[Study in South Korea] From admission to graduation. Part 1: Scholarship

In South Korea, I came not just to travel and walk, but to study. I won a grant for free study in Korea and did not lose that opportunity, but collected all the necessary documents, bought a one-way ticket, packed my bags and came to Korea.

First, I'll tell you in general what kind of grant it is and how to get it.

In Korea there are two largest scholarship programs. One program (KGSP) is for all foreigners, and the other (OKF), for which I arrived in Korea, is for foreign Koreans.

What does this grant include? This scholarship actually covers all possible costs. Firstly, this is the payment for tuition. And, including 6-12 months of studying at language courses, or as they are called in Korea, Ohagwon (어학원).

University of Foreign Languages. Here I took courses of the Korean language

When enrolling in most universities, foreign applicants need to have an average level of knowledge of the Korean language. Therefore, they pass a special test TOPIK (Test of Proficiency in Korean).

Secondly, the scholarship includes the costs of studying at the university itself. On average, one semester costs about 4,000 dollars. The cost depends on the university and the faculty. The more prestigious the university or faculty, the more you will have to pay.

There are faculties that do not pay scholarships. Such faculties are not so many. For example, the medical faculty.

Another important point is that this scholarship program provides for monthly living allowances. For a bachelor's degree, 900,000 Korean won a month are paid, this is about 850 US dollars. More than 200,000 Korean Won are paid to the masters for writing the thesis. Doctoral students are paid about the same.

You are probably wondering: Does this 850 dollars a month to live in Korea? I can not give you a definite answer. There are a lot of factors that affect the costs in Korea. First of all, a lot depends on the city in which you live, and on the university in which you study. In the capital, life is more expensive than on the outskirts. In some universities, student dining and dormitories can be several times cheaper than in others. For example, at the university in which I studied, the hostel cost $ 300 a month. Lunch in the dining room cost an average of 3 dollars. My friends paid 2 times less than me, although their university was also in Seoul.

Plus you need to consider all sorts of parties, entertainment and shopping. I know guys who managed to live on $ 300 a month, and they saved the rest of the scholarship. And parents sent money to someone every month, but that was not enough for them either.

Students are paid 2 tickets for the plane: a ticket to Korea for study and a ticket back home after graduation. The ticket is paid strictly one way, so I do not call them tickets in both directions. Even buying a ticket in both directions, referring to the fact that it is so cheaper, will pay only 1 side, i.е. half of the ticket.

Acquaintance with the history of Korea (museum in the Lotte World park )

Upon arrival in Korea, another 500 dollars (500,000 Korean won) are given. This is something like a manual for the first time.

And also, 1-2 times all students-scholars are collected together for cultural and historical events. Usually, it is a tourist trip for 2-3 days. And the organization takes all the expenses.

In addition, this scholarship provides medical insurance for students, without which you are unlikely to be admitted to the university. The insurance starts to operate from the moment of arrival to Korea. More precisely, in the first days of the arrival of students, the organizers are engaged in processing all necessary documents, including medical insurance.

In the next article I will tell you how to get the scholarship

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More articles about my travel adventures you can find here