Yes, China offers scholarships—over 65,000 spots were available in 2023via government and university programs, supporting int’l students from 180+ countries like Pakistan and Thailand, mostly covering tuition and living costs.
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China’s Scholarship Offerings
According to 2023 data from the Ministry of Education, the annual quota for the Chinese Government Scholarship reached 65,000, covering over 180 countries and regions worldwide, with approximately 70% targeting degree-seeking students and 30% for short-term exchange.
These scholarships include full funding (covering tuition, living allowance, insurance, etc.) and partial funding (tuition only or living allowance only). Specific standards vary slightly by region and major—for example, due to high training costs, the living allowance subsidy for medical majors is about 20% higher than for general liberal arts majors.
In addition to the national level, local governments and universities also launch supplementary programs. For example, Shanghai sets up the “Shanghai Municipal Government Scholarship for International Students” annually, covering international students at about 20 local universities, with the number of recipients stable at around 3,000 per year.
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Government Scholarships
Looking at the specific allocation of government scholarships, students from “Belt and Road” countries account for over 60%, reflecting the regional focus of the scholarship distribution—for example, students from countries like Pakistan, Thailand, and Indonesia receive more quotas, primarily supporting their study in Chinese-advantaged disciplines such as Chinese language, engineering, and agriculture.
In full scholarships, doctoral students account for about 25%, higher than undergraduate (40%) and master’s (35%) students, reflecting a preference for high-level talent cultivation. Application for this type of scholarship requires recommendation through the embassy/consulate in the student’s home country or a Chinese university. The review focuses on academic performance (requiring a high school/undergraduate GPA of no less than 80%) and language proficiency (HSK Level 4 or above).
University Autonomous Scholarships
Taking Tsinghua University’s “Belt and Road” Scholarship as an example, it supports about 500 students annually, covering majors like engineering, computer science, and public administration. In addition to tuition waivers, it provides additional resources such as laboratory access and corporate internships.
Peking University’s “Yanyuan International Student Scholarship” focuses on the humanities. In 2023, it covered 20% of the international students across the university, with about 15% receiving full funding, mainly supporting students in majors like Chinese Language and Literature and History to conduct fieldwork.
Local Government Scholarships
For example, Guangdong Province’s “Pearl River Scholarship” invests about 50 million RMB annually, primarily supporting students from ASEAN countries to pursue majors in economy/trade and biomedicine, establishing internship connections with local Free Trade Zones and pharmaceutical companies.
Zhejiang Province’s “Silk Road Scholarship” focuses on the digital economy. Among the international students it funded in 2023, 60% chose e-commerce and artificial intelligence-related majors, and the proportion of graduates remaining in Zhejiang for employment reached 35%.
Scholarship Types Overview
2023 Ministry of Education statistics show that the total number of international student scholarship quotas exceeded 72,000 for the year, with 65% borne by the central government budget and 35% from local governments or universities.
These scholarships include comprehensive programs covering all stages, as well as specialized support for specific majors or regions—for example, the “Silk Road” Scholarship primarily supports Chinese language and engineering majors, and in 2023, the quota for this specialized program accounted for 18% of the total government scholarships.
In terms of funding intensity, full scholarships account for about 40%, covering all costs including tuition, living expenses, and insurance. Partial scholarships only subsidize tuition or living expenses, suitable for students with limited budgets.
- Chinese Government Scholarship (CSC): Coordinated by the Ministry of Education, open to global enrollment, including sub-programs like “Country-Specific Bilateral Program” and “University Autonomous Enrollment Program.” The 2023 quota was 42,000, covering over 180 countries.
- Local Government Scholarship: Established by provincial/municipal governments, such as the Shanghai “Municipal Government Scholarship for International Students” funding 3,000 people annually, and Guangdong’s “Pearl River Scholarship” prioritizing students from ASEAN countries in economy/trade majors.
- University Autonomous Scholarship: Issued independently by universities, such as Tsinghua’s “Belt and Road” Scholarship covering 500 people annually, and Peking University’s “Yanyuan International Student Scholarship” focusing on the humanities field.
Full and Partial Scholarships
In full scholarships, doctoral students account for 25%. Due to the long cultivation cycle and high cost, their living allowance standard (approx. 3,000 RMB/month) is 15% higher than that of undergraduate students. Partial scholarships are mostly for master’s students, covering about 55%, typically in the form of tuition reduction by 30%-70%, or a monthly living subsidy of 1,000-2,000 RMB. This categorization satisfies students with different financial needs and guides study direction through differentiated incentives—for example, master’s students in science and engineering are more likely to apply for partial scholarships, as additional expenses like laboratories can be supplemented by supervisor project funding.
Scholarship Proportions
In terms of coverage across degree stages, the ratio of undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral scholarships is 4:3:3. 70% of undergraduate scholarships are full funding, as new international students are highly sensitive to costs, and full support can boost enrollment willingness;
The proportion of partial scholarships rises to 60% at the master’s level, focusing on selecting students with a certain academic foundation;
Doctoral scholarships emphasize research potential even more, with 80% of full scholarships requiring the submission of a doctoral-stage research proposal, ensuring funds are used for high-value academic output.
Applying Steps
The 2024 Chinese Government Scholarship (CSC) application cycle is from March 1 to April 15. The online system received 92,000 applications, with Southeast Asian students accounting for 45%, making them the largest applicant group.
The application involves five steps: “System Registration – Information Filling – Material Upload – Embassy/Consulate Preliminary Review – University Final Review.” The final admission rate is about 18%, an increase of 3 percentage points from 2023.
For instance, medical scholarships require the submission of additional clinical internship certificates, making the material review time 3 days longer than for general majors, extending the admission cycle for this category until mid-July.
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Application Materials
Application materials must strictly match the scholarship type. The Chinese Government Scholarship requires the submission of a passport copy, notarized academic degree/diploma, HSK Level 4 or above score, two academic recommendation letters, and a financial guarantee certificate. The average material deficiency rate per person is 10%, mainly focused on the financial guarantee certificate lacking the official seal of the issuing unit.
For example, the guarantee certificate must be issued by the guarantor’s unit and accompanied by income statements for the last 3 months. In 2024, materials returned due to missing income statements accounted for 40%.
University autonomous scholarships are more flexible. For example, Tsinghua University’s “Belt and Road” Scholarship requires the submission of an additional professional research proposal. The admission rate for students who submitted a research proposal was 25% higher than for those who did not, directly reflecting the importance of academic alignment.
Review Process
The review process is jointly completed by the embassy/consulate and the university. The embassy/consulate is responsible for the preliminary review of material completeness and authenticity, with a preliminary pass rate of about 60%, mainly filtering out incomplete or false applications.
The university’s final review focuses on academic ability. For example, Fudan University contacts recommenders to verify the research plan for doctoral scholarship applicants, with the admission rate increasing to 35% after verification.
After the review is completed, the results are sent through the system. Admitted students must confirm acceptance within the specified time. In 2024, 8% of admitted students lost their quota due to overdue confirmation, mostly because they ignored system reminder emails.
Giving Organizations
2023 Ministry of Education public data shows that the total number of international student scholarship quotas exceeded 72,000 for the year, with the central-level Chinese Government Scholarship accounting for 42,000 quotas, covering over 180 countries;
Local governments like Shanghai and Guangdong allocate special funds annually. Shanghai’s “Municipal Government Scholarship for International Students” funds 3,000 people annually, and Guangdong’s “Pearl River Scholarship” covers 2,500 people.
Regarding universities, top institutions like Tsinghua and Peