Dongguk University Scholarships for International Students 2026

Most Dongguk University scholarships are designed for degree-seeking (on-campus) study rather than “online-only” enrollment; for example, exchange-student scholarships are framed around studying at Dongguk and include benefits like tuition/admission fee exemptions. In the recipient stories, Jowellyn Galito mentioned taking online courses (e.g., from University of London and Yale) as preparation, but his funding (GKS) supported an in-person Global MBA at Dongguk—not an online degree.

Both exist. Many programs in Korea are Korean-taught, but Dongguk also offers English-taught options (and some departments explicitly allow “English-only” applicants). In the scholarship stories, Jowellyn said, “All of my MBA classes are in English,” because the Global MBA is designed for international students.

From the undergraduate recipient side, Malapin Vanny also described the growing availability of English-taught coursework and said they met classmates “doing incredibly well academically using only English,” while noting that GKS includes a one-year Korean language course to help students adapt.

Dongguk’s internal tuition-discount style scholarships for international students typically focus on factors like language scores and academic performance (rather than publishing a single, universal age cap). However, major external scholarships commonly used at Dongguk, especially the Global Korea Scholarship (GKS), do have age limits that depend on the track (e.g., undergraduate vs. graduate) and the year’s guidelines.

Many Dongguk scholarships are simply for “international students,” so they’re not limited to one nationality; eligibility is usually framed by your non-Korean status and admission type. The Dongguk scholarship-winner page itself shows winners from different nationalities: e.g., Malapin Vanny (Cambodia) and Jowellyn Galito (Philippines).

If you’re using GKS, nationality rules come from the Korean government (NIIED) and can be country-list-based (varies by program/year), and they also require that you (and typically your parents) are non-Korean citizens, so always verify the exact eligibility list for your cycle.

For admission, Dongguk commonly asks for proof of Korean (TOPIK) or English ability (e.g., TOEFL iBT / IELTS / TEPS), but there are exceptions (for example, certain majors may waive test-score submission, and applicants from English-speaking contexts may qualify via schooling). So, many applicants do need a test, but not everyone.

For scholarships, language scores can directly help. Dongguk publishes tuition-discount scholarships tied to official English scores and TOPIK levels, and it also offers additional scholarship benefits for higher TOPIK performance. In the recipient stories, Jowellyn said, “I took the IELTS and scored 8,” and also emphasized that while English-taught classes helped academically, daily life still benefits from Korean. Malapin likewise noted taking TOPIK and explained that the GKS pathway includes a one-year Korean language course before the degree begins.

Dongguk does not generally advertise one single “minimum GPA” that guarantees admission across all departments; acceptance is department-based and competitive. However, minimum-grade rules often show up clearly in scholarship criteria.

For example, Dongguk’s international-student scholarship policy includes GPA thresholds for maintaining tuition discounts (e.g., falling below certain GPA levels reduces or removes the discount). And for GKS (a common route for Dongguk scholarship recipients), the Korean government’s eligibility typically requires meeting an academic-performance threshold (often expressed as a percentile/CGPA equivalent in the guidelines). In the recipient stories, Malapin reported a high school GPA of 3.7/4.0, while Jowellyn shared an 82/100 GPA and added that “a high GPA isn’t the only thing that matters in scholarships.”

A strong transcript helps, but the “best background” depends on the scholarship type. For tuition-discount scholarships, Dongguk weighs factors like language ability and GPA (and for some tracks, your continued semester GPA matters for renewal). For full funding routes like GKS or SRD, you’ll typically need both academic strength and a compelling, well-supported plan.

The Dongguk winners show two useful patterns: Malapin combined strong grades (3.7/4.0) with standout achievements and advised applicants to “show” dedication through actions. Meanwhile Jowellyn was candid that “Grades weren’t my strongest point,” but said he made up for it with determination, experiences, and a clear, authentic narrative, especially in the personal statement and study plan.

Exact requirements vary by program (undergrad/grad, department, country of education), but Dongguk commonly requires official academic documents and verification (often via apostille or consular authentication) for international admissions, plus additional materials for visa processing after acceptance.

• Academic records: graduation certificate(s) and transcripts, often requiring apostille/consular endorsement depending on where they were issued.
• Country-specific verification (commonly required for some applicants, such as separate academic verification processes for certain education systems).
• Language proof if applicable: TOPIK or official English test scores (unless you qualify for an exception).
• Visa-related documents after acceptance: Dongguk notes that embassies/immigration may request items like a Graduation Certificate and Verification of Deposit (proof of funds), plus passport/residence documents and other standard D-2 visa paperwork.
• Scholarship application materials: for GKS in particular, Malapin warned about rushing “translations” and said documents may need to be “consular-authenticated,” while Jowellyn highlighted polishing the personal statement and study plan and tracking “document requirements” carefully.

Yes, Dongguk lists an application fee for admissions (commonly shown as KRW 100,000 for most departments, with certain exceptions). Note that scholarship routes can differ: in the recipient stories, Malapin said, “The scholarship application process is completely FREE of charge,” referring to GKS.