A scientist in a lab coat pipetting reagents into test tubes at a research bench.
South Korea 2026 cycle deadline 31 May 2025 (now closed) — next cycle expected to open early 2026 with a similar May deadline

POSCO Asia Fellowship

The POSCO Asia Fellowship is funded by the POSCO TJ Park Foundation, the philanthropic arm of POSCO (one of the world's largest steel producers). It supports up to 50 Asian graduate students per year pursuing STEM Master's or PhD degrees at nine partner Korean universities — Seoul National University, KAIST, POSTECH, Yonsei, Korea University, Hanyang, Sungkyunkwan, Ewha Womans, and Kyung Hee. Sri Lankan citizens are eligible and the award is administered separately from the GKS government route.

POSCO TJ Park Foundation

External Organization-funded

emoji_events Award Overview

savings

Value

Full Tuition + KRW 1,000,000/month

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Duration

Up to 2 yrs (Master's) / 4 yrs (PhD)

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Partner Universities

9 top Korean institutions

fact_check Eligibility Criteria

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Asian Citizenship

Must be a citizen of an Asian country. Sri Lankan applicants are eligible. Korean citizens are not eligible.

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STEM Field + CGPA 2.7/4.0

Bachelor's degree (for Master's applicants) or Master's degree (for PhD applicants) in a STEM field, with a CGPA of at least 2.7/4.0. The Foundation funds Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics disciplines only — humanities and business are not eligible.

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Admission Required First

You must apply to and secure admission at one of the nine partner Korean universities for the upcoming Spring or Fall semester before applying for the fellowship. The university handles the nomination.

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English Proficiency

English-taught programmes require TOEFL iBT 79+ / IELTS 6.0+ / TOEIC 750+ / TEPS 327+ — Sri Lankan applicants typically meet this with a clean IELTS Academic.

account_tree Application Process

1

Apply to a partner university first

Submit your graduate admission application directly to KAIST, SNU, POSTECH, Yonsei, Korea, Hanyang, SKKU, Ewha, or Kyung Hee for the Spring 2027 (Mar) or Fall 2026 (Sept) intake. Each university has its own deadlines — usually 3-5 months ahead.

2

Get nominated by the university

Once admitted, ask the international office or graduate school of your target university to nominate you for the POSCO Asia Fellowship. Universities have internal nomination quotas and timelines.

3

Submit POSCO TJ Park Foundation application

Submit the Foundation's online application: personal statement, study plan, research proposal (for PhD), academic transcripts, English proficiency proof, two reference letters, and the university nomination form. Deadline is around 31 May each cycle.

4

Foundation review and award

The Foundation reviews nominations and announces ~50 awardees in the summer. Fellows attend an orientation in Seoul and join their host university the following semester.

About the POSCO TJ Park Foundation

Established in 2005 in memory of POSCO founder Park Tae-Joon (TJ Park), the Foundation funds science, technology, and education programmes across Asia. The Asia Fellowship is its flagship inbound scholarship.

50

Fellows per Year

9

Partner Universities

2005

Foundation Founded

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