CYCLE STATUS β checked 8 September 2026. The Fall 2026 round is CLOSED; its university deadlines fell on 6β14 July 2026 and the results are being announced now. Every date and amount on this page describes that closed round. The foundation runs a spring round as well, and universities have published its deadlines as early as December, so start watching your own scholarship office's notice board from late November.
There is no direct application channel. No public portal was found: you apply through your own Korean university's department and international office, and the university nominates you to the foundation. If you are not already enrolled at (or admitted to) a partner university, there is no way in.
TOPIK Level 2 or higher is MANDATORY. This is stricter than POSCO, where Korean is only "preferred" β here a missing TOPIK certificate is a hard stop, not a weaker application.
Recipients of the Global Korea Scholarship (GKS) are ineligible. Undergraduate recipients may also not hold another scholarship that waives tuition in full or in part.
You are ineligible if you completed any semester of Korean elementary, middle or high school. Ethnic-Korean diaspora applicants and Mongolian nationals are also excluded.
Your nationality must be on the OECD DAC List of ODA Recipients. Whether a particular country is on that list is decided by the OECD and the list is revised periodically, so check the current DAC list and your university's notice for this cycle before you assume either way.
Level
Bachelor Β· Master Β· Doctoral (new and currently enrolled students)
A country on the OECD DAC List of ODA Recipients; ethnic-Korean diaspora and Mongolian nationals excluded
Language
TOPIK Level 2 or higher β mandatory
Cycle
Twice a year β around January and July, per the foundation
Apply via
Your Korean university nominates you β there is no public portal
When it usually opens
Usual months
Around late June to early July, for the autumn semester
How long it stays open
Short, and set separately by each university and department. In the last confirmed cycle the deadlines we could verify all fell in the first half of July, but they are not synchronised β treat every institution's date as its own.
The foundation accepts nothing from students directly. Watch your university's scholarship office, not the foundation's site.
A pattern from past cycles, not a date to apply by. Always check the official page before you plan around it.
Overview
The Samsung Dream Scholarship Foundation β Samsung-affiliated but separately incorporated, not Samsung Electronics itself β runs the Global Hope Scholarship for international students from developing countries who are studying at partner Korean universities. It supports both newly admitted and currently enrolled students at Bachelor's, Master's and Doctoral level, selecting on financial need together with academic merit. The foundation describes the aim as developing future leaders for the students' home countries who keep strong ties with Korea. The programme sits inside the foundation's wider Global Scholarship line, which also includes a leadership and club-activity supplement and a separate education programme run outside Korea. Everything goes through the university: the foundation does not take applications from students directly.
Who can apply
Citizenship of a country on the OECD DAC List of ODA Recipients, and non-Korean citizenship.
Ethnic-Korean diaspora applicants and Mongolian nationals are explicitly excluded.
New or currently enrolled undergraduate, Master's or Doctoral student at a recommending partner university.
TOPIK Level 2 or higher β mandatory, with the score report submitted as part of the application.
You must not have completed any semester of Korean elementary, middle or high school.
Undergraduate recipients may not simultaneously hold another scholarship that waives tuition in full or in part. GKS recipients are ineligible at any level.
Entry thresholds are set by the host university, not by the foundation β and they exist. Hanyang's Fall 2026 notice, cited in the sources below, requires a GPA of at least 3.0 on a 4.5 scale AND TOPIK level 2 or higher. Read your own university's notice rather than assuming there is no bar. Separately, the foundation reviews your academic performance at the end of every semester as a condition of continuation.
Places are few: each partner university selects about 2 recipients per cycle (it may recommend up to twice that number to the foundation), and the foundation caps awards at 2 per country per university. Selection and continuation are at the foundation's discretion β it may leave places unfilled in a given cycle.
Duration: up to 8 semesters for undergraduates, 4 for a Master's, 6 for a Doctorate and 8 for an integrated Master'sβDoctoral programme, conditional on the semester academic review.
Not mentioned in the official cycle notices β unconfirmed
Insurance
Not mentioned in the official cycle notices β unconfirmed
How to apply β step by step
Check that your university is a partner The scholarship runs through recommending partner universities β the foundation says there are 19. Seoul National University, Hanyang University and Yonsei UIC are confirmed among them; Chonnam National University is also reported to take part β check with its office.
Get the foundation's application form The form is obtained from your department or the international office; Korean and English versions are typically both available.
Submit to your department by its internal deadline Departments set their own cut-off, usually a few days before the university-wide deadline. This is the date that actually decides whether your file moves at all.
The college forwards your file to the international office Your college compiles the applications it received and sends them on to the university's central international affairs office.
The university nominates you to the foundation The university sends its nominations to the Samsung Dream Scholarship Foundation, which makes the final selection.
Results, then periodic review to keep the award The foundation announces results. Recipients then submit semester reports and take part in an annual interview and career counselling to keep the funding.
Required documents
Foundation application form The foundation's own form, in Korean and/or English, handed in through your department rather than sent to the foundation.
Evidence of ODA-recipient nationality Documentation supporting that your nationality is on the DAC List of ODA Recipients β this is the rule that decides eligibility before anything academic is looked at.
TOPIK score report (Level 2 or higher) Mandatory. Without it the application cannot proceed, so book the test well before the cycle rather than after the notice appears.
Cycle-specific supporting documents(optional) Each cycle's detailed guideline adds its own items and the list above is NOT confirmed as complete β the authoritative checklist is the notice your own department publishes.
Useful guides & documents
Global Hope Scholarship β foundation detail page The foundation's own Global Hope page: January/July recruitment, amounts, 8/4/6/8-semester durations, TOPIK 2, the DAC list, 19 partner universities and the 2-per-country-per-university cap.
SNU Pharmacy β Fall 2026 notice (2026) A department notice reproducing the foundation's cycle guideline: eligibility, amounts, documents and the 9 July 2026 deadline (a follow-up notice later extended it to 14 July 2026, 11:00).
Hanyang University β Fall 2026 notice (2026) A second partner university running the same cycle, with a 6 July 2026 deadline β useful proof that dates differ by institution.
Frequently asked questions
Is this run by Samsung Electronics?
No. It is run by the Samsung Dream Scholarship Foundation (μΌμ±κΏμ₯νμ¬λ¨), a Samsung-affiliated but separately incorporated foundation.
Which countries are eligible?
Countries on the OECD DAC List of ODA Recipients, except that ethnic-Korean diaspora applicants and Mongolian nationals are explicitly excluded. The DAC list is maintained by the OECD and revised periodically, so check the current version.
Do I need Korean?
Yes β TOPIK Level 2 or higher is mandatory. Note the contrast with POSCO, where Korean is only "preferred".
Can I apply directly to Samsung?
No direct or individual application channel was found. It is entirely nomination-based through your university's international office.
How often is there a round?
Twice a year β the foundation's own process page states cycles around January (spring semester) and July (fall semester). The exact dates are set by each university and department, so watch your own notice board.
When exactly is the next round?
Not announced. As of 23 September 2026 the most recent confirmed cycle was Fall 2026, whose deadlines fell on 6β14 July 2026 (6 July at Hanyang, 8β9 July at SNU departments, with SNU Pharmacy later extending to 14 July). A January 2027 round fits the foundation's stated rhythm, but no announcement for it exists yet β and because each department sets its own cut-off, planning around a guessed month is how people miss it by a week.
Can I combine it with GKS?
No. GKS recipients are explicitly ineligible, and undergraduate recipients may not hold another full or partial tuition-waiver scholarship either.
What if I studied part of school in Korea?
You are ineligible. Applicants who completed any semester of Korean elementary, middle or high school are excluded.
Foundation Global Hope page β January/July recruitment, amounts, durations, TOPIK 2, DAC list, 19 partner universities, 2 per country per university cap https://www.sdream.or.kr/w/web40gV