StudyDesk Scholarships
About the scholarship
The KAIST International Undergraduate Scholarship is one of the simplest full-ride routes into a top Asian university: every international student admitted to KAIST — the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology in Daejeon — automatically receives the scholarship. There is no separate application; you simply select the “KAIST Scholarship” option in the Statement of Financial Resources section of the online admission form.
The award covers the entire four-year degree: a full tuition fee waiver for all 8 semesters, a monthly living stipend of 350,000 KRW, and medical health insurance for the whole degree period.
Eligibility
- International students — non-Korean citizens. Applicants holding dual citizenship including Korean nationality are not eligible; applicants of Korean origin must have completed their entire elementary, middle and high school education outside Korea.
- High-school graduate (or graduating before the intake’s cutoff — e.g. August of the intake year).
- Strong academic record with demonstrated aptitude for KAIST’s science, technology and engineering programmes.
- English proficiency — English is KAIST’s official language of instruction; corroborating sources cite TOEFL iBT around 79–80 or IELTS 6.5 as indicative levels.
- No Korean (TOPIK) certificate required.
- Renewal: maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.7 out of 4.3 from the second year onward.
Benefits
- Full tuition fee exemption for 8 semesters (the entire undergraduate programme).
- KRW 350,000 per month living stipend.
- Health insurance coverage for the duration of the degree.
- Access to KAIST’s research facilities and international campus community in Daejeon.
Documents required
- Online admission application with “KAIST Scholarship” selected in the financial-resources section.
- High-school transcript and graduation certificate.
- One recommendation letter.
- English proficiency report (TOEFL/IELTS or equivalent); standardised scores (SAT/ACT) where applicable.
- Passport or national ID copy; statement of financial resources; additional documents for Korean-origin applicants.
- Application fee (around USD 60).
How to apply
- Apply for KAIST undergraduate admission onlineChoose your intake cycle in the KAIST admissions portal and complete the admission form.
- Select “KAIST Scholarship”Tick the KAIST Scholarship option on the Statement of Financial Resources — this is the entire scholarship application.
- Upload documents and submitAttach transcripts, English scores, the recommendation letter and ID, pay the application fee, and submit before your cycle’s deadline. Admission itself is the scholarship decision.
FAQs
No. All admitted international undergraduates receive it automatically; selecting “KAIST Scholarship” on the admission form is the only step.
No — no TOPIK certificate is required, and English is the official language of communication.
They follow KAIST’s admission cycles: for the Fall 2026 intake the Early track closed 23 Oct 2025 and the Regular track 6 Jan 2026. Check the KAIST admissions portal for the currently open cycle.
Yes — you must keep a cumulative GPA of at least 2.7 out of 4.3 from your second year onward.
Yes — the scholarship applies across KAIST’s colleges: Natural Sciences, Life Science & Bioengineering, Engineering and Business.
Verified 21 Oct 2026 via 6 agreeing aggregator pages (schresult: Early 23 Oct 2025 / Regular 6 Jan 2026; recommendation-letter dates; KRW 350,000/mo; auto-award; GPA 2.7/4.3; dual-citizenship exclusion) + educatewithguide, opportunitytracker.ug, kistscheme, scholarshipshive, talk2samafrica (consistent benefit package, eligibility, “no separate application”). No fact stated from fewer than two agreeing sources; official KAIST admissions page referenced for the live cycle.
