We are delighted to announce our 2025 scholars! Congratulations!
February 24, 2025
Thank you for applying to the 2025 Jihoon Rim Foundation Scholarship. We sincerely appreciate the time and effort you put into your application. Our selection committee is reviewing all submissions, and selected recipients will be notified via email by early March.
February 1, 2025
The Jihoon Rim Foundation
2025 Scholarship Announcement
The Jihoon Rim Foundation is proud to announce its 2025 Scholarship Program, continuing our mission to empower exceptional Korean American and Korean college students through financial support, mentorship, and networking opportunities.
Scholarship Details
The Jihoon Rim Foundation will award $5,000 scholarships to 20 outstanding students for the 2025-2026 academic year. Beyond financial support, recipients will benefit from mentorship provided by Professor Jihoon Rim at NYU Stern School of Business and former CEO of Kakao Corp. Scholarship recipients will be honored at our annual award ceremony in New York City in April 2025, where they can connect with their peers and start building valuable professional networks. Additionally, awardees will be invited to regional alumni gatherings held in New York, Boston, and Washington, D.C., further fostering a strong community of current and past recipients.
Eligibility Requirements
Applicants must:
Be enrolled full-time as an undergraduate student in a 4-year college program for the 2025-2026 academic year
Be of Korean descent and either a U.S. Citizen (Korean-American) or a U.S. permanent resident.
Attend a college in one of the following states: Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Virginia, or Washington, D.C.
Maintain a minimum GPA of 3.0
Commit to attending the award reception in New York City in April 2025 (exact date to be announced)
Selection Criteria
Academic excellence and/or leadership potential
Personal Essay
Financial Need
Required Essay: "Why you?"
All applicants must submit a written essay of up to 1,000 words outlining why the student believes he or she deserves the scholarship.
Application Requirements:
All applicants should complete the online application form, which requires the documents.
Resume/CV
Personal Essay
One letter of recommendation from an academic or professional reference
A copy of the college transcript
FAFSA Submission Summary, including Student Aid Index (either the 2024-25 or 2025-26 FAFSA report)
Important Dates:
Application Deadline: Friday, January 31st, 2025, 11:59 PM EST
Notification of Results: Early to mid-March 2025
Award Ceremony: April 2025 (exact date to be announced) in New York City
We strongly encourage all eligible students to apply for this transformative opportunity. For any inquiries, please contact us at jihoonrimfoundation [at] gmail.com
The Jihoon Rim Foundation is committed to fostering the next generation of Korean American leaders. We look forward to reviewing your applications and welcoming our 2025 cohort of scholars.
Sincerely,
The Board of Directors
Jihoon Rim Foundation
October, 2024
P.S. To get a glimpse of our vibrant community and networking events, we invite you to visit our Instagram account: @jihoonrimfoundation. There, you'll find photos and highlights from our past events, giving you a sense of the valuable connections and experiences that await our scholarship recipients.
Special Announcement Regarding the FAFSA Delay:
In response to the Department of Education's announcement of a delay in processing the 2024-25 FAFSA, we have decided to accept the 2023-24 FAFSA SAR (Student Aid Report) instead. The application deadline will remain unchanged, set for Feb 11th. Please note that the selection committee may request the 2024-25 FAFSA data for finalists at a later date.
Feb 3, 2024,
The Jihoon Rim Foundation
*Thank you to all scholarship applicants; we appreciate your time and effort. The selected recipients will be notified via email in early to mid-March 2024.
The Jihoon Rim Foundation
2024 Scholarship Announcement
The Jihoon Rim Foundation is pleased to announce its 2024 scholarship program. We are dedicated to providing financial support to Korean American and Korean college students who demonstrate financial need. Our scholarship endowment is $5,000, and we will select 20 exceptional students. Beyond the monetary support, recipients will benefit from invaluable mentorship from Jihoon Rim, New York University Stern School of Business professor and former CEO of Kakao Corp. The award ceremony is scheduled for April 2024 in New York, offering recipients the opportunity to build meaningful connections with their peers. Furthermore, scholarship winners from different cohorts will be invited to network with their fellow recipients at regional gatherings scheduled in New York, Boston, and Washington, D.C.
To qualify, applicants must meet the following eligibility requirements:
Be enrolled full-time in a 4-year college program in the academic year 2024-2025
Be of Korean descent and either a U.S. Citizen (Korean-American) or a U.S. permanent resident.
