KOICA-SNU Master’s Degree Program in Public Management and Administrative Reform

Benefits & funding

• KOICA pays the full tuition fee and an economy-class flight for initial entry and final departure.
• Fellows receive KRW 1,200,000 per month, a one-time KRW 600,000 settlement allowance, and a one-time KRW 300,000 completion grant.
• The scholarship provides a university dormitory, national health insurance of approximately KRW 81,000 per month, private medical insurance, and funded extracurricular activities.
• Visa costs, local transport, document authentication, local medical checks, express mail, university application fees, and other unlisted costs are not covered.

Eligibility

• Applicants must be government officials, receive an official nomination from their government, and be citizens of one of these 95 designated countries: Ghana, Nigeria, Rwanda, Morocco, Mozambique, Senegal, Algeria, Egypt, Uganda, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, 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, South Africa, Botswana, 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, Maldives, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, India, Indonesia, Cambodia, Pakistan, Philippines, Thailand, Fiji, Nauru, Niue, Marshall Islands, Vanuatu, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Kiribati, Tonga, Tuvalu, Papua New Guinea, Palau, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Ukraine, Jordan, Iraq, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Palestine, or Turkmenistan.
• Applicants need a bachelor’s degree or higher from an accredited institution. The 2026 KOICA guideline required the degree by 28 February, while SNU materials also described a route for candidates completing coursework by 31 August and receiving the degree in September; candidates in that position must confirm the applicable rule with their KOICA office and SNU.
• Applicants and both parents must not be South Korean citizens. Former South Korean citizens must satisfy the published renunciation-document rules.
• Applicants must be physically and mentally healthy and sufficiently fluent in English for study, reports, and a thesis.
• Previous recipients of a Korean-government graduate-degree scholarship and former KOICA fellows whose scholarship was cancelled are ineligible; a prior Korean-government bachelor’s scholarship does not bar a master’s application.
• Being under 40 and having two years of relevant experience were preferences in the 2026 guideline, not hard eligibility gates.

Application process

1. 1
   Submit the KOICA application package to the relevant KOICA country office or Korean embassy by its country-specific deadline and obtain government nomination.
2. 2
   Complete the KOICA office or embassy interview.
3. 3
   After passing the KOICA round, submit the SNU application materials; for 2026, SNU accepted them from 3 to 13 March until 14:00.
4. 4
   Complete SNU document screening, a local medical check, an essay test, and an online interview.
5. 5
   Successful candidates submit original documents, arrange the required visa and vaccinations, travel to Korea, and pass the medical check in Korea before final confirmation.

Program timeline

1. KOICA-round applications handled by country offices and embassies on local schedules

   January 2026

2. SNU application submission period

   Mar 3, 2026 to Mar 13, 2026

3. Essay test and online interview period

   Apr 13, 2026 to Apr 17, 2026

4. Final announcement planned

   Late June 2026

5. Online preparatory course

   Aug 10, 2026 to Aug 21, 2026

6. Arrival and residential program period begins

   Aug 25, 2026

7. Academic program begins

   Sep 1, 2026

8. Residential program period ends

   Dec 20, 2027

9. Master’s diploma scheduled to be issued

   February 2028