Guide 06 · Paths
Opportunities
Exchange, research, work — the paths that lead to and through Korea.
Degree study with funding
The Global Korea Scholarship (GKS) is the main government route: full funding for bachelor's, master's and doctoral study, including a year of Korean language training. University scholarships (KAIST funds most of its international students itself), corporate foundations (POSCO, Samsung, Hyundai) and specialised programmes (AMA+ for the arts, KOICA for public servants) cover the rest. Each has a different logic — the scholarship guides explain who each one is for.
Exchange and short programmes
If your home university has a partnership with a Korean one, an exchange semester is the lowest-friction way in: you stay enrolled at home and pay home tuition. Universities also run summer and winter schools open to outside students, usually four to six weeks with Korean language and culture courses.
Research
Korea's research institutes and science universities (KAIST, POSTECH, UNIST, GIST) recruit graduate students and researchers internationally, often with lab-based funding rather than a separate scholarship application. Contacting a professor whose work matches yours is the normal first step.
Work
The Employment Permit System (EPS) brings workers from partner countries into manufacturing, agriculture, fishing and construction; the EPS-TOPIK exam is its entry test, and MoonLearn's EPS-TOPIK centre covers it. Graduates of Korean universities have separate visa paths for job seeking and employment, and some countries have working-holiday agreements with Korea — eligibility depends on your nationality, so check with the Korean embassy in your country.
Long-term residence
The Korea Immigration & Integration Program (KIIP) is the Ministry of Justice route that counts toward permanent residency and naturalisation. Its levels combine Korean language with Korean society, and MoonLearn's KIIP centre holds the written papers.