Doctoral Degree Program in Tax and Fiscal Policy

Benefits & funding

• Economy-class round-trip airfare based on actual cost.
• Full tuition and university dormitory accommodation.
• A one-time doctoral settlement allowance of KRW 1,200,000 and a monthly allowance of KRW 999,000.
• Study visits, workshops, Korean-language classes, national health insurance of approximately KRW 79,210 per month, and private medical insurance.
• A one-time doctoral completion grant of KRW 600,000.
• Applicants remain responsible for costs such as document authentication, local medical checks, university application fees, visas, local transportation, and other expenses not listed by KOICA.

Eligibility

• Applicants must be government officials officially nominated by their governments.
• Doctoral applicants must hold a master’s degree and must have successfully completed a KOICA master’s degree program. The guide describes three years after KOICA master’s graduation as preferred, not mandatory.
• Applicants must have strong spoken and written English and be physically and mentally able to study in South Korea for the full program.
• The under-40 condition is a preference, not a hard age limit.
• Applicants whose earlier KOICA scholarship was cancelled, or who received another Korean-government doctoral scholarship, are not eligible under the published restrictions.
• For the 2024 cycle, eligible citizenships were: Ghana, Nigeria, Rwanda, Morocco, Mozambique, Senegal, Algeria, Egypt, Uganda, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Tanzania, Tunisia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gabon, Gambia, Niger, Lesotho, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Burkina Faso, Benin, Burundi, Sierra Leone, Angola, Zambia, Central African Republic, Zimbabwe, Togo, South Sudan, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, São Tomé and Príncipe, Comoros, Guatemala, Dominican Republic, Bolivia, Ecuador, El Salvador, Colombia, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Honduras, Jamaica, Costa Rica, Guyana, Grenada, Dominica, Belize, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Nepal, Timor-Leste, Laos, Mongolia, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, India, Indonesia, Cambodia, Thailand, Pakistan, Philippines, Palau, Fiji, Nauru, Niue, Marshall Islands, Vanuatu, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Kiribati, Tonga, Tuvalu, Papua New Guinea, Jordan, Iraq, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Ukraine, Georgia, Kazakhstan, and Turkmenistan. KOICA states that this list can change by cycle.
• No separate residency or gender requirement is published.

Application process

1. 1
   Confirm that a current call is open and obtain the applicable instructions from the KOICA country office or Korean embassy.
2. 2
   Secure official government nomination and submit the KOICA application package by the local office’s deadline.
3. 3
   Complete the KOICA country-office or embassy interview.
4. 4
   If shortlisted, complete university document screening, the local medical check, and the university interview or test.
5. 5
   After final admission, complete visa and vaccination requirements, travel to South Korea, attend orientation, and pass the medical check in South Korea.

Program timeline

1. 1 March 2024

   The second-round 2024 KOICA application window opened.

2. The second-round KOICA application window ended; country offices and embassies could publish different local submission dates.

   29 March 2024

3. University screening, medical checks, and interviews took place.

   March–May 2024

4. Admission notification, visa preparation, and vaccination steps took place.

   July–August 2024

5. Selected fellows arrived in South Korea for orientation and the in-country medical check.

   August 2024

6. Next cycle

   No exact opening date has been published for this doctoral track.