📅 Last Updated: October 2026
Yeungnam PSPS Scholarship 2027 — Master’s in Korea
The Park Chung Hee School of Policy and Saemaul (PSPS) at Yeungnam University in South Korea offers every admitted international student a scholarship package: free tuition for all four semesters, an admission fee waiver, and a KRW 1,000,000 monthly living allowance for the first 12 months. The two-year master’s programmes are taught entirely in English.
For Pakistani and South Asian graduates, there’s another advantage: no IELTS is needed if your bachelor’s degree was taught in English, because PSPS accepts an official statement from your university instead. Applications for Spring 2027 close on 23 October 2026. This guide covers the programmes, what’s covered (and what isn’t), the documents, and how to apply in time.
| University/Organization | Yeungnam University: Park Chung Hee School of Policy and Saemaul (PSPS) |
| Country | South Korea (Gyeongsan, near Daegu) |
| Degree/Level | Master’s (2 years, English-taught) |
| Funding Type | Tuition (4 semesters) + admission fee waiver + KRW 1,000,000/month for 12 months |
| Deadline | 23 October 2026, 2 PM KST (documents by 30 October) |
| Open To | International Students Worldwide |
| Pakistani Students Eligible | Yes |
| Official Link | Apply Here |
🎓 About the Yeungnam PSPS Scholarship 2027
The Park Chung Hee School of Policy and Saemaul was established at Yeungnam University in 2011 to share Korea’s development experience with the international community. It focuses on the Saemaul Undong (New Village Movement) model of community-led rural development, alongside public policy, economic development and sustainability.
PSPS is designed for international students, many of them public servants, NGO staff and development professionals from Asia, Africa and Latin America. Classes are in English, from Monday to Friday, and students take part in field trips, contests and Saemaul-related activities.
How it compares: the KDI School offers prestigious public-policy degrees with several fully funded tracks, and the KOICA Scholarship is fully funded but only for nominated government officials. PSPS sits between them: every admitted student gets free tuition and a first-year allowance, with no nomination needed, but second-year living costs are your own responsibility.
💰 Scholarship Benefits
- 🎓 Tuition fees for all four semesters, worth about KRW 4.9 million per semester for semesters 1–3 at 2026 rates
- 📝 Admission fee waiver (KRW 863,000 at 2026 rates)
- 💵 KRW 1,000,000 a month living allowance for 12 months, from March 2027 to February 2028
- ✅ Awarded to all admitted students. There’s no separate scholarship application
What you pay yourself:
- 💳 Living costs in the second year (March 2028 – February 2029)
- 🏥 National Health Insurance: KRW 80,000 a month (mandatory) + private insurance: KRW 100,000 a year (mandatory)
- 🎟️ Small semester fees: a student council fee (KRW 30,000) and a health care service fee (KRW 30,500)
- ✈️ Airfare. It isn’t mentioned in the scholarship package (verify on official website)
Academic condition: if your GPA falls below 3.0 out of 4.5, or you get an F in any course, you must pay 30% of the next semester’s tuition.
What it’s worth: KRW 1,000,000 is roughly PKR 200,000 a month (approximate; check today’s rate). Gyeongsan, near Daegu, is much cheaper than Seoul, so this covers modest living costs in the first year. Budget around KRW 12 million or more of your own savings for the second year (approximate; verify current costs).
✅ Eligibility Criteria
- Nationality: you and both parents must not hold Korean nationality
- Education: 12 years of schooling before university, plus a bachelor’s degree equivalent to a 4-year Korean bachelor’s
- English: TOEFL iBT 71, IELTS 5.5, TOEIC 750 or CEFR B2, with test reports dated no earlier than 30 October 2024
- English waiver: applicants from English-speaking countries are exempt, and graduates of English-taught bachelor’s programmes may submit an official statement from their university instead
- Health: good physical and mental health. Active tuberculosis or serious chronic illness may disqualify you
- Sustainable Development major: preference for degrees in agriculture, forestry, environmental engineering or related fields
English test status: not required if your bachelor’s was taught in English and you submit your university’s official statement.
Pakistani students: eligible. A Pakistani 4-year BS (16 years) matches the 4-year bachelor’s requirement. A 2-year BA or BSc alone generally won’t (verify with PSPS).
✅ Strong Candidates
- Pakistani graduates interested in public policy, development economics, rural development or environmental policy
- Government officers, NGO staff and development-sector professionals
- Agriculture, forestry and environmental graduates (preferred for Sustainable Development)
- Applicants with English-medium degrees who can skip IELTS
❌ Not the Right Fit If
- You need full living support for both years
- You hold only a 2-year bachelor’s degree
- You can’t get your degree apostilled and documents emailed by 30 October
- You want an engineering, IT or science research master’s
On competitiveness for South Asian applicants: since all admitted students receive the scholarship, admission is the real competition. Pakistani applicants stand out with a clear personal statement that links their work or studies to development or policy challenges in Pakistan, and with strong recommendations from a professor or a workplace supervisor.
