KOICA–KAIST Master’s Degree Program in Social Economy

Benefits & funding

• Economy-class airfare reimbursed at actual cost.
• Full tuition and university dormitory accommodation.
• KRW 600,000 one-time settlement allowance and KRW 999,000 monthly allowance for master’s participants.
• Study visits, workshops, Korean-language classes, and other program activities.
• KRW 300,000 one-time completion grant.
• National health insurance of approximately KRW 79,210 per month plus private medical insurance for covered accidents or illnesses.
• Visa fees, stopover costs, local transportation, and other miscellaneous expenses are not covered.

Eligibility

• For the 2024 intake, applicants had to be citizens of one of the 90 KOICA-designated countries listed in the structured nationality field; the list may change each year.
• Applicants needed official nomination through their government and had to follow the instructions of the responsible KOICA country office or Korean embassy.
• The KAIST program page described two experience routes: government officials or public-institution employees with at least three years of experience, or applicants from a social-economy organization with at least five years of relevant experience; the latter route was capped at three participants.
• A bachelor’s degree was required for the master’s route, and applicants needed strong spoken and written English and sufficient physical and mental health for study in Korea.
• Being under 40 and having two years of field experience were preferences in the general 2024 KOICA guideline, not hard gates.
• Previous recipients of a Korean-government graduate-degree scholarship and former KOICA scholars whose award was cancelled were generally ineligible; a previous Korean-government bachelor’s scholarship did not by itself bar a master’s application.

Application process

1. 1
   Confirm the current designated-country list, local deadline, and nomination route with the responsible KOICA country office or Korean embassy.
2. 2
   Submit the KOICA forms, government recommendation, passport copy, and other required documents by email to that office or embassy.
3. 3
   Complete the KOICA interview; only successful candidates proceed to KAIST document screening.
4. 4
   Follow KAIST instructions for the university application, authenticated degree records, interview or test, local medical check, and original-document delivery.
5. 5
   After final selection, complete visa and vaccination requirements, travel to Korea, attend orientation, and pass the medical check in Korea.

Program timeline

1. General KOICA application round; each country office or embassy set its own applicant deadline.

   1–29 February 2024

2. KAIST document screening for candidates who passed the KOICA round.

   4–29 March 2024

3. University results, medical check, and interview.

   April–May 2024

4. Final admission notice, visa, and vaccination preparations.

   July–August 2024

5. Arrival and start of the 17-month stay in Seoul.

   26 August 2024

6. Academic program began.

   2 September 2024

7. Stay ended and participants departed.

   22 December 2025

8. Academic duration ended and diploma process concluded.

   28 February 2026