Korea Scholarships
Are You Ready to Take a Trip?
Right now Korean studies are hot items, and of great interest to the federal government if you’re shopping for big and competitive scholarship dollars. In recent years the entire Asian world has opened up for American students who are, without fear, jetting off for increasingly far-flung destinations. The availability of study abroad programs in such countries as Korea allow students studying in range of disciplines to gain a more global perspective on the Asian influence in everything from business and technology, religion, arts and culture, history and the sciences.
Government Scholarships
The U.S. government has instituted two critically needed scholarship opportunities that have exploded on the college scene in the last couple of years. Both provide whopping funds for innovative study abroad programs, including those in Korea:
- The Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarships offer financially underprivileged undergraduates a once in a lifetime opportunity to study while experiencing a foreign culture. Applicants interested in heading off to Korea must be Pell Grant recipients and possess strong academic scores and personal motivation. Up to $5,000 may be awarded. Over 700 Gilman Scholars are honored annually.
- An adjunct of the Gilman Scholarships are a couple dozen Critical Needs Language Scholarships that drop another $3,000 on top of the $5,000 to qualified, top-notch students interested in studying Korean or another of a handful of “critical” languages.
- The David L. Boren Scholarships sponsored by the National Security Education Program (NSEP) come in an undergraduate and graduate version and are exclusively focused on those applicants who are engaging in studies in non-traditional countries and cultures like Korea. Applicants must be top-notch students and interested in possibly working for the federal government in national security after graduation. The feds use this as a new recruitment tool, so the potential $25,000 comes with strings attached. Nevertheless, this is a fantastic scholarship opp.
Private Funding
The Academy of Korean Studies in Korea is devoted in large part to expanding Western knowledge and appreciation for the Asian culture, especially Korean. To those ends the AKS sponsors the following scholarship and fellowship opportunities:
- Graduate and Ph.D. students with research to conduct in Korea may be qualified for the unique and generous AKS Fellowship Program for Korean Studies. Preferred applicants are those engaged in or pursuing careers in academia with well-defined research projects that require travel to Korea. Recipients will be required to work on their projects at the Academy. Fellowships are available in Junior, Senior and Pre-Doctoral categories. Eligible candidates may qualify for a year of study at the AKS, which includes travel and living expenses.
- The Culture Program for Students and Scholars offers candidates an opportunity to explore the arts and culture of Korean in the context of the country. Applicants may be either undergraduate or graduate students and must be well versed in the Korean language to participate. This is a month-long program.
The Freeman Awards for Study in Asia are some of the more well known scholarships sought by students who wish to study abroad in Korea. This makes them very competitive. Funded by the Freeman Foundation, the program is designed to allow western students the opportunity to experience an Asian culture they might not have otherwise been able to. Applicants may apply for a summer, semester or year abroad in Korea. Students with the most financial need will be considered first and awards are up to $7,000.
The Blakemore Freeman Fellowships for Advanced Asian Language Study offers funding for language study in Korea and other Asian locales. Eligible applicants must prove an educational or professional requirement for the language. Graduates of the Advanced Language Fellowships may also apply for the Blakemore Refresher Grants. Applicants will undergo a short-term review of language study in Korea in order to stay abreast of the language requirements for their careers. Candidates in either category are required to submit a current resume, well-defined program of study and a written statement explaining why they require Asian language study in Korea. All fellowships cover travel, living, and tuition costs.
