Full Scholarships Through Doctorate... Pukyong National University Launches Integrated Bachelor's, Master's, and Doctoral Program

Doctorate in Just Six Years
Expanded Support for Graduate Students

Pukyong National University (President Bae Sanghoon) has launched a groundbreaking "Integrated Bachelor's, Master's, and Doctoral Program" that waives tuition fees entirely. This project is designed to provide comprehensive support for graduate students pursuing advanced academic degrees.

On December 9, Pukyong National University announced that it will introduce the integrated bachelor's, master's, and doctoral program in its graduate school starting from the second semester of the 2026 academic year. Through this program, students will be able to earn a doctoral degree in as little as six years. Currently, a few universities, including Seoul National University, have adopted similar programs.

Notably, students enrolled in the integrated program will receive a full tuition waiver for up to 10 semesters: four semesters as undergraduates (starting from their third year), three semesters as master's students, and three semesters as doctoral candidates. For engineering majors, this scholarship benefit amounts to more than 24 million won.

Pukyong National University already operates more than 20 scholarship programs, including full scholarships for students in the integrated bachelor's and master's program, as well as support from the BK21 Project, the National University Development Project, and its own university budget. Outstanding graduate students receive scholarships ranging from 300,000 won to over 8 million won per semester. Applications for the integrated bachelor's and master's program have been increasing each year.

Pukyong National University is expanding its support for graduate students to further strengthen its status as a leading research-oriented university in the Busan region, as evidenced by having the highest research funding per full-time faculty member among national universities nationwide (as of August 2025 information disclosure).

Applications for additional admissions to the graduate school for the 2026 academic year will be accepted in mid-January next year. Recruitment for the newly established integrated bachelor's, master's, and doctoral program, which will begin in the second semester of the 2026 academic year, is scheduled to start around May next year.

Pukyong National University Headquarters.

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