UST South Korea Scholarships 2026 – 300 Fully Funded Places for Masters & PhD | Full Details

Three hundred fully funded places. That's the scale of the University of Science and Technology (UST) Scholarship for 2026, one of South Korea's larger funded postgraduate programmes, open to Masters, PhD, and combined MS-to-PhD applicants from any country.

What makes UST worth a closer look isn't just the number of places — it's the structure behind them. Rather than being a single-campus university, UST is a consortium built around South Korea's network of government-funded research institutions, established in 2003 and now ranked among the world's top 100 universities. That means students train inside real national research institutes rather than a conventional university department, across fields spanning advanced materials, biotechnology, nano science, and ICT.

Inside the University

UST brings together various public research institutions and universities across South Korea under one academic umbrella, giving students access to research infrastructure that a typical standalone university department wouldn't have. It offers a genuinely broad course catalogue for Fall 2026 intake, spanning:

Advanced Materials and Chemical Engineering
Bio-Analytical Science
Science of Measurement
Biotechnology
Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmacology
Bioscience
Medical Physics
Industrial Technology
Food Biotechnology
Nano Science
Engineering (all fields)
ICT
Ocean Science

Who Qualifies

Open to applicants of any nationality
Masters applicants: must complete a Bachelor's degree before September 2026
PhD applicants: must have completed, or expect to complete, a Masters degree before September 2026

What's Covered

University entrance fee
Full tuition fees
Monthly stipend — KRW 1,200,000 for Masters students, KRW 1,600,000 for PhD students (roughly $850–$1,150 USD depending on the exchange rate at the time, though this will vary)
Comprehensive medical and accidental insurance
E-library access and counselling support
Overseas training/exchange programme opportunities
UST Research Paper Award and Excellence Award, issued at graduation
Korean language course fees

Paperwork You'll Need

Bachelor's degree or Certificate of Expected Graduation
Bachelor's programme transcript
Master's degree or Certificate of Expected Graduation (PhD applicants)
Master's programme transcript (PhD applicants)
Master's thesis (PhD applicants)
Study plan
Letters of recommendation

Deadline

6 October 2026.

Applying

UST runs its admissions entirely through an online application system. Since documentation requirements differ slightly between the Masters and PhD/MS-to-PhD tracks, it's worth confirming exactly which documents apply to your intended route before you start uploading anything.