CYCLE STATUS — checked 8 September 2026. The Fall 2026 graduate call is CLOSED. It was published department by department in July 2026: Seoul National University's Korean History programme, for example, closed on 7 July 2026 at 14:00. Every date below describes that closed round, so the next thing to watch is your own department's notice board, not this page.
The programme was materially restructured for the 2026 academic year: it now selects ONLY Korean Language / Korean Studies majors, and ONLY for the Fall intake. SNU's official notice states that no new recipients were selected for Spring 2026. Most "how to apply" guides online still describe the old multi-field version (Business/Economics, STEM, Public Policy) — that version no longer applies.
Only citizens of a cycle-specific country list may apply. For the Fall 2026 SNU call the list was: East Timor, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Vietnam, Uzbekistan, Indonesia, Cambodia, Thailand, the Philippines, Rwanda, Ethiopia, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania. Uzbekistan IS on that list — but the list changes every cycle (the 2025 cycles covered eight ASEAN countries only), so re-check the current notice before you plan anything.
There is no single global deadline. The scholarship is delivered per host university, so the closing date depends on which Korean university you apply to and for which semester. A date you find for one university does not apply to another.
You cannot hold another government-sponsored scholarship at the same time (Fall 2026 SNU notice). The SNU Spring 2025 guideline PDF also excluded holders of Korean dual citizenship — expect that rule to still apply, and check your own cycle's notice.
Level
Graduate degree programme — the Fall 2026 SNU call is level-neutral (it does not say Master's only). Older cycles explicitly funded Master's, combined Master–PhD and Doctoral tracks.
Field
Korean Language / Korean Studies ONLY from the 2026 academic year
Cycle
Fall intake only — no new recipients were selected for Spring 2026
Tuition
Full tuition and the admission fee, 100% covered
Monthly stipend
1,000,000 ₩ (SNU Spring 2025) vs ≈1,200,000 ₩ (SNU Fall 2026) — the figure differs by cycle; check the current notice
A cycle-specific country list. The Fall 2026 SNU call included Uzbekistan; the list changes every cycle.
Apply via
The host university's international office AND the Foundation portal, in parallel
When it usually opens
Usual months
Graduate around December–January and around July · Exchange around February–March
How long it stays open
The exchange window stayed open about two weeks (20 Feb – 5 Mar 2025 per the Foundation's guidance; partner universities closed even earlier). The graduate calls publish no opening date at all — only a submission deadline set by the host college.
The graduate scholarship now funds Korean Studies only, and its dates appear on the host university's notice board rather than the foundation's.
A pattern from past cycles, not a date to apply by. Always check the official page before you plan around it.
Application windows
Graduate · Korean Studies
The host university posts the call around July for the autumn intake and around December for the spring one. It publishes a submission deadline and no opening date, so ask the international office how long you have. ⚠️ Read off past cycles, not published as a schedule — confirm on the official site
Undergraduate exchange
The foundation usually opens in late February and stays open about two weeks (20 Feb – 5 Mar in 2025), and your home university may close earlier (Universitas Indonesia: 17 Feb 2026). The Korean host university then runs its own application through April, with results in May. ⚠️ Read off past cycles, not published as a schedule — confirm on the official site
Overview
The Hyundai Motor Chung Mong-Koo Foundation is the philanthropic arm associated with Hyundai Motor Group. Its Global Scholarship funds students from designated partner developing countries to study at Korean partner universities, and it is delivered through those universities rather than through one central competition. Historically it covered Business/Economics, future-industry STEM, public policy and Korean Studies; from the 2026 academic year the Foundation narrowed the graduate scholarship to Korean Language / Korean Studies, Fall intake only. The Fall 2026 country list added several African countries alongside the Southeast Asian core — and included Uzbekistan.
Who can apply
Citizenship of a country on the current cycle list. Fall 2026 (SNU): East Timor, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Vietnam, Uzbekistan, Indonesia, Cambodia, Thailand, the Philippines, Rwanda, Ethiopia, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania.
Field: Korean Language / Korean Studies only for the current cycle.
Degree level: a graduate degree programme. The Fall 2026 SNU call is level-neutral — it does not restrict the scholarship to Master's, so doctoral applicants are not excluded by its text. Older cycles explicitly funded Master's, combined Master–PhD and Doctoral tracks; the current notice simply does not spell the levels out, so confirm with your department.
Nomination comes from your home or host university, NOT from a government. No public-sector employment is required — this is an ordinary student scholarship in that respect.
No other government-sponsored scholarship at the same time, and no Korean dual citizenship.
No entry GPA minimum was published for the graduate track. There is a continuation requirement of 3.3/4.3 to keep the scholarship each semester (SNU Spring 2025 guideline).
Language requirement for the current Korean-Studies cycle is not confirmed. The undergraduate-exchange track asked for roughly TOEFL iBT 79–80, IELTS 6.5 or TOPIK Level 4 depending on the home university (Universitas Indonesia: TOEFL iBT 80 / IELTS 6.5) — treat that as the exchange rule, not as the graduate rule.
What it covers
Tuition and the admission fee are covered in full.
A monthly living stipend. The published figure differs by cycle: 1,000,000 ₩ in the SNU Spring 2025 guideline and about 1,200,000 ₩ in the SNU Fall 2026 notice. Both come from official notices for different cycles, so neither is "the" amount — read the current notice for the cycle you are applying to.
