To get a scholarship in China, explore options like CSC (supporting 85k+ students yearly) or university-specific programs—2023 had 12.6k applications, 15% from ASEAN students; prep passport, transcripts, HSK/English scores, and apply via the “Study in China” portal, where 70% of complete applicationsmove to review.
Table of Contents
Scholarship Types in China
According to data from China’s Ministry of Education in 2023, the scholarship system for international students studying in China has formed a diversified and tiered structure. Throughout the year, various scholarships covered 85,000 person-times, accounting for 15% of the total number of international students in China, with government-led and university-autonomous programs accounting for over ninety percent.
In terms of coverage, there is the Chinese Government Scholarship (CSC) aimed at students worldwide, as well as specialized funding from universities for specific majors or regions, and targeted training programs in cooperation with enterprises and educational institutions.
The differences in these types directly affect the difficulty of application and the intensity of funding—for example, the competition ratio for CSC undergraduate programs reached 12:1, while some universities, to attract top talent in advantageous disciplines, will relax language requirements and provide extra living allowances.
Main Government Scholarships
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The Chinese Government Scholarship is overseen by the Ministry of Education. In 2023, it received 28,000 applications through foreign embassies/consulates and university channels, with 11,000 people finally admitted, focusing on supporting students from countries along the “Belt and Road” initiative. Applicants from Southeast Asian countries accounted for 41%.
The Confucius Institute Scholarship is managed by the Center for Language Education and Cooperation (CLEC). In 2022, it covered 150 countries, primarily providing one-year funding for Chinese language learners. Master’s and above programs can be extended to three years, during which applicants must complete the corresponding level test of the HSK (Chinese Proficiency Test), and the pass rate is linked to continued funding.
University-Autonomous Programs
Domestic “Double First-Class” universities generally have specialized scholarship programs. For example, Peking University’s “Yanyuan International Student Scholarship” offers 300 quotas annually, covering tuition and providing a monthly living allowance of RMB 2,000, with priority given to applicants in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) majors;
Shanghai Jiao Tong University’s “Outstanding International Student Program” targets the Master’s level, requiring applicants’ undergraduate universities to be ranked in the top 300 of QS rankings, and providing laboratory participation opportunities after admission. Although these programs are not directly labeled “scholarship,” they achieve the equivalent funding effect through fee reduction.
Data shows that the total amount of university-autonomous scholarships disbursed in 2023 exceeded RMB 230 million, accounting for 27% of the overall scholarship investment.
Enterprise and Institutional Cooperation Programs
Huawei’s “Seeds for the Future” scholarship offered 500 quotas in China in 2023, mainly for international students in Communications Engineering. In addition to covering tuition fees, it provides corporate internship opportunities, with a job conversion rate of 68% for previous participants;
Tencent’s “Digital Future” program focuses on Artificial Intelligence, requiring applicants to submit a research proposal. Those who pass the review can receive a subsidy of RMB 4,000/month and eligibility to participate in academic conferences.
These types of programs provided a total of 12,000 funding opportunities in 2023. Enterprises tend to use scholarships to secure high-quality talent, reserving international talent for their operations in China.
Who Can Apply
Statistics from China’s Ministry of Education in 2023 show that a total of 126,000 international students submitted scholarship applications to study in China throughout the year, covering over 190 countries worldwide. Applicants from Southeast Asian countries accounted for the highest proportion at 43%, followed by Africa (28%) and Europe (15%).
In terms of academic level, undergraduate applicants accounted for 51%, master’s for 32%, and doctoral for 17%. This data indicates that the scholarship applicant pool is primarily composed of younger degree-seeking students, and the regional distribution is closely related to “Belt and Road” cooperation—Thailand, Indonesia, and Pakistan ranked in the top three for application volume, collectively accounting for 31% of the total applications.
Nationality and Regional Match
In terms of nationality distribution, China’s scholarship system is open to students worldwide. In 2023, the Chinese Government Scholarship (CSC) received applications from 185 countries. Of the 11,000 students finally admitted, 62% came from countries along the “Belt and Road” initiative—Thailand, Indonesia, and Vietnam ranked in the top three, accounting for 12%, 10%, and 8% of the total admissions, respectively.
University-autonomous programs focus more on regional matching. For example, Zhejiang University’s “ASEAN Youth Scholarship” is specifically for ASEAN countries. All 80 students admitted in 2023 came from Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines, accounting for 35% of the university’s international scholarship quotas.
Academic Level and Foundation
Academic level requirements are hard criteria for application. The Chinese Government Scholarship accepts high school graduates applying for undergraduate degrees, bachelor’s graduates applying for master’s degrees, and master’s graduates applying for doctoral degrees. Among the 2023 applicants, 58% were fresh high school graduates, 32% were undergraduate students or graduates, and 10% were master’s students.
University programs have more specific requirements. For instance, Shanghai Jiao Tong University’s “Engineering Elite Scholarship” only accepts bachelor’s graduates applying for master’s degrees and requires the undergraduate university to be “Double First-Class” or ranked in the QS top 500. Of the 50 students admitted to this program in 2023, 75% were from domestic “Double First-Class” universities, and 20% were from overseas QS top 500 institutions.
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The Hard Threshold of Language Proficiency
Language proficiency is another core component of the application. The Chinese Government Scholarship requires HSK Level 4 for undergraduate applicants (1,200 vocabulary), Level 5 for master’s (2,500), and Level 6 for doctoral (5,000). Among the 2023 admitted students, 78% achieved HSK Level 5 or above, with a pass rate of 65% for HSK Level 6 among doctoral applicants.
The requirements for English-taught programs are also clear. For example, Tsinghua University’s “Schwarzman Scholars” program is taught in English and requires a TOEFL score of 100 or IELTS 7.0. Of the 120 students admitted in 2023, 63% applied with English scores, and those with TOEFL 100 or above accounted for 41%.
Language scores are not just a threshold but also affect competitiveness—for example, in CSC applications, students with HSK Level 6 had an admission rate 18% higher than those with Level 5, as this proves they can follow professional courses faster, reducing the learning pressure caused by language barriers.
How to Apply Step by Step
Data from the 2023 Chinese Government Scholarship (CSC) application season shows that a total of 8,500 people submitted complete materials through the “Study in China” website, accounting for 70% of registered users (12,000), with 6,800 people finally entering the review process.
The process is mainly divided into four steps: material preparation, online submission, review and screening, and admission notice.
Material preparation is the most time-consuming step, with each applicant taking an average of 15 working days to organize documents such as passports, academic certificates, and language certificates. Due to automatic system verification, the error rate in the online submission stage dropped from 12% in 2022 to 8%, indicating that process optimization has improved efficiency.
Preparing Basic Materials
Before applying, five core documents must be prepared: copies of the passport personal information page and visa page (validity must cover the duration of study in China), notarized highest academic certificate (must be translated into English or Chinese), HSK certificate or English score report (based on the program’s language requirement), two academic letters of recommendation (signed by a professor or head of the workplace), and a personal statement (limited to 800 words explaining the research plan).
In 2023, applications returned due to missing materials accounted for 25%, mainly focused on unsigned recommendation letters or unsealed academic notarization. Completing the missing materials took an average of 7 working days.
- Passport must include at least 6 months of validity
- Academic certificates must be authenticated by the Chinese Embassy/Consulate
- Recommendation letters must clearly state the recommender’s contact information
Online Filling and Submission
After logging into the “Study in China” management system, applicants need to sequentially fill in personal information (name, nationality, contact details), educational background (undergraduate/master’s institution and major), and research plan (must be aligned with the advantageous disciplines of Chinese universities).
In 2023, the online submission took an average of 2 hours, with research plan filling accounting for 40% of the time—the more specific the content (e.g., mentioning the intended supervisor or collaborating laboratory), the higher the preliminary review pass rate. Data shows that applicants who included supervisor contact information had a preliminary review pass rate 18% higher than those without.
Review and Admission Process
After material submission, the process enters a three-tier review: first is the university’s preliminary review (checking material completeness, elimination rate 20%), followed by the China Scholarship Council’s secondary review (assessing academic potential, elimination rate 30%), and finally, the expert committee’s final review (determining the admission list, pass rate 40%).
The entire process in 2023 took 8-10 weeks, with results announced in late June and admission notices mailed via EMS, generally received by mid-July.
Data shows that applicants whose research plans highly match the university’s key disciplines had a final review pass rate 25% higher than those whose direction deviated. Therefore, understanding the target university’s advantageous majors in advance can significantly boost success rate.
Documents You Need
The 2023 Chinese Government Scholarship (CSC) application material review data shows that applications returned due to incomplete or non-compliant documents accounted for 28%, of which 15% were issues with core identity documents.
The documents required for applying for a Chinese scholarship are divided into three categories: foundational materials to prove identity, professional documents to demonstrate academic ability, and supplementary materials to enhance competitiveness.
These documents not only determine whether the application can enter the review process but also affect the final scoring—for example, a complete recommendation letter can increase the preliminary review score by 10%, and a clear transcript can reduce the secondary review time by 3 days.
Core Identity Credentials
Applicants must submit copies of the passport personal information page and valid visa page. The passport validity must cover the entire duration of study in China (usually requiring a remaining validity of more than 6 months). In 2023, applications returned due to an expired or insufficient passport validity accounted for 18%.
A 2-inch white background passport photo is also required (the electronic version must meet the system’s size requirements; the rejection rate for non-compliant sizes was 12%). Some universities require the photo to be consistent with the one in the passport to avoid later identity verification issues.
Academic and Language Proof
The highest academic certificate must be notarized and translated into English or Chinese. In 2023, the rejection rate for submitting non-notarized certificates reached 35%, as notarization effectively verifies the authenticity of the academic qualification.
Transcripts must include scores for all courses (must be stamped by the school). Some majors require a GPA of no less than 3.0 (out of 4.0). Language scores depend on the program requirements: Chinese-taught programs require an HSK certificate (HSK 4 for undergraduate, HSK 5 for master’s, HSK 6 for doctoral), and English-taught programs require IELTS 6.0 or TOEFL 80. In 2023, the preliminary review pass rate for applicants who failed to meet the language score standard was only 42%.
Supplementary Support Materials
Two academic letters of recommendation (signed by a professor or expert from the workplace). In 2023, the admission rate for applicants who submitted recommendation letters was 15% higher than those who did not. The recommendation letters must include the recommender’s contact information for verification.
The personal statement should be specific (e.g., mentioning the proposed research direction or intended supervisor). Applicants who include the supervisor’s contact information receive an average final review score 8% higher.
Some universities require a study plan (limited to 1,000 words). Students who clearly define their course or research goals have their material review time shortened by 2 days.
After You Apply
Data from the post-application season of the 2023 Chinese Government Scholarship (CSC) shows that 8,500 complete applications entered the review process, with an average time of 8 weeks from material receipt to result announcement.
Applicants can check the status in real-time through the “Study in China” system after submission. The initial status is often “Materials Under Preliminary Review,” and about 15% of applications receive a notification for correction due to blurry or missing documents.
The final admission rate for applicants who promptly made corrections was 22% higher than for those who did not. Status updates usually occur every 3-5 working days, and applicants receive progress reminders via system email or text message.
Result Inquiry and Status Tracking
Approximately 8 weeks after submission, the system updates the final status: “Admitted” indicates passing the final review, and “Pending Confirmation” requires acceptance confirmation within 7 days; failure to do so is considered forfeiture.
In 2023, admission notices were mailed via EMS. After signing for the notice, applicants had 10 working days to complete online registration. 89% of applicants completed registration on time. Unregistered quotas were offered to the waiting list, with a waiting list admission rate of about 5%.
Once the status shows “Admitted,” the university simultaneously sends an admission guide, including instructions for accommodation application and course selection. The readership of this information affects the efficiency of preparation before the start of the semester.
Material Correction and Secondary Review
Approximately 20% of applications receive a correction notification. Common issues include unsealed recommendation letters, missing official seals on transcripts, or expired language certificates.
Corrected materials must be re-uploaded within 5 working days. In 2023, 78% of applicants who made corrections passed the preliminary review, which was 15% higher than those who did not make corrections the first time.
Linguistic Correction: After correction, the application enters the secondary review stage, where experts may contact recommenders to verify letter content or check the authenticity of academic certification reports. This process takes about 7 working days, and ensuring the authenticity of materials is a critical part of the review.
Post-Admission Procedures and Enrollment Preparation
After confirming admission, applicants need to apply for a visa to China (Type X1/X2). In 2023, the average processing time was 15 working days, requiring the submission of the admission notice, passport, medical examination certificate, and other documents.
Upon entry, applicants must complete pre-registration within the time specified by the university. In 2023, the pre-registration deadline was concentrated in early September, and 92% of students completed it on time. Failure to register may affect course selection and dormitory allocation.
Pre-registration after, the university issues campus cards and learning platform accounts. Familiarizing oneself with the system in advance can reduce the adaptation time at the beginning of the semester. Data shows that students who logged into the platform early had a first-semester failure rate 10% lower than those who registered late.