The Korean Studies Graduate Degree Award is a Fulbright U.S. Student Program award run by the Fulbright Korea Commission.
It supports one American student for up to two years while they earn a master’s or PhD in Korean Studies at a Korean university. Only graduate degree enrollment is accepted, not independent research projects.
Benefits & funding
- ₩2,200,000 a month, paid every two months, plus tuition paid directly to the university up to US$15,000 per academic year
- Two academic years; the second needs above a 3.0/4.0 GPA (or equivalent) in year one
- ₩2,400,000 one-off allowance; international travel, accident and sickness cover, limited dependent support
- Grantees find and pay for their own housing
Eligibility
- U.S. citizens or nationals at the deadline; permanent residents are not eligible
- Korean nationals, including dual U.S.–Korea citizens, cannot take the award; applicants of Korean heritage must prove they hold no Korean nationality before accepting
- A bachelor’s degree before the grant starts (final-year undergraduates may apply); not open to anyone holding a PhD by the grant start
- Not living in Korea now or during 2026–27 (a cumulative 3 months counts); not eligible if you lived abroad five or more of the six years before the deadline
- Intermediate Korean: five semesters of coursework, TOPIK Level 3+, or LTI Korean B1+
- A stated career intent in Korean Studies
Can you apply?
Here's who can apply
Decoded from the official rules. A free account checks them against your passport, degree and age in seconds.
“Candidates who have already received a PhD degree by the grant start date are not eligible for consideration. … Anyone who has resided abroad for five or more years in the six-year period preceding the national application deadline.” Eligibility
Eligible nationalities
USA
Residence required
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Education required
Bachelor Enrolled · Bachelor
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Application process
- 1Submit the Fulbright online application with three recommendation letters and a Foreign Language Evaluation by the national deadline: 6 October 2026 for 2027–28 (closed).
- 2Name your intended Korean graduate program in the application; no affiliation letter is needed at the deadline.
- 3Apply to that program yourself; the award is issued only once you are admitted.
- 4Semi-finalists may be interviewed by video call or phone.
Program timeline
Application deadline (closed)
6 Oct 2026
Recommended / not-recommended notice
End of Jan 2027
Final selections, on a rolling basis
Spring 2027
Grant starts
Late Aug 2027 or late Feb 2028