Guidelines for Application

Funded by the National Research Foundation of Korea, SNU GSIS launched its BK (Brain Korea) 21 FOUR Program in September 2020, with the agenda of “Cultivating the Next Generation of Academic Leaders in Interdisciplinary Studies of International Area and Development Cooperation for a New National Strategy”. The BK21 FOUR Program intends to support graduate students who are dedicated to full-time research and study, with an aim to foster talents who can contribute to society.
All full-time graduate students are eligible to apply:
  • Full-time students at GSIS
    • Korean nationality: Those without 4 Major Social Insurance Scheme (SIS) coverage
    • Foreign nationality: D-2 visa holders with a valid Alien Registration Card
  • Enrolled semester
    • Master’s Students: Within 4 semesters (1st to 4th enrolled semester)
    • Doctoral Students: Within 8 semesters (1st to 8th enrolled semester)
  • Credit requirement
    • Took at least 6 credits (excluding “Dissertation Research”) during the previous semester (Exception: Ph.D. candidates)
    • Evaluation for Freshmen: Based on GSIS entrance score, research plan, etc.

Among all “BK21 Participants,” selected students become “BK21 Fellows” who receive an additional monthly stipend amounting to 1,000,000 KRW for master’s students; 1,600,000 KRW for doctoral coursework students; and 1,300,000 KRW for doctoral candidates. 

As a participant of the BK21 Four Program, students can receive research support for various academic activities, including grants and joint research projects with professors and researchers at GSIS. “BK21 Participants” not selected as Fellows are still eligible to receive research support for various academic activities, such as travel grant for overseas fieldwork, academic conference registration fee, journal publication fee support, etc.

All students of the BK21 FOUR Program are required to dedicate themselves to research and study, actively participate in academic events, and support the tasks of the program team.

New selections are made each semester, and new applications must be submitted each round. Previous submissions and/or scholarships are not taken into account. Thus, all documents must be updated and resubmitted every round for you to be considered as a candidate for each semester’s selection.

We look forward to receiving applications from full-time graduate students who are interested in our GSIS BK21 FOUR Program.

Items for submission

  1. Research Plan
  2. SNU GSIS Transcript
  3. Pledge Form
  4. Agreement on the Use of Personal Information Form
  5. Checklist for Participation