points.
Diploma or certificate of expected graduation Translated, notarized and either consular-authenticated or apostilled — an untranslated or unauthenticated copy is not accepted.
Official academic transcripts Translated, notarized and authenticated, same as the diploma.
Passport copies and nationality documents Passports (or valid national ID) for you AND both parents, plus a birth certificate or family registration record. This is the document set that proves the ODA-country rule, so it is checked closely.
Language proficiency proof TOPIK or an accepted equivalent for Korean; TOEFL, IELTS or TEPS if your major requires English. What counts as accepted is decided by the department.
Medical assessment and letter of consent A personal medical assessment form, plus a consent letter allowing K-Arts to verify the information you submitted.
Awards and work experience certificates(optional) Optional supporting evidence — exhibitions, performances, prizes, professional work in your art form.
Useful guides & documents
AMA⁺ programme page (K-Arts) The official programme page — benefits, eligibility, the document list and the published cycle timeline all come from here.
K-Arts admissions FAQ Where K-Arts states the "ODA 142 countries" rule, the per-major deadline rule and the portfolio rule.
2027 AMA+ guideline and application forms (notice) (2027) The notice that opened the 2027 intake. That cycle is closed, but this is the exact page format the 2028 guideline will appear in — watch this notice board.
Frequently asked questions
Who can apply?
Only applicants whose own nationality and both parents' nationality are from an OECD DAC ODA-recipient country — K-Arts refers to roughly 142 ODA countries. The list is maintained by the OECD and revised periodically, so check the current DAC list before assuming you qualify.
Do all majors share one deadline?
No. K-Arts states plainly that each major has its own deadline. There is no single AMA⁺ application date — find the notice for your major and use the date printed in it.
Is a portfolio always required?
It is required unless the department specifies otherwise. Some majors run an audition or a practical exam instead of, or in addition to, a portfolio. Which majors do what is not published centrally — it is in each major's notice.
Is TOPIK mandatory?
There is no single answer: each department sets its own required level, and a King Sejong Institute completion certificate issued within the last two years may be accepted as an alternative in some cases. K-Arts' published text is inconsistent about whether its own language test replaces TOPIK, so call the External Affairs Division on +82-2-746-9076 instead of guessing.
Can I apply to AMA⁺ and to regular admission at once?
Yes. K-Arts allows a duplicate application: AMA⁺ and the general international-student admission are two separate applications and you may submit both.
What is the status of the current cycle?
The 2027 intake is closed. Its guideline notice and its document-screening result notice are both already on the K-Arts notice board, which means the application window passed before 17 August 2026. The 2028 cycle has not been announced.
When will the 2028 cycle open?
Not announced. In the last cycle K-Arts published end to end (the 2025 intake), the guideline came out in February and applications ran 21–31 March — about ten days. That is a pattern to prepare against, not a date: K-Arts can move it, and each major sets its own deadline anyway. Watch the K-Arts English notice board.
Is there an age limit or a minimum GPA?
K-Arts does not state either on its published AMA⁺ pages, so this entry does not quote a number for them. Ask the External Affairs Division (+82-2-746-9076) or read the year's guideline for your major.