Sejong University's spring 2027 graduate scholarships for international students: How do 50% first-semester and 20–30% later tuition discounts differ?

Sejong University is accepting second-round applications for spring 2027 international admissions to its general graduate school from Oct. 22, 2026, through 5 p.m. on Nov. 13. Applicants budgeting for enrollment need to distinguish first-semester scholarship reductions from those in semester 2 and beyond. For example, even if a qualifying language-test score earns a 50% tuition reduction in the first semester, the reduction for that scholarship category from semester 2 onward is 20–30%.

Sejong University's scholarships for international graduate students are deducted from tuition bills based on evidence submitted with the admissions application, without a separate scholarship application. They cover master's, doctoral and integrated master's-doctoral programs in the general graduate school. Depending on the scholarship category, the reductions may apply to the admission fee, tuition or both, and their duration varies.

First-semester scholarships vary by language scores, institute study and research projects

According to the scholarship table on page 15 of the Korean-language admissions guidelines for spring 2027, the recognized language-test scholarship reduces first-semester tuition by 50% for IELTS 5.5, TOEFL iBT 71 (4.0 under the new scoring system), New TEPS 327 or TOPIK Level 5. TOPIK Level 4 qualifies for a 40% reduction. Students from countries where English is a native language are exempt from submitting a language-test score and qualify under the 50% tuition-reduction standard. These are *scholarship criteria*, separate from the minimum language requirements for admission itself.

Students who have completed at least 2 semesters at Sejong University's Sejong Language Institute meet the requirement for a 100% admission-fee waiver. Those who meet that completion requirement and the relevant TOPIK level can receive first-semester tuition reductions of 30% for TOPIK Level 3 (Levels 2–3 for arts and physical education programs), 50% for Level 4, 70% for Level 5 or 100% for Level 6. The institute's graduate-school preparation class is also included in this category. The admission-fee waiver and tuition reduction cover different charges and must be considered separately.

Students recommended as researchers or research assistants on external research projects can receive a 100% waiver of the first-semester admission fee and tuition based on recommendation letter Form 7 from their prospective academic adviser. Sejong bachelor's graduates entering its master's programs have a separate first-semester tuition-reduction standard of 50%, while its bachelor's or master's graduates entering doctoral programs have a 30% standard. Scholarships cannot be combined.

Recalculate tuition from semester 2 onward

Footnotes in the university's admissions guidelines specify adjusted reductions of 20–30% for recognized language-test scholarships (including students from native-English-speaking countries), 10–40% for Sejong Language Institute scholarships, and 85% of tuition for scholarships for researchers or research assistants on external research projects. The university has not published a table directly matching particular test scores to each reduction rate from semester 2 onward for the language-test or institute categories. Research-project scholarships are subject to the project's duration and enrollment requirements, and Form 7 must be submitted every semester.

In particular, *credit-based master's programs* in science and engineering award degrees through completion of specified credits instead of a thesis. Rather than the external-research-project scholarship, they follow a separate standard of 70% off first-semester tuition and 20–30% off tuition in semesters 2–4. Scholarships generally cover up to 4 semesters for master's and doctoral programs and 8 semesters for integrated master's-doctoral programs. If the previous semester's grade-point average is below 3.8, no scholarship is paid for the relevant semester. Applicants must meet the scholarship requirements on entry; gaining higher grades or new language qualifications during enrollment does not allow them to move to a higher scholarship category.

A budget example based on the 2026 tuition schedule

Page 8 of the admissions guidelines lists tuition for the second semester of the 2026 academic year at 6,323,000 won per semester, plus a 990,000 won admission fee, for humanities, social sciences and business fields. At those rates, a student receiving a 50% first-semester language-test scholarship would owe 3,161,500 won in tuition, or 4,151,500 won including the admission fee. Applying a 20–30% reduction to the same tuition amount for semester 2 and beyond yields 4,426,100–5,058,400 won in tuition per semester. The admission fee is not charged again in this second-semester budget example.

This budget illustration combines the published 2026 tuition figures with the scholarship percentages in the spring 2027 admissions guidelines. The actual 2027 bill will depend on the tuition the university sets and the scholarship applied to each student. Engineering differs from humanities and social sciences even at the base-rate level: the same 2026 schedule lists 8,216,000 won in tuition and a 990,000 won admission fee for engineering.

Submit scholarship evidence with the application and the original Form 7 separately

Scholarship applicants must upload the relevant documents to the admissions system by 5 p.m. on Nov. 13. Key evidence includes official language-test scores obtained within the 2 years preceding March 2, 2027, the start of the admission semester; a certificate showing at least 2 completed semesters for Sejong Language Institute scholarships; and a Sejong University graduation certificate for alumni scholarships. Students from countries where English is a native language are instructed to upload a PDF under the scholarship category in STEP 5 of the online application, with Native Language_English included in the filename.

For research-project scholarships, the original Form 7 bearing the prospective academic adviser's handwritten signature must be submitted separately from the online upload, by mail or in person during the application period, to the Sejong University One-Stop Service Center (Room 209, Student Union Building, 209 Neungdong-ro, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul). Applicants may sign electronically, but the professor's signature must be handwritten. Applications are submitted through the Sejong University One-Stop Service Center.

Second-round admission decisions are scheduled for 5 p.m. on Dec. 23, 2026. Tuition payment and submission of original general application documents are scheduled from Dec. 23, 2026, through 4 p.m. on Jan. 5, 2027. If a scholarship has not appeared on the tuition bill or the applicant missed the deadline for scholarship evidence, a separate application route is available within 3 days of the start of classes through the Graduate School Academic Affairs Office (Room 905, Gwanggaeto Hall). If a scholarship is confirmed after tuition has been paid, the applicable amount is refunded to the student's bank account. Scholarship and document inquiries can be sent to the admissions team at intadmission@sejong.ac.kr.