Taekwang Group Ilju Academic and Cultural Foundation, Recruiting 30th Overseas PhD Scholarship Students

$120,000 for up to 8 semesters within 5 years per person
Up to 4 million KRW airfare for departure at admission and return at graduation

[Asia Economy Reporter Moon Chaeseok] Taekwang Group Ilju Academic and Cultural Foundation announced on the 5th that it will select overseas doctoral scholarship students who are admitted to overseas graduate school doctoral programs to support tuition, living expenses, and more.

Eligible applicants are new students who have received admission approval for doctoral programs (including integrated master's and doctoral programs) from prestigious overseas graduate schools, with about 10 students to be selected. The total scholarship amount, including university tuition, living expenses, and research funds, is approximately $120,000 (about 145.92 million KRW) per person. Selected scholarship students will be supported for up to 8 semesters within a 5-year period.

The foundation will also provide 1 billion KRW this year for the 'Overseas Doctoral Scholarship Project,' including the selection of scholarship students. Notably, starting from this selection, airfare up to 4 million KRW for two trips?departure for enrollment and return upon graduation?will be supported. A foundation official said, "We decided to provide additional airfare support from this year to ease the burden on scholarship students who are dedicated to their studies during difficult times."

The late Chairman Lee Im-yong, who established the foundation in 1990, left a will to support and nurture researchers in pure academic fields. Accordingly, researchers in basic pure academic fields are given preference during the screening process. Regardless of university, major, or age, academic capability and passion are the most important selection criteria. The selection process involves a panel of judges composed of graduates from the foundation’s overseas doctoral programs.

So far, among the more than 170 overseas doctoral graduates produced by the foundation, excluding current students, many are engaged in various activities at domestic and international universities, research institutes, major domestic companies, and foreign corporations. Those selected as overseas doctoral scholarship students can participate in exchange meetings among graduates. Academic research meetings for graduates are held more than twice a year. Year-end gatherings for information exchange and fellowship have also been continuously held. The foundation provides support funds to activate regional meetings among overseas students.

A foundation official said, "In a situation where applications for doctoral programs in humanities or basic sciences are insufficient, this is a great opportunity for pure academic majors to focus on research without worrying about tuition and living expenses."

The application period is three weeks from the 5th to the 22nd. After first and second document screenings and interviews, successful candidates will be announced in June. Required documents include the scholarship application form, admission approval letter, and recommendation letters. Applications can be submitted through the foundation’s website.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.