📚 Programmes Offered
All programmes are full-time, 24 months (March 2027 – February 2029) and taught in English. You choose one degree within your major:
- Saemaul and International Development (SID): Master of Saemaul Development Studies (MSDS), MA in Saemaul International Development (MA/SID), Master of Public Policy and Saemaul (MPPS)
- Public Policy and Leadership: MA in Development Economics (MA/DE), Master of Public Policy (MPP), MPP in Economic Development (MPP/ED)
- Sustainable Development, Forest and Environmental Policy: Master of Public Policy (MPP), Master of Public Administration (MPA), Master of Science (MS)
📄 Required Documents
Scan everything as PDFs in this order and email them to pspsapply@yu.ac.kr with the subject line “[Application No.] Applicant’s Name – Spring 2027 Application Documents”:
- Application form set (printed from the online system and signed): personal statement, statement of academic purpose, academic record verification agreement, health self-assessment questionnaire, pledge
- Bachelor’s degree certificate (or expected graduation certificate), apostilled
- Official transcript showing the grading system, from every institution attended
- English proficiency proof (test report, or your university’s English-medium statement)
- Recommendation letter(s): at least one, in any format, from a professor or workplace supervisor
- Parents’ passport copies, or official nationality ID with a translation
- Family relationship certificate or birth certificate, issued within 6 months
- Application fee receipt
- Passport copy (information page)
Notes for Pakistani applicants: Pakistan is an Apostille Convention country, so get your degree and transcript apostilled, usually after HEC attestation. Start immediately, because this takes time. A NADRA Family Registration Certificate (FRC) is the usual family relationship document. Documents not in English or Korean need a notarised translation.
🧭 Step-by-Step Application Process
- Apply online via PSPS Admissions → “Apply Here (International students)” by 2 PM KST, 23 October 2026.
- Pay the application fee of KRW 100,000 or USD 80 by bank transfer to Yeungnam University (IM Bank, formerly Daegu Bank, account and SWIFT details on the PSPS fee page) by 23 October. Pay under your own name and cover all bank charges.
- Email all documents as PDFs to pspsapply@yu.ac.kr by 2 PM KST, 30 October 2026.
- Record a video interview when invited. Zoom or phone interviews may also be arranged (November–December 2026).
- Check results in early January 2027 through the online system.
- Receive your visa documents (January–February 2027) and apply for your Korean student visa.
- Arrive in Korea for orientation in the last week of February 2027.
Practical tip: PSPS advises finishing the online application at least three days before the deadline. Pakistan is 4 hours behind Korea, so the 2 PM KST cut-off is 10 AM Pakistan time. Aim to submit by 20 October.
📅 Important Dates
| Milestone | Date (KST) |
|---|---|
| Online application and fee payment | 28 Sep – 23 Oct 2026, 2 PM |
| Document submission by email | 28 Sep – 30 Oct 2026, 2 PM |
| Document screening and video or Zoom interview | November – December 2026 |
| Admission and scholarship results | Early January 2027 |
| Visa documents issued | January – February 2027 |
| Arrival and orientation | Last week of February 2027 |
📌 Bookmark this page. We update deadlines as soon as changes are announced.
🌟 Why Apply
PSPS offers a tuition-free, English-taught master’s in Korea focused on development and public policy, with a first-year allowance and no nomination required. For Pakistani professionals in government, NGOs or rural development, its practical Saemaul model is directly relevant to work back home.
Compare it with other Korean options in our KDI School, KOICA, Chonnam and Yeungnam graduate scholarships guides. You can also browse all Scholarships, development-sector jobs in Jobs & Internships, apostille and visa guides in Guidelines & Resources, and policy conferences in Events & Conferences.
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
These questions are based on what students most commonly search about this program.
Q: Can Pakistani students apply for the Yeungnam PSPS Scholarship?
Yes. Non-Korean applicants whose parents are also non-Korean, with 12 years of schooling and a 4-year bachelor’s, can apply. Every admitted student receives the scholarship.
Q: Is IELTS required for PSPS?
Not if your bachelor’s degree was taught in English. You can submit an official statement from your university instead. Otherwise, the minimums are IELTS 5.5, TOEFL iBT 71, TOEIC 750 or CEFR B2, with tests taken on or after 30 October 2024.
Q: Is the PSPS scholarship fully funded?
Not completely. It covers tuition for all four semesters, waives the admission fee, and pays KRW 1,000,000 a month for the first 12 months. Second-year living costs and mandatory health insurance are your own responsibility.
Q: When is the PSPS deadline for Spring 2027?
The online application and fee payment are due by 2 PM KST on 23 October 2026, and documents must be emailed by 2 PM KST on 30 October 2026.
Q: Do I need to apostille my degree?
Yes. Applicants from Apostille Convention countries, including Pakistan, must apostille their degree certificate and transcript. Other countries need consular authentication.
Q: How much is the application fee?
KRW 100,000 or USD 80, paid by bank transfer to Yeungnam University. It’s non-refundable.
🔗 Official Source
- PSPS: Admission schedule
- PSPS: Eligibility
- PSPS: Financial information and scholarships
- PSPS: Academic information
- PSPS: Application documents
- PSPS: Application fee
Contact: psps@yu.ac.kr · +82-53-810-1318 · Applications: pspsapply@yu.ac.kr
📊 Summary Table
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| School | Park Chung Hee School of Policy and Saemaul (PSPS), Yeungnam University |
| Country | South Korea |
| Level | Master’s, 2 years, English-taught |
| Majors | Saemaul & International Development · Public Policy & Leadership · Sustainable Development |
| Scholarship | Tuition (4 semesters) + admission fee waiver + KRW 1M/month for 12 months |
| Not Covered | Second-year living costs, health insurance, airfare (verify) |
| English | IELTS 5.5 / TOEFL 71 / TOEIC 750, or an English-medium degree statement |
| Application Fee | KRW 100,000 / USD 80 |
| Deadline | 23 Oct 2026 (application) · 30 Oct 2026 (documents) |
| Results | Early January 2027 |
| Pakistani Students Eligible | Yes |
| Official Link | psps.yu.ac.kr |
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