Chinese Government (CSC) Scholarship for Foreign Students Full Application Guide [2023]

To strengthen the bond China shares with other countries in terms of exchange and cooperation in various fields, the Government of China rolls out the Chinese Government Scholarship ahead of the 2023 academic intake.

The Chinese Government Scholarship is also the Chinese Scholarship Council (CSC) Scholarship. This is because the scholarship is usually administered through the Chinese Scholarship Council (CSC).

The Chinese Scholarship Council was set up in 1996 as a non-profit arm of the Chinese Ministry of Education to cater for international academic exchange programmes with other countries. However, as time progressed, the organization evolved into being the primary vehicle through which the Chinese Government awards scholarships.

The Chinese Government Scholarships usually come in four application categories and you are encouraged to submit an application through whichever category you are comfortable with. The four application categories include the Bilateral Program, University Program, Designated Scholarship Programs and Student Exchange Program.

The Bilateral Program (Category A) is facilitated by exchange agreements or consensus reached by the Chinese government and the governments and institutions of other nations. This application category involves you consulting with the dispatching department (usually the Chinese Embassy, Ministry of Education or Ministry of Foreign Affairs) in your home country. You would be required to file an application and submit your credentials. Depending on the terms, you may be required to take a test before the final result of the scholarship is released.

The University Program (Category B) on the other hand is designed to finance the study of talented international students in China that are directly selected and recommended by designated Chinese universities. The supporting student categories differ and are subject to the requirements of each of these universities. Candidates who choose this application category shall file an application with Chinese universities undertaking this program.

The Designated Scholarship Programs (Category C) are set up in accordance with cooperation agreements between China and international organizations and institutions. Those applying through this application category are expected to file an application with the international organizations and institutions concerned.

Scholarship Programs	Target Groups	Supporting Categories	Application Receiving Agencies	Websites
Great Wall Program	Students and scholars from developing countries	General Scholars, Senior Scholars	National Commission for UNESCO in the home country	https://en.unesco.org/countries
EU Program	Students and scholars from EU member states	Undergraduates, Postgraduates, General Scholars, Senior Scholars	Office for Education and Culture, Mission of the PRC to the EU	http://www.chinamission.be
AUN Program	Students and scholars from ASEAN member states	Postgraduates	AUN Secretariat	www.aunsec.org
PIF Program	Students and scholars from Pacific Island countries	Undergraduates, Postgraduates, General Scholars, Senior Scholars	Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat	www.forumsec.org
WMO Program	Aspiring international students and scholars in meteorological research	Undergraduates, Postgraduates	WMO	http://www.wmo.int/

Lastly, the Student Exchange Program, launched in accordance with exchange and cooperation agreements between Chinese universities and foreign partners, is designed to support general and senior scholars for a training session of no more than 12 months. Those concerned with this category are required to file an application with Chinese universities and their foreign partners.

The Bilateral and University Programs are open to undergraduates, postgraduates, and general and senior scholars. For the Designated Scholarship Programs, the programmes supported under each scholarship program are highlighted under the supporting categories section while the Student Exchange Program supports general and senior scholars.

You do not need to be bothered about learning the Chinese language since most participating universities in China offer English-taught programmes. In a case where you are unlucky and get awarded a scholarship to study a Chinese-taught programme, the Chinese Government Scholarship would cover a one-year foundational Chinese language course before you commence your studies (you may be required to provide a basic HSK certificate showing you have a basic knowledge of the Chinese language depending on the university).

To waive the English language test requirement, your native language has to be English or your previous education must have been taken in the English language. In case the latter applies to you, you might be required to get a letter from your previous educational institution attesting that English was the primary language of instruction and communication during the course of your learning.

Since it is a government-funded scholarship, the award is fully loaded as it takes care of your cost of tuition, dormitory or accommodation rent, a monthly stipend ( Undergraduates: CNY 2,500 per month; Master’s students/general scholars: CNY 3,000 per month; Doctoral students/senior scholars: CNY 3,500 per month) and comprehensive medical insurance up to the sum of CNY 800 per year.

While there is no disclosed application deadline, it is known that the Chinese Government Scholarship runs from December to April of the following year (Universities are likely to have a variety of deadlines for admission and the CSC Scholarship – you are advised to check with the individual universities you would be applying to for a more personalized detail on deadline).