Attend a college in Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Virginia, or Washington, D.C.
Have a minimum GPA of 3.0
Selection Criteria:
Financial need
Academic accomplishment and/or demonstrated leadership
Essay
Required Essay: "Why you?"
All applicants must submit a written essay of up to 1,000 words outlining why the student believes he or she deserves the scholarship.
Application Requirements:
All applicants should complete the online application form requiring the following documents.
Resume
Essay
One letter of recommendation
A copy of the college transcript
2024-25 FAFSA Submission Summary (Student Aid Index should be included)
The application submission deadline is Sunday, February 11th, 2024, 11:59pm EST. The selection committee will review all applications and notify successful candidates by mid-March. We encourage all eligible students to take advantage of this opportunity and apply. For all inquiries, email us at jihoonrimfoundation [at] gmail.com
Sincerely,
The Jihoon Rim Foundation
P.S. Please note that incoming first-year college students are no longer eligible for this year's scholarship program. This change is a result of adjustments made to the scholarship cycle, as the scholarship reception will now be held in April instead of September. High school seniors are encouraged to apply for the scholarship next year.
*Please note that the application deadline has been extended to February 11th due to recent changes in the FAFSA process. We understand that the FAFSA Submission Summary is expected to be available in late January, and want to ensure students have enough time to submit their scholarship application.
Exciting News: Expanding Our Scholarship Program and Starting Alumni Gatherings!
We are thrilled to share some exciting updates regarding our scholarship program! After meeting the recipients at the reception and realizing how outstanding they are, we have decided to expand our reach and impact. We are excited to announce that we are increasing the number of scholarship ($5,000) recipients from 10 to 20 and that Massachusetts and Rhode Island students will be able to apply.
But that's not all! In addition to our annual scholarship reception, we are excited to introduce an annual regional gathering for our scholarship alumni. We will host gatherings in New York, Washington, D.C., and Boston beginning in 2024. These events will provide a fantastic opportunity for our alums to reconnect, network, and foster lifelong friendships. We believe that the relationships formed through the Jihoon Rim Scholarship will last, and these gatherings will be the perfect platform for that.
Lastly, we plan to announce the 2024 scholarship details in late October or early November. Be on the lookout for updates and encourage talented students in your network to apply and become part of our growing family!
TL;DR
1. The 2024 scholarship program will now include MA and RI.
2. We are doubling the number of scholarship recipients from 10 to 20.
3. Annual gatherings will take place in New York, Washington, D.C., and Boston in the future.
The Jihoon Rim Foundation
2023 Scholarship Announcement
The Jihoon Rim Foundation is delighted to announce its inaugural scholarship program for the 2023-2024 academic year. We are committed to providing financial support to Korean American and Korean college students who demonstrate financial need. The scholarship is $5,000, and 10 students will be selected. In addition to the scholarship, recipients will receive mentorship from Jihoon Rim, Professor at New York University Stern School of Business and former CEO of Kakao Corp. Awardees will also have the opportunity to network with other scholarship recipients, with the possibility of networking across different cohorts in the future.
To qualify, applicants must meet the following eligibility requirements:
Be enrolled full-time in a 4-year college program in the academic year 2023-2024
Be of Korean descent and either a U.S. Citizen (Korean-American) or a U.S. permanent resident.
Attend a college located in Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, or Washington, D.C.
Have a minimum GPA of 3.0
Selection Criteria:
Financial need
Academic accomplishment and/or demonstrated leadership
Essay
Required Essay: “Why you?”
All applicants must submit a written essay of up to 1,000 words outlining why the student believes he or she deserves the scholarship.
Application Requirements:
All applicants should complete the online application form requiring the following documents.
A copy of college transcript. If the applicant is a rising freshman for 2023-2024, a high school transcript should be submitted.
Essay
One letter of recommendation
Resume
FAFSA report (SAR) or any other relevant financial documents
The deadline to submit the application is Wednesday, May 31st, 2023 11:59pm EST. The selection committee will review all applicants, and the recipients will be notified by August 1st, 2023. We encourage all eligible students to take advantage of this opportunity and apply. For all inquiries, email us at jihoonrimfoundation [at] gmail.com
*Please note that the application timeline is subject to change.
**KSEA-Rim scholarship applicants and/or recipients are also eligible for this opportunity.