Politics & Policy. 2021;00:1–16. wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/polp | 1 © 2021 Policy Studies Organization DOI: 10.1111/polp.12441 ORIGINAL ARTICLE Gendered experience in student mobility programs—Global Korea Scholarship recipients' evaluation of Korea's country image Hyelim Lee 1 | Nancy Snow 2 1 Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication, The University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma, USA 2 Department of Global Studies, Kyoto University of Foreign Studies, Kyoto, Japan Correspondence Hyelim Lee, Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication, The University of Oklahoma, 395 W Lindsey St., Norman, OK 73019, USA. Email: hye.lim.lee-1@ou.edu Nancy Snow, Department of Global Studies, Kyoto University of Foreign Studies, 6 Kasame-cho, Saiin, Ukyo-ku, Kyoto, Japan 615-8558. Email: persuaderinchief@gmail.com Funding information 2018 and 2019 Korea Foundation Support for Policy-Oriented Research. Abstract According to 2012 Organisation for Economic Co- operation and Development (OECD) statistics, 11 of 19 OECD countries have a higher female international stu- dent participation ratio in student mobility. South Korea has a higher ratio of female international students in gen- eral and a higher ratio of female Global Korea Scholarship (GKS) recipients. In 2018 and 2019, we surveyed GKS students about their evaluation of South Korea's country image and discovered significant differences by gender. Female students tend to show a lower cognitive and af- fective evaluation of the GKS country image experience than male students. We aim to uncover the determinants of these asymmetrical gender-based differences in the perceived country image of South Korea. Two adjustment indicators (emotional well-being and feeling part of soci- ety) and three adjustment factors (language skills, length of stay, and perceived discrimination) were examined to explore the determinants of gendered favorability toward the country. The findings suggest that female and male GKS recipients have different gendered experiences in the country, which, in turn, impacts their evaluation of South Korea's country image. The findings contribute to the country image and public diplomacy studies and prac- tice, particularly in sponsored student mobility programs, which often fail to distinguish gendered experiences in their analysis or program planning. KEYWORDS adjustment, Asia, country image, discrimination, gender and education, gender diplomacy, Global Korea Scholarship, higher education, P&P Special Issue, public diplomacy, South Korea