Scholarship program faces scrutiny after losing track of 80% of graduates

A government scholarship program that spends hundreds of billions of won to attract foreign students to Korea is facing over its efficiency after officials did not receive responses from eight out of 10 graduates, prompting questions about the program’s oversight and accountability once students obtain their degrees.

Launched in 1967, the Global Korea Scholarship (GKS) program provides tuition, airfare and a monthly allowance to selected international students to promote academic exchanges and cultural understanding in Korea.

According to a 2024 survey by the National Institute for International Education submitted this month to Rep. Kim Jun-hyuk of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, 84 percent of the 10,269 GKS program graduates could not be reached by email, with only 15.8 percent responding.

The response rate is down from 2023, when a parliamentary audit found that 70 percent of the program's 14,111 graduates were unaccounted for.

Over the past four years, the government has spent more than 419.1 billion won ($295.5 million) on the program, with its annual budget increasing from 81 billion won in 2022 to more than 130 billion won this year.

Regional imbalance is another major concern. Of the 7,042 students admitted to the GKS program from 2022 to 2025, 60.2 percent were placed at 38 universities in the Seoul metropolitan area.

Of those students, 34 percent were concentrated in the top 10 universities, including Seoul National, Korea and Yonsei.

By comparison, 72 universities outside the capital region hosted 39.8 percent of GKS students.

Source: https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/southkorea/society/20251017/scholarship-program-faces-scrutiny-after-losing-track-of-80-of-graduates

Comprehension

What is the main purpose of the Global Korea Scholarship (GKS) program?
When was the GKS program launched?
What kinds of support does the program provide to international students?
What percentage of graduates did not respond to the 2024 survey?
How does the 2024 response rate compare to 2023?
How much money has the Korean government spent on the program over the past four years?
What regional imbalance was found in the placement of GKS students?
Which universities received the largest number of GKS students?

Discussion

Why do you think so many graduates of the GKS program did not respond to the survey?
What challenges might governments face in tracking scholarship recipients after graduation?
How important is it for a country to know the long-term impact of its scholarship programs?
In your opinion, what are the benefits of studying abroad for international students?
How do scholarship programs like GKS promote cultural exchange between countries?
Should scholarship recipients be required to maintain contact with the organization that funded them? Why or why not?
How can the Korean government make the program more effective or transparent?
Do you think it is fair that most GKS students are placed in universities in Seoul? Why or why not?
What are the advantages and disadvantages of concentrating international students in top universities?
If you were offered a full scholarship to study in another country, what factors would you consider before accepting it?

Vocabulary

Scholarship – money given to a student to help pay for education, usually based on merit or need.
Graduate – a person who has completed a degree or course of study.
Oversight – supervision or checking to make sure something is done correctly.
Accountability – responsibility for one’s actions or decisions.
Allowance – money given regularly to help pay for living expenses.
Imbalance – a situation where things are not equal or fairly distributed.
Concentrated – gathered or grouped closely together in one place.
Promote – to encourage or help something grow or develop.