The Chinese Government and the Chinese Scholarship Council (CSC) have provided a primary checklist that determines those eligible to apply for the Chinese Government Scholarship. Candidates are expected to at least:

1. be a citizen of a country other than the PRC and in good health both mentally and physically;
2. be an academically excellent holder of a high school diploma or its equivalent under the age of 25 when applying for an undergraduate program;
3. be an academically excellent holder of a Bachelor’s degree or its equivalent under the age of 35 when applying for a Master’s program;
4. be an academically excellent holder of a Master’s degree or its equivalent under the age of 40 when applying for a doctoral program;
5. be a holder of a high school diploma (or higher) under the age of 45 when applying for a general scholar program;
6. be a master’s degree holder or an associate professor (or above) under the age of 50 when applying for a senior scholar program;
7. have passed the HSK (Level 3) when applying for a Chinese-taught undergraduate or general scholar program (excluding Chinese language majors);
8. have passed the HSK (Level 3) when applying for a Chinese-taught senior scholar program;
9. have passed the HSK (Level 4) when applying for a Chinese-taught postgraduate program;
10. meet the admission requirements of the university of preference in terms of language proficiency and academic ability, among others, when applying for a program taught in a language other than Chinese.

The application process for the Chinese Government Scholarship is quite complex, although it boils down to the type of application category you have selected. The first step you have to take is to learn about the participating Chinese universities and the programmes they offer. This can be done using Campus China’s Universities Category Search Tool.

After finding a course that suits you, you can click on the course to open the program page on the university’s website. You can proceed to submit an application to the university or reach out to professors for recommendations if you are going for a research-inclined study. Don’t forget to request a list of documents the university would be needing from you as an incoming international student. You might be lucky to find a page on the website that lists the documents the school expects to receive from you as an international student. If you cannot find such information on their website, contact their admission office.

The method of receiving documents from international applicants by most Chinese universities is either through courier services (photocopies) or e-mail (scanned). Most Universities would request some or all of the documents listed below:

1. Recommendation Letter
2. Foreigner Physical Examination Form China or Official Medical Report
3. Study Plan ( For Masters and above)
4. Motivation letter
5. English Proficiency Certificate
6. Acceptance Letter
7. Notary attested highest degree and transcript
8. Research Paper Topics
9. Research Proposal
10. Curriculum Vitae (CV)
11. Passport Copy
12. Chinese Student Visa
13. Experience Certificate/Achievement
14. Police Clearance Certificate
15. Polio Certificate
16. Cover Letter
17. Letter of Interest
18. HEC Online Degree Attestation
19. Character Certificate
20. Internship Final Report
21. Leave Application
22. Personal Statement
23. Thank You Letter for Scholarship

While it is true that most universities in China require an application fee before reviewing your application, some universities do not request an application fee. To make things easier for you, we have compiled a list of universities participating in the Chinese Government Scholarship that require no application fee. They include:

1. Chongqing University
2. Donghua University Shanghai
3. Jiangsu University
4. Capital Normal University
5. The Dalian University of Technology
6. Northwestern Polytechnical University
7. Nanjing University
8. Southeast University
9. University of Electronic Science and Technology of China
10. Sichuan University
11. Southwest Jiaotong University
12. Wuhan University of technology
13. Shandong University
14. Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics
15. Tianjin University
16. Fujian University
17. Southwest University
18. Chongqing University of Posts and Telecommunications
19. Wuhan University
20. Harbin Engineering University
21. Harbin University of science and technology
22. Zhejiang Sci-Tech University
23. Yanshan University
24. Nanjing Agricultural University
25. Huazhong Agricultural University
26. Northwest A&F University
27. Shandong University
28. The Renmin University of China
29. Northeast Normal University
30. Northwest A & F University
31. Shaanxi Normal University
32. SCUT
33. Zhejiang University

Now that you know what you would like to study in China and which university you would love to get enrolled on, make contact with the embassy, university or designated organizations on how to go about filing an application with them (for recommendation purposes). If you are applying to a high-priority university, you may want to request that they recommend you for the Chinese Government Scholarship (Category B).

After filing an application with the receiving agency, you would have to submit an application for the CSC Scholarship using the CSC Application Portal. You can submit a maximum of two scholarship applications in the Bilateral Program (Category A) and only one in the University Program(Category B).

You would be required to be patient until you are nominated by a receiving partner before the Chinese Scholarship Council organizes participating institutions to examine your eligibility and academic qualification. This might involve an interview or a short aptitude test depending on the university.

The Chinese Government Scholarship results are usually announced in late July based on the Chinese Scholarship Council‘s policy and you would be expected to arrive in China by September to commence studies.

While the chances for receiving the Chinese Government Scholarship are relatively average because of the vast competition, putting in your best while submitting an application can place you ahead and help you lay hold on one of the many scholarships to be awarded by the Chinese Scholarship Council. If you have a question regarding the Chinese Government Scholarship, you can ask using the comment box below.

I look forward to hearing your success stories soon. Best of luck!

ADMISSION DEADLINE: Varies & Depends on the School

APPLICATION DEADLINE: April 2023