Announcements

The Jihoon Rim Foundation is delighted to announce our 2026 Scholars!

Selecting this year’s cohort was an incredibly difficult task. We received applications from an extraordinarily competitive pool of candidates, and we were deeply impressed by the caliber and dedication of the many outstanding students.

While our scholarship program selects 20 scholars each year, we are grateful to everyone who applied and wish these talented students continued success in their academic and professional journeys.

Congratulations to our 2026 Scholars! We are honored to support your future.

The Board of Directors

Jihoon Rim Foundation

February 26, 2026

The Jihoon Rim Foundation

2026 Scholarship Announcement

The Jihoon Rim Foundation is proud to announce its 2026 Scholarship Program, continuing our mission to empower exceptional Korean American and Korean undergraduate students through financial support, mentorship, and networking opportunities.

Scholarship Details

The Jihoon Rim Foundation will award $10,000 scholarships to 20 outstanding students in the 2026 cycle. To support students throughout their undergraduate journey, the scholarship is paid in two installments: $5,000 at the award reception on April 11, 2026, and $5,000 in September 2027 upon verification of full-time undergraduate enrollment for the Fall 2027 semester.

Beyond financial support, scholars benefit from mentorship provided by Jihoon Rim, Professor at NYU Stern School of Business and former CEO of Kakao Corp. Scholars are honored at the annual reception in New York City, where they connect with peers and begin building valuable professional networks. They are also invited to annual alumni reunions and regional gatherings in New York City, Boston, and Washington, D.C., 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 as of the application deadline (High school seniors beginning college in Fall 2026 are warmly encouraged to apply in the next year's cycle)
Be enrolled full-time for the 2026-2027 academic year (To receive the second installment: Be enrolled full-time as an undergraduate for the Fall 2027 semester)
Attend a college in one of the following states: Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Virginia, or Washington, D.C.
Be of Korean descent and either a U.S. Citizen (Korean-American) or a U.S. Permanent Resident
Maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0
Attend the award reception in New York City on April 11, 2026

Selection Criteria

Academic excellence and/or leadership potential
Personal Essay
Financial Need

Required Essay: "Why you?"

Submit an essay of up to 1,000 words explaining why you are a strong candidate for this scholarship.

Application Requirements:

All applicants must complete the online application form, which requires the following documents.

Resume/CV
Personal Essay
One letter of recommendation (Academic or professional)
College transcript (official or copy)
FAFSA Submission Summary, including Student Aid Index (either the 2025-26 or 2026-27 FAFSA report)

Important Dates:

Application Deadline: Saturday, January 31st, 2026, 11:59 PM EST
Notification of Results: Early to mid-March 2026
Award Reception: Saturday, April 11, 2026, 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 2026 cohort of scholars.

Sincerely,

The Board of Directors

Jihoon Rim Foundation

October 2025

We're Doubling Our Scholarship to $10,000 to Strengthen Our Community

We have some exciting news to share! Starting with the 2026 cohort, the Jihoon Rim Foundation will double its scholarship award to $10,000 per student. We will continue to select 20 scholars each year.

Since our launch in 2023, we've had the honor of supporting three cohorts of incredible students. We've learned that our community is the heart of what we do. It's why we bring scholars together at our regional gatherings in cities like New York, Boston, and Washington, D.C., and at our annual reunion. These connections help students and alumni find mentors, share opportunities, and build a lasting network.

“Seeing our scholars come together affirmed what matters most: a community that looks out for one another. I’m grateful we can expand the scholarship to help the community grow stronger,” said Jihoon Rim, founder and sole funder of the Foundation.

More detailed information, including key dates and eligibility for the 2026 cycle, will be posted here when applications open in October. For real-time updates, be sure to follow us on our website and Instagram account.

September 16, 2025

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.

We are delighted to announce our 2024 scholarship recipients! Congratulations!

March 5, 2024

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.

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