A one-time settlement allowance of 2,500,000 ₩ on arrival.
A one-time completion bonus of 1,000,000 ₩ on graduation.
Networking and cultural programming — summer camp, cultural trips and alumni events — appeared in older-cycle notices. It is not confirmed for the restructured 2026 programme.
Financial support
Tuition
100% of tuition + the admission fee
Monthly stipend
1,000,000 ₩/month (Spring 2025) · ≈1,200,000 ₩/month (Fall 2026) — two official cycles, two figures
Settlement
2,500,000 ₩, one-time
Bonus
Completion bonus 1,000,000 ₩, one-time
Duration
Older policy: Master's up to 4 semesters, combined Master–PhD up to 10, Doctoral up to 8. Not confirmed for the narrowed 2026 programme.
How to apply — step by step
Secure admission to an eligible programme You need admission — or admissibility — to a graduate programme at a Korean partner university in an eligible field, which for the current cycle means Korean Language / Korean Studies.
Apply in two places at once Follow YOUR OWN department's notice first: some collect the whole file themselves — SNU's Korean History programme took it by departmental email — while others send you to the university's international office and to the Foundation's portal at cmkfoundation-globalscholarship.org as well. Submitting to only some of the places your notice lists is the most common way an otherwise good file goes nowhere.
University screening and recommendation The university's international office screens applicants and forwards the candidates it recommends to the Foundation.
Foundation interview The Foundation interviews the recommended candidates and makes the final selection.
Results and enrolment Results are announced by email; selected students then complete their university admission and enrol.
Required documents
Passport copy This is what proves you hold one of the cycle-listed nationalities — the single hardest filter on this scholarship.
Official academic transcripts In English, with the GPA converted to a stated scale. At least two completed semesters are typically expected.
University recommendation letter From your home or host institution. Note that the nomination here is academic — no government body is involved, unlike KOICA.
CV and motivation letter Your background and why this programme. With the 2026 narrowing, a concrete link to Korean language or Korean studies matters more than it used to.
Language proficiency certificate(optional) Confirmed only for the undergraduate-exchange track: roughly TOEFL iBT 79–80, IELTS 6.5 or TOPIK 4 depending on the home university. Whether the current Korean-Studies graduate cycle asks for one is not confirmed — ask the university.
Learning agreement · consent · parental approval(optional) Required on the undergraduate-exchange track only, not on the graduate track.
Useful guides & documents
SNU notice — 2026 academic year restructuring (2026) The notice that narrows the programme to Korean Studies, Fall intake only, and states that no new recipients were selected for Spring 2026.
SNU GSIS — Fall 2026 call (2026) Posted 2026-07-01. Source of the current country list and the ≈1,200,000 ₩ stipend figure. It states no closing date.
SNU guideline PDF — Spring 2025 cycle (2025) The fullest published document: eligibility, benefits, the 1,000,000 ₩ stipend and the 3.3/4.3 continuation rule. It describes the pre-restructuring programme.
Is this the same as the Global Korea Scholarship (GKS)?
No. GKS is a government scholarship run by NIIED; this one is funded by a corporate foundation and delivered through partner universities. SNU notices state explicitly that GKS scholars are not eligible for certain CMK calls.
Can I apply from Uzbekistan?
Uzbekistan was on the country list for the Fall 2026 SNU call, so yes for that cycle. But the list is set per cycle — the 2025 cycles covered eight ASEAN countries only — so confirm on the current notice before you start preparing.
Do I need a government job or a government nomination?
No. Unlike KOICA, this is an ordinary student scholarship: the nomination comes from a university, not from a government ministry.
Can I study any subject?
No. From the 2026 academic year the graduate scholarship covers Korean Language / Korean Studies only. Business/Economics, STEM and public-policy tracks appear in older notices and in most blog guides, but they are not part of the current programme.
Is PhD funding still available?
Not ruled out, but not explicitly confirmed either. Older cycles funded combined Master–PhD and Doctoral tracks, and the Fall 2026 SNU call speaks of the 'graduate degree program' without limiting it to Master's — so its text does not exclude PhD applicants. It also does not list the levels, so ask the host department rather than relying on an older guide.
What is the exact deadline for the Fall 2026 call?
There is no single date — each department publishes its own. The university-wide call went up on 2026-07-01 without a closing date, and the departments then set theirs: SNU's Korean History programme, for instance, closed on 7 July 2026 at 14:00, submitting to a departmental email address. So the deadline that binds you is the one on your own department's notice, and it can be only days after the call appears.
Which stipend figure is correct — 1,000,000 or 1,200,000 ₩?
Both are official, for different cycles: 1,000,000 ₩ in the SNU Spring 2025 guideline and about 1,200,000 ₩ in the SNU Fall 2026 notice. There is no reconciled single figure, so read the notice for your own cycle and treat the other number as historical.
Where exactly do I apply?
To two places at once: your host Korean university's international office, and the Foundation portal at cmkfoundation-globalscholarship.org. The Foundation runs three official domains: hyundai-cmkfoundation.org (the Foundation itself), cmkfoundation-globalscholarship.org (the English Global Scholarship portal) and cmkfoundation-scholarship.org (the Korean-language scholarship site). A plain "cmkfoundation.org" is not one of them.