Frequently Asked Questions

A: You can only apply for one of the PSA options. It must match up with your major at PSA. Look at the list of options to see which PSU colleges or programs the PSA option works with.

A: You may only apply for a PSA option that has an undergraduate degree program that matches with yours at PSU. Some of the partner schools only open up some of their undergraduate academic programs to PSU students at present. Similarly some of the options are at schools specializing in IT (WUT), Engineering (MST), Business (NUCB), or are limited by gender (Ewha).

A: The variance in English Proficiency level requirements reflect a number of factors: the partner schools' own requirements, the varying degrees of academic rigor of the op-tions, and the anticipated level of competition for the PSA scholarship support at the various options.

A: PSU has set up a number of partnership relations with a discrete group of strong universities abroad. The number of options has increased from 1 in the Fall of 2010 to 20 for Spring 2020 and will continue to grow. At present, these are the options that are available to PSU students seeking scholarship support for studying abroad.

A: That situation was encountered before. PSU senior administration working in concert with the Colleges and Department heads arranged for PSA awardees in such situations to take care of their projects and final exams early enough for the students to start the Spring term on the partner campuses on time.

A: It is a good question, but one that is difficult to answer because the variables cannot be pre- determined. In general those with the strong English proficiency scores have an edge in the selection process. GPA is a weighted factor, albeit one that is balanced by taking into account the cohort (i.e. major / campus) averages. The performance of the semi- finalists in the reading and critical thinking test, the in-house essay, and the possible interview rounds also are weighted elements.
Applying for an option that matches up with your major that may attract fewer applications will likely reduce the competition you may encounter.

A: Yes, those students who do not have between 36-104 PSU university level credits are ineligible to compete in the PSA Scholarship competition. If they have less than 36 credits they may enter the competition when they meet that condition. If they have over 104 credits, they are ineligible to compete in the PSA Program.

A: The maximum number of credits you can enroll for at a PSA option is 16. PSU Credits are modeled after those used in the US and Korea. European schools use the ECTS (Eu-ropean Credit Transfer System) and 30 ECTS a term is the standard number. 30 ECTS converts to 15 PSU credits. The number of credits at NUCB is analogous to 15 PSU credits.
There is a possibility that studying abroad may slow up your progress towards your PSU degree modestly. One reason is that you are not allowed to take over 16 credits, whereas at PSU you can. The more likely situation is that you may find the coursework abroad more demanding: non-negotiable deadlines, more written work, the expecta-tion of putting in two hours of study outside of the classroom for each hour inside the classroom.
Another item that may come into play is transferring credits for the coursework you take at the partner school. The object is for the courses the student takes abroad to match up well enough with the classes in his/her major and/or other PSU required courses. PSU senior administration and the College deans and Department chairs have agreed to streamline the transfer of credits in a flexible manner to maximize the trans-fer of credits.

The minimum number of credits you can enroll for at a PSA option is 12. If you take fewer credits you assume the entire responsibility for the tuition payment for your studies abroad.

A: If you have met the Credits and English Proficiency requirements, you enter the ranks of semi-finalists for the PSA option of your choice. PSA scholarship support is granted to a maximum of two PSU students for each option per term. The semi-finalists for all of the options go through a series of assessments: reading and critical thinking exams, in-house essays, and - if needed - interviews. The student who rates highest on the respective option list merits selection for the award of PSA scholarship support.

A: Yes, you are ineligible.

A: Both are good tests. Currently the IELTS is easier to schedule. Neither one is better. US schools prefer the iBT, UK the IELTS. If the IELTS is taken, it must be the Academic IELTS, not the General IELTS.

A: Yes. At present you must take the iBT TOEFL or the IELTS exam on or before October 1st for the Spring semester 2024.

A: They will be announced in a week after the screening process is over. Usually the announcements will be in late March and late October.

A: Yes.