WRITER: ARCHANA K
EDITOR: ANANYA RAUT
NIIED (National Institute for International Education), for so many students around the world the Global Korea Scholarship (GKS) represents more than financial support. It is a path to dreams of studying in Korea, exploring Korea’s new culture, tradition, and building international career and path for free. The GKS scholarship gives opportunity, guidance, and a structured pathway for aspiring international scholars. But unfortunately, GKS applicants under NIIED leadership face challenges such as for countless applicants, this opportunity has often collided with administrative lapses, miscommunication, and delays that have left them frustrated and disheartened. Also, this problem lies the leadership of NIIED, the body responsible for managing and guiding GKS applicants, whose actions-or lack thereof-have had a real human impact.
Picture Credit: APCEIU
One of the most pressing issues that GKS applicants face is miscommunication and lack of transparency. Many students report receiving opposing information about deadlines, required documents, and the interview process. For instance, an applicant might check the official portal, submit their documents very carefully, only to find out days later that the GKS requirements have changed-without any formal notice. Common mistake that leads to rejection include weak Personal Statement, Study Plan incomplete or poorly organized documents, neglect of language proficiency requirements, and not having stable future goal.
Challenges Under NIIED Leadership:
Strict Eligibility Requirements: NIIED is very serious about this, also they mention about required CGPA in the guidelines.GKS applicants must meet specific criteria regarding age, citizenship, academic performance (e.g., a CGPA of 80% or above or Top 20% on one’s school/university), and previous scholarship history. If students fail to meet these criteria will disqualify an application.
More challenges faced by GKS Applicants:
The GKS scholarship is highly competitive, means many qualified applicants compete for a limited number of seats. Also, countless students will apply for this scholarship, many students with strong profiles. Apart from eligibility rules and competition, many GKS applicants not only collecting document and eligibility criteria but also struggle with mental pressure. Preparing for such a prestigious scholarship can feel overwhelming. Students/ GKS aspirants spend months collecting documents, writing essays, like personal statement and Study Plan, and after first round selection (documents screening) practicing for interview is not easy. In the middle of this, the constant worry or doubt of “what if I miss one small detail, documents?” creates anxiety. Many students describe this GKS application period as both exciting and exhausting. Even I face this on my GKS application process.
Another big challenge is financial stress during the process. While the GKS scholarship covers tuition fees, airfare, health insurance and living costs (dormitory) after selection, the application stage itself can be expensive. Students often need to pay for documents translation (if the documents don’t have in English/Korean), notarization of certificates, courier services and sometimes even language testes like TOPIK/ IELTS. For families with limited income, middle-class/low-family, these costs become a heavy burden even before the scholarship begins.
Communication barriers:
Language/communication barriers also play a huge role. Not all applicants come from Englis- speaking or Korean-speaking backgrounds. When guidelines are published in complex language, many students misunderstand key instruction. Even a small mistake-like submitting the wrong format of recommendation letter, or even name spelling can lead to disqualification. NIIED is very strict about the documents. This can feel unfair for students who work very hard but lose out due to unclear communication.
Lastly, there is the challenge of adapting to Korean culture and academic life even after winning the scholarship. Moving to a new country sounds like exiting, but it brings homesickness, language struggles, and cultural difference. Applicants know this will happen, but during preparation, they already carry the pressure of “will I be able to survive in a new environment?”. But if we want a successful life, if we want to become strong, if we want to be independent, we have to take risk and lead the life.
Share it with your family and friends: