Lots of students are looking for scholarships in China. I’ve helped many students apply for scholarships, and here is my guide which was originally published on China Admissions. Check here for the latest version.
First check out this video which explains the scholarships and how to apply
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About Scholarships in China
Over the past decade, China has established one of the largest higher education systems in the world. Chinese graduates dominate the largest numbers worldwide annually, with many excelling in different industries and fields. China is also home to top-tier universities that have kept moving upwards in major global university ranking tables.
Recognizing the role of quality education in national industrialization and social progress, the Chinese government offers numerous scholarships for resident and international students. In fact, China is one of the most generous countries providing scholarships to foreign students and there are currently over 50,000 international students in China with scholarships.
3 Steps to Find and Apply For Scholarships:
1️⃣ Choose a University
- Each university has different scholarships. Find a university here.
2️⃣ Research and Choose a Type of Scholarship
- Chinese Government Scholarship (including Chinese Embassy + Confucius Institute)
- Chinese Local City Scholarships (scroll down)
- Private University Scholarships (scroll down)
- Most universities have scholarship information on their websites
3️⃣ Complete the application process
- Apply as Early as Possible! Most scholarships have limited spots, and they fill up quickly.
- For Chinese government and city scholarships, you have to fill out a separate application form
- For private University Scholarships, you need to check on the university website. Most times you do not need a separate application form and are automatically considered when you apply to the university.
Check this article for more detailed information on every type of scholarship:
Register for Updates About Scholarships
Register on China Admissions for monthly updates about scholarships here.
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Types of Scholarships in China
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Dulguun is from Mongolia and has successfully received scholarships to study in China. Now she is an admissions officer at China Admissions based in Beijing.
CSC Scholarships – Chinese Government Scholarships
CSC scholarships are one of the most common scholarships awarded to international students. Provided by the Chinese Scholarship Council, this type of government scholarship is a initiative of the Chinese Ministry of Education to promote education, cultural exchange, political cooperation and mutual understanding between other countries and China. CSC scholarships can be partially or full-funded.
CSC does not cover MBA programs, MBBS programs (MBBS have very limited scholarships), or those programs with a very high tuition fee. You will need to look at the other types of scholarships below.
NOTE: There are many different websites with information about CSC scholarships, but the official website of the Chinese Scholarship Council is: www.csc.edu.cn.
There are 279 different universities that can accept CSC scholarship students. The list is here.
In order to apply, you will need the agency number which you can find here.
For more, read here: How to apply to the CSC Scholarship Step by Step
Chinese Embassy Scholarships
Some students ask us about Chinese embassy scholarships. This is actually the Chinese Scholarship Council scholarship Type A which is handled by embassies all around the world (see the video above). You can read more here. The complete guide to apply to Chinese Embassy Scholarships/CSC Type A is here.
Chinese University Scholarships
The majority of universities in China offer scholarships for students. These scholarships can cover your tuition fees, as well as the cost of your accommodation.
Most of the time, these scholarships are offered to students who apply early, have high grades, or have other exceptional extracurriculars. You can increase your chance of winning a university scholarship by earning high scores in your classes, having relevant and exceptional work experience, or doing other activities like volunteering or research. Sometimes, you may also be asked to submit a formal application. Other times, the university will consider you automatically for such a scholarship.
United International College offers limited scholarships for academically exceptional students. Check it out here.
Xiamen University is offering five different scholarships for international students so they can study in China. The application process to apply for university scholarships is more simple than CSC scholarships. You can see the full list here.
Jiangsu University also offers all the students who apply through China Admissions a presidential scholarship. You can apply here.
SUSTech also has full undergraduate scholarships for the top-ranking students (very competitive scores in Maths and Sciences required).
There are 150+ university scholarships on the official Chinese school scholarship webpage, including for top universities like Peking University, Renmin University, Shandong University, and East China Normal University. See the whole list here.
To see more scholarships, you can search for programs on our website here, and see which programs have the “Scholarships Available” tag next to them like this:
MBA Program Scholarships
We have a complete list of MBA programs with scholarships: Click here.
There are 11 total MBAs with dozens of scholarship opportunities for you.
Confucius Institute Scholarships
The Confucius Institute Scholarships are another type of Chinese Government Scholarship. The Complete Guide to the Chinese Government Scholarship is here.
You can apply for the Confucius Institute Scholarships by applying to the university and the Confucius Institute website at the same time.
City Scholarships
Many cities have scholarships to attract more international students. Have a look at some of these scholarships here:
– Beijing City Scholarship
– Jiangsu Jasmine Scholarship
– Shanghai City Scholarships
– Yiwu City Scholarship
– Liaoning Scholarships
– Ningbo City Scholarship
– Hangzhou Government Scholarship
See the complete list here.
CCN Scholarships
China Campus Network is a consortium of Chinese universities. They offer an international foundation program in Chinese. After taking the program you can get a scholarship to study Bachelor’s in Chinese. You can learn more about CCN here and the scholarships here.
BLCC Scholarships
Beijing Language and Culture College also has a similar scholarship at Tianjin University. Learn more here
Private Scholarships / Others
These types of scholarships are offered by distinguished alumni, big companies and charitable institutions. Independent scholarships can cover the full or partial tuition fee and are usually awarded to international students who have an exemplary academic record.
Have a look at our list of scholarships in China here. It includes scholarships like British Council Scholarship
How Much Are the Scholarships Worth?
There are partial and full scholarships. They can include a portion or all of the tuition fee, accommodation, and some will pay living expenses every month which can be worth up to $30,000 USD.
5 Tips to Apply for the Scholarship
1) Apply early – the application deadline is open for a limited time only, so you need to apply on time. There are often too many students applying and so it may be hard to get feedback. Apply to multiple universities and scholarships. It is very competitive so it is better to apply to numerous opportunities.
2) Contacts – Try to get in contact with someone from the university and/or embassy so they can check your application documents are correct. (Guess what? China Admissions can help you with this! Check out our scholarship application service)
3) Prepare Documents Carefully – Because there are so many students applying it is important that you prepare all your application documents correctly. If you do not prepare them correctly then your application may not be processed.
4) Learn Chinese!
5) Get High Grades and a Good CV
Scholarships are often given to the most academically advanced students, high-achieving, ambitious, and exemplary students with good work experience, high scores, or unique project experience. Focus on keeping your grades up and being an involved student leader to increase your chances.
Register on China Admissions for monthly updates about scholarships here.
Also make sure to check out our Instagram, and Youtube for more updates.
How to Apply for Scholarships in China?
The largest scholarship is the Chinese government scholarship which is managed by the China Scholarship Council. The full scholarship typically includes all tuition fees, living expenses, accommodation, and some intercity travel. The cost of living expenses depends on whether you are a Chinese language student, undergraduate, master’s, or PhD student.
Register on China Admissions to get real-time and monthly updates and tips about scholarships.
Also make sure to follow our Instagram, and subscribe on Youtube for more updates.
Apply By Yourself
You can apply for the CSC scholarship yourself. Here is a step-by-step guide.
Preparing Application Documents
Preparing the required documents is an important step to get a Chinese scholarship. In addition to providing soft copies of documents, you may also be required to provide hard copies for mailing.
Some of the most basic requirements include:
- Notarized highest diploma
- Academic transcripts
- A study plan or research proposal
- Recommendation letters
- If planning to stay in China for more than 6 months, you must submit a photocopy of Foreigner Physical Examination Form (valid for 6 months)
- Applicants with the Pre-admission Letter/Admission Letter from designated universities should enclose the letter in the application package
Chinese universities may require other documents as needed.
Scholarship Agents & Guaranteed Scholarships
Because there is a lack of information it can be difficult for international students to know about the process of applying for scholarships, there are a number of agents around the world who are selling “Guaranteed Scholarships”. This can be for a fee of $1000 USD-$4000 USD + You can find these on Facebook, Wechat, and Whatsapp. This is especially common in countries that do not speak English.
We do not offer Guaranteed Scholarships, and on China Admissions you can not buy a scholarship. We believe it is better to be transparent and so we are trying our best to share all the information about scholarships so you are able to understand the process and apply by yourself.
We do have some universities that we regularly send students for Scholarships, such as Beijing Foreign Studies University but we do our best to share this information on our platform and you do not need to pay any extra fee.
We do have a China Scholarship Service if you would like more support throughout the process and to save time. We do need to charge for it because it can take a lot of our time. But due to the complexity of applying for scholarships, we do not manage the scholarship for you.
We offer our China Scholarship Service where you can buy some of our hours where we work with you as a consultant. We can work with you through various stages and help to educate you about the process, and be available for support so you can apply by yourself.
You can learn more here.
Questions about Scholarships
What scholarships are available in China?
One of the most common scholarships in China is the CSC government scholarship. This scholarship is available for degree programs (Bachelor, Master, PhD) for the September intake of each year. Application must be ready and submitted by the end of January each year.
This scholarship can be partially or fully-funded. If fully-funded, this scholarship funds your tuition fee, accommodation, insurance and monthly stipend of up to 3,000 RMB (about $450 USD).
If you study at a university with low tuition fee, you will save at least $27,000 USD for an average study time of three years. Awarding institutions want to make sure that only the best of the best receive the CSC scholarship. For this reason, application for this scholarship is highly competitive.
You can read more about scholarships and watch the video introduction here.
Am I eligible for a scholarship
If you are planning to apply for a degree program (Bachelor, Master, PhD) for September intake, we might be able to help you apply.
Scholarships are highly competitive. To increase your chances of getting a scholarship, you need to have atleast a cumulative GPA of 3.3 on a 4 point scale (80 point GPA on a 100 point scale) or above to get a scholarship.
It is acceptable for your GPA to be slightly lower if your university ranks very high in a reliable world ranking publication. Reliable world rankings include QS rankings and the Times Higher Education (THE) rankings.
If you meet this first basic requirement, you can proceed to the next step, the application. In order to increase your chances, it is important to apply as early as possible!
If you don’t have a GPA of 3.3 or higher make sure to read this article.
How do I apply for a scholarship in China?
To start your application, follow the instructions here. In order to increase your chances of admission, please choose three programs from our database to apply for.
Once you finish your application, send us an email with your application reference number at apply@china-admissions.com and let us know that you would like to apply on the basis of a scholarship.
We will then review your application. If we think you have a decent chance on receiving a scholarship we will proceed and guide you through the next step the payment.
Important:
In order for us to evaluate your chances as accurately as possible, please make sure to provide all required documents and prepare your online application in a professional manner.
How much does your scholarship application service cost?
Once we have evaluated your application and think that you have a decent chance to get a scholarship, we can proceed to the payment of the application fees.
We charge a fixed amount of $790 USD (not refundable) to cover the application fees to apply for up to three programs as well as the time we invest to apply. More information about our service is here.
What is the process of applying for a scholarship in China?
Once the application fees are paid, we will then start the process. Each step depends on where you are from and what program and university you apply for. We might need you to provide some information and documents to your local Chinese embassy in your country and this may require you to visit the embassy in person.
Please note that we can’t handle the communication with the embassy for you, as the embassy requires to communicate with applicants directly. We will let you know what exactly is needed once we figure out your individual application process.
Once we applied, it usually takes until June/July for the universities to release the final result, in some cases the result will even be released as late as August. The universities need to confirm which scholarship can be granted in coordination with the Chinese government. It is not possible to speed up this process.
I have another question about scholarships
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