What KOICA Scholarship Program – South Korea International Cooperation actually covers.
The KOICA Scholarship Program, administered by the Korea International Cooperation Agency, is South Korea's flagship government-sponsored development scholarship, designed specifically for public sector professionals and government officials from developing countries — the vast majority of which are African nations — to pursue master's or doctoral degrees at top South Korean universities. Unlike general academic merit scholarships, KOICA targets individuals already embedded in the public service of their home countries, ensuring that scholarship recipients bring the training and networks gained in Korea back to benefit their national institutions directly.
KOICA partner countries in Africa are extensive, encompassing Nigeria, Rwanda, Ghana, Morocco, Mozambique, Algeria, Egypt, Uganda, Senegal, Kenya, Tanzania, Tunisia, Cameroon, Côte d'Ivoire, DR Congo, Gabon, Gambia, Niger, Madagascar, Malawi, Lesotho, Libya, Mauritius, Burkina Faso, Sierra Leone, Angola, Benin, Burundi, Zambia, Central African Republic, South Sudan, Liberia, Zimbabwe, Togo, Mali, Mauritania, São Tomé and Príncipe, and Comoros, among others.
The scholarship is fully funded, covering round-trip international airfare, full tuition at the host Korean university, a monthly living allowance, dormitory accommodation, medical insurance, and Korean language training prior to the commencement of the academic programme. Recipients study at universities designated by KOICA, which include major Korean institutions with strong development-related programmes such as Yonsei University, Sungkyunkwan University, Korea University, and Ewha Womans University.
Applicants must be government employees or staff of government-affiliated organisations in their home country, typically with at least two to three years of relevant professional experience. Applications are submitted through local KOICA country offices or Korean embassies, and candidates must be nominated through their government employer. Priority is given to applicants in fields related to governance, public health, agriculture, ICT, environmental management, education, and economic policy.
Who can apply.
Open to masters, phd applicants seeking to study in South Korea. Eligible nationalities are listed below.
46 more eligible countries — full list available on the official application page.
Every academic discipline is accepted.
This programme does not restrict by field. Research proposals across humanities, sciences, engineering, agriculture, and medicine are all accepted.
Four steps to a complete application.
Scholar Africa is a discovery and tracking platform — the application itself is submitted directly through the official provider site. The steps below mirror our HowTo schema.
Check eligibility
Confirm your nationality, academic level, and field of study match the criteria above.
Eligibility checklist
Prepare documents
Transcripts, recommendation letters, personal statement, and a valid passport.
Document checklist
Submit the application
Submit before December 2, 2026 via the official portal.
Submission checklist
Track your application
Use your Scholar Africa dashboard to monitor status and deadline reminders.
Post-submission checklist
What we checked, when we checked it.
Every scholarship on Scholar Africa goes through six checks (link, contact, organisation, winners, third-party, manual review). KOICA Scholarship Program – South Korea International Cooperation currently scores 0.0/10.
Report an issue
Other scholarships worth a parallel application.
Same eligibility window or destination. Many strong applicants apply to three or four programmes per cycle.