Final Selection of the First Cohort of Presidential Science Scholarship for Graduate Students Completed!
With a high competition ratio of 25:1, 50 master's and 70 doctoral students have been finally selected.
The selected candidates will immediately receive a scholarship certificate in the name of the President and start receiving scholarship payments.
Master's students will be supported with 18 million KRW per year (up to 4 semesters, totaling 36 million KRW), and doctoral students with 24 million KRW per year (up to 8 semesters, totaling 96 million KRW).
The Ministry of Science and ICT (MSIT), led by Minister Lee Jong-ho, has announced the completion of the final selection of 120 recipients for the Presidential Science Scholarship for Graduate Students. This initiative aims to enhance the prestige of master's and doctoral students in science and engineering while fostering their development into world-class researchers. Commencing from April, the selected individuals will promptly receive their scholarships.
The "Presidential Science Scholarship for Graduate Students" was established this year in response to President Yoon Suk-yeol's directive during the "2022 Dialogue with Future Scientists" on December 22, 2022, to establish a distinguished scholarship program for graduate students in science and engineering.
A total of 120 students were selected this year, comprising 50 master's (25 new students, 25 current students) and 70 doctoral students (30 new students, 40 current students). The rigorous selection process involved individual application submissions, followed by a first-stage document review and a second-stage in-depth interview. This process aimed to identify the most promising science and engineering talents through direct assessment of individual capabilities, with a competitive ratio of approximately 25:1 (out of a total of 2,980 applicants).
The selection fields were systematically categorized based on the "Basic Research Classification System” of the National Research Foundation of Korea, encompassing a total of 17 selection fields. Expert panels were assembled to ensure the expertise and fairness of the evaluation process.
The selected students represent various disciplines, including natural sciences (9 master’s and 10 doctoral), life sciences (8 master’s and 16 doctoral), engineering (13 master’s and 17 doctoral), and ICT/convergence research (20 master’s and 27 doctoral).
Each selected graduate student will be awarded a Presidential scholarship certificate and a monthly scholarship of KRW 1.5 million for master's students (KRW 18 million annually, up to KRW 36 million) and KRW 2 million for doctoral students (KRW 24 million annually, up to KRW 96 million). Scholarship disbursements for new students this year will be made monthly from March 2024 to February 2025 (with March's scholarship paid in April), subject to an annual continuation evaluation for subsequent year's payments. The selection results are available from April 8th, 9 AM, on the Korea Student Aid Foundation website (www.kosaf.go.kr).
MSIT has emphasized its commitment to expanding the Presidential Science Scholarship for Graduate Students swiftly. Additionally, it aims to introduce a basic allowance for science and engineering graduate students in the form of a scholarship, as promised by President Yoon Suk-yeol during the 12th Debate Forum on Improving People's Livelihoods in February. This initiative seeks to alleviate living expenses for science and engineering graduate students, enabling them to focus on their research and drive tangible change in the field.
For further information, please contact the Public Relations Division (Phone: +82-44-202-4034, E-mail: msitmedia@korea.kr) of the Ministry of Science and ICT.
Please refer to the attached PDF.