■ Application of Spring Semester, 2026
1. Programs
Sogang GSIS recruits about OO students for Master degree program in the four specialty areas, International Relations, International Trade, International Finance, and Korea & East Asia Studies. Also, Sogang GSIS recruits about O students for Ph.D. program in the four fields of major for Spring semester, 2026.
All courses and academic activities are conducted in English and about 120 international students from 38 countries are studying at Sogang GSIS, as of September, 2025.
Ph.D. | All Majors | Doctor of Philosophy in International Studies |
M.A. | International Relations | Master of International Studies in International Relations |
International Trade | Master of International Studies in International Trade | |
International Finance | Master of International Studies in International Finance | |
Korea & East Asia Studies | Master of International Studies in Korean Studies | |
Master of International Studies in East Asian Studies |
2. Qualification
An applicant must have graduated or be expected to graduate from an accredited four-year college, university or equivalent before the semester for which the applicant intends to enroll. It means that you should graduate and receive your diploma & degree at least 2 months before entering. For example, for fall semester admission which starts from every March, you should receive diploma & degree until January. In short, an applicant must have a bachelor's degree (master's degree for Ph.D. Program) or evidence of equivalent. Students can apply for Sogang GSIS program regardless of their undergraduate majors.
3. Important Dates
• Application Period: October 28(Tue) ~ November 7 (Fri), 2025
"Application Link (Click Here)"* The portal is accessible only during the application period.
• Announcement of Documents Screening Results: 2pm on November 14 (Fri), 2025
• Interview for Admission: November 22 (Sat), 2025
- Interview will be conducted in English. The online (Zoom) interview is available only if you are not in Korea.
• Announcement of Final Screening Results: December 10 (Wed), 2025
4. Application Process
1) Online Application
Applicants must first complete the online form via the official application portal. The official application portal is accessible only during the designated application period.
During the online application, applicants must upload scanned copies of the required documents to the application portal. The application will be considered complete only after all required documents have been uploaded.
(However, a recommendation letter is not included among the documents to be uploaded. For instructions regarding the submission of a recommendation letter, please refer carefully to the guidelines listed below.)
2) Submission of Required Documents by Postal Mail
Successful applicants(accepted students) must submit all original copies of the documents that were uploaded as files during the online application, either in person or by postal mail, no later than February 1. Failure to submit the original documents by the final deadline will result in the cancellation of admission.
5. Required Documents
No. | Notes |
1) | One Sealed Recommendation Letter (Please download the form from our website) * Please refer to the instructions below for submission * Recommendation letters must be submitted within the application period |
2) | Essay |
3) | Diploma or Certificate of (Expected) Graduation * An official English notarized translation is required if the certificates are not printed in English * Either Apostilled or Consular Authentication is required. * Please upload the scanned file through the application portal |
4) | Official Academic Transcripts * An official English notarized translation is required if the certificates are not printed in English * Either Apostilled or Consular Authentication is required. * Please upload the scanned file through the application portal |
5) | Color Copy of English Test Score Report * TOEFL, IELTS, TOEIC, or NEW TEPS within validity period - October 28, 2025 * There is no minimum score requirement on English test score * TOEFL My Best Score, Home Edition & IELTS Online, One Skill Retake test score reports are also accepted * Please upload the scanned file through the application portal |
6) | Color Copy of Passport * Please submit it through the application portal |
7) | Consent Form of Information Release for Degree Verification (Please download the from our website) * Please download the form from our website, complete it, and submit it through the application portal |
8) | Degree Verification Report from CHSI (CHESICC) or CDGDC (Only for applicants who graduated from universities in China) * Please submit it through the application portal |
9) | Research Writing Sample (e.g. Master's degree thesis) (Only for Ph.D. applicants) * Please submit it through the application portal |
Note) In case of a Korean descendant abroad, additional documents such as 'Birth Certificate', 'Hu Kou Ben', etc. may be requested to clarify the nationality.
1) One Sealed Recommendation Letter
The recommendation letter form can be downloaded from our website. Applicants should use Sogang GSIS recommendation form.
① The offline recommendation letter should be sealed as well. Unsealed letter will not be accepted. A sealed recommendation letter could be mailed by the applicant, or it could be sent directly to Sogang GSIS office by the recommender.
② The recommender is also able to send the email by attaching completed recommendation letter directly to Sogang GSIS office (gsisapply@sogang.ac.kr). In this case, the recommender should use his/her official affiliated institutional email account (e.g. : abc@harvard.edu) for the verification purposes.
③ Former professor from the university or supervisors from the workplace could be the recommender as well.
2) Essay
The essay may be no longer than 2 pages. It may include self-introduction, the reason why the applicant is interested in Sogang GSIS, and future career plan. Please download the form from our website.
3) Diploma or Certificate of (Expected) Graduation
Applicants must have their certificate of graduation or diploma apostilled or authenticated by the consulate. Those who have not yet graduated at the time of application may submit a certificate of expected graduation (or a provisional degree certificate) that specifies the expected graduation date.
Applicants are required to submit the original official graduation certificate (or diploma), duly apostilled or consular-authenticated, to the Sogang GSIS office no later than February 1.
4) Official Academic Transcripts
Applicants must have their official Transcripts apostilled or authenticated by the consulate. Official transcripts must be issued by undergraduate school (and by graduate school as well as for Ph.D. applicants). Transfer students must submit official transcripts from all previous attended institutions.
If the CGPA is not indicated in one of the acknowledged GPA scales (4.0, 4.3, 4.5, 5.0 or 100 point scale), applicants must submit a transcript converted into one of the above GPA scales as a supplementary document.
A transcript converted with a conversion tool such as scholaro.com or wes.org is only acceptable when the relevant university officially confirms the document.
※ Applications submitted without a converted transcript may be at a disadvantage during the evaluation process.
※ The transcripts not printed in English should be translated in English and notarized.
5) English Test Score Report (TOEFL, IELTS, TOEIC, or NEW TEPS)
The English test score report must be valid at the time of submission. In addition, it must be from a test taken within the past two years as of the application date (October 28, 2025).
It is exempted for ① native English speakers, ② graduates from universities in English speaking countries, or ③ graduates from universities that the medium of instruction in all of the degree program was in English (an official supporting letter from home university is required).
■ Items to Note on Apostille (or Consular Confirmation)
- If your document, such as a diploma, cannot be reissued, please keep the original and obtain an apostille (or consular confirmation) on a notarized copy.
- Simple photocopies or notarized copies of the apostilled (or consular confirmed) documents will NOT be accepted. However, a certified true copy (등본 인증) issued by a Korean embassy or a government agency that initially issued the original apostille document are accepted.
6) Color Copy of Passport
It should be printed in color.
7) Consent Form of Information Release for Degree Verification
It is for verifying your previous undergraduate or graduate degree. The applicant should fill in the information correctly and sign on the form. The form can be downloaded from our website.
8) Degree Verification Report from CDGDC or CHSI
It is only for applicants who graduated from universities in China. If the document is written only in Chinese, applicants should submit the notarized translation. Online report from CHSI (CHESICC) is acceptable.
9) Research Writing Sample
It is only for Ph.D. applicants who have graduated with thesis in previous degree program (e.g. Master's degree).
6. Application Fee
The applicant must transfer the application fee (KRW 90,000, USD 90, or the equivalent) to the bank account listed below. The applicant is responsible for any transaction commission fees. Please do not include cash or checks in the application package, as they may be lost.
After transferring the fee, please email the GSIS office at gsisapply@sogang.ac.kr and provide a receipt of your payment. The receipt should include the payment date, receiver's account number, receiver's name, and the payment amount for accurate tracking purposes. If a friend or family member makes the payment on behalf of the applicant, the applicant must inform the GSIS office of the sender's name and account number.
It is strongly recommended to complete the payment at least two days before the application deadline. Please note that the application fee is non-refundable under any circumstances.
• Name of Bank: Woori Bank
• Account Number: 1005-001-589268
• Swift Code of Woori Bank: HVBKKRSEXXX
• Account Holder: Sogang University
• Bank Address: Woori Bank Sogang University branch, Sogang University,
17, World Cup buk-ro 60-gil, Mapu-gu, Seoul, 03921,
Republic of Korea.
7. Required Document for Accepted Students
1) Diploma or Certificate of Graduation & Official Transcripts
Accepted students must submit the original certificate of graduation along with the official transcripts (with Apostille or Consular certification) no later than February 1. Failure to submit the required documents by the deadline may result in the cancellation of admission.
2) Original Statement of Bank Balance
It should be at least KRW 20,000,000 or equivalent. The accepted applicants can submit the statement of bank balance under KRW 20,000,000. However, it could be a problem when the applicant applies for the visa depending on the embassy.
If the account holder is student’s parent or family, ① please submit the ‘Statement of financial sponsorship’ [Download] with the account holder’s signature as well. It can be downloaded from our website. ② The applicant must submit additional documents that prove the relationship between the applicant and sponsor such as Certificate of Family Relationship, Birth Certificate, Hu Kou Ben, and so on.
The accepted applicants should be able to submit the original statement of bank balance and make sure to arrive at Sogang GSIS office after their Sogang GSIS tuition fees payment is completed.
※ The issuance date should be after the completion of Sogang GSIS tuition fees payment.
※ Failure to submit this document will result in the cancellation of the acceptance.
8. Overseas Korean
Overseas Koreans can apply through the same process as international students as follows;
1) Those who have citizenship of foreign countries and both of whose parents have citizenship of foreign countries (non-existence parent is not considerable)
※ Required Documents: The copies of passports of both parents
2) Those who studied from elementary school up to university in foreign countries
※ Required Documents: The certificate of enrollment of all institutions
9. Sogang GSIS Scholarship
There are 4 types of scholarship supported by Sogang GSIS as follows;
- Scholarship A/B/C/D: 100%/75%/50%/25% reduction (waiver) of tuition fee
In the 1st semester, new students who meet the certain academic standards are entitled to receive the scholarship according to their performance in the admission process. The GSIS Admisstion Committee decides the type of scholarship for new students.
From the 2nd semester, the amount of scholarship will be determined according to the GPA of the previous semester to every student who acquires 9 credits or the above and has a GPA of 3.5 (4.0 for Ph.D.) on a scale of 4.3.
For GSIS scholarship, students are required to submit the official English test result such as TOEFL, IELTS, TOEIC, or NEW TEPS with the certain required score during their first year at Sogang GSIS. Native speakers or students who graduated from universities in English speaking countries are exempted.
Students can apply for TA or RA from the 2nd semester for the additional scholarship.
※ The scholarship rules may be applied differently for the Ph.D. students.
10. Information for Accepted Students
• Deadline for Paying Tuition: The first week of February, 2026
• Matriculation & Orientation Day: February 25th(Wed), 2026
• First Day of Spring Semester, 2026: March 2nd(Mon), 2026
▶ Link to the Information on tuition and housing
11. Contacts
• Website: https://gsis.sogang.ac.kr
• E-mail: gsisapply@sogang.ac.kr
• Tel: +82-2-705-8756
• Fax: +82-2-705-8755
• Mailing Address: #509 Kim Daegon Hall, GSIS, Sogang University, #35, Baekbeom-Ro, Mapo-Gu, Seoul 04107, Republic of Korea.