The Ministry of Science and ICT and the Korea Student Aid Foundation said on the 22nd that they will implement the 2025 master's scholarship for excellence in science and engineering for the first time this year.
The master's scholarship for excellence in science and engineering supports master's students in the early stages of their careers so they can grow into outstanding talent in science and technology.
The master's scholarship for excellence in science and engineering will select about 1,000 scholarship recipients from graduate schools of science and engineering nationwide and provide 2.5 million won per semester, or 5 million won annually. Student selection will proceed as follows: universities operating graduate schools of science and engineering apply to participate in the program with the Korea Student Aid Foundation, receive an allocation of slots, and then participating graduate schools recommend those who meet their own selection criteria.
Eligibility requires being a full-time master's student who is entering or enrolled in the second semester of 2025 with a major in natural sciences or engineering and meeting certain academic requirements. Graduate schools will comprehensively evaluate those who meet the basic selection requirements based on study and research plans, research achievements, social contribution, and economic status, and recommend them as scholarship candidates, after which the Korea Student Aid Foundation will make the final determination.
Vice Minister Ku Hyuk-chae of the Ministry of Science and ICT said, "I hope the master's scholarship for excellence in science and engineering, introduced for the first time this year, will serve as a cornerstone for the growth of young people who aspire to become science and technology professionals," adding, "We plan to expand end-to-end support so that outstanding science and engineering students can grow without financial hardship."
Universities applying for the master's scholarship for excellence in science and engineering should submit their participation applications by Oct. 2 through the Korea Student Aid Foundation university/institution student aid system (http://eduman.kosaf.go.kr).
The Ministry of Science and ICT is expanding support for outstanding science and engineering graduate students. It newly introduced the Presidential Science Scholarship for Graduate Students in 2024 and the 2025 master's scholarship for excellence in science and engineering, and next year it plans to newly introduce the doctoral scholarship for excellence in science and engineering to strengthen an end-to-end growth support system for young science and technology professionals to help realize a powerhouse of science and technology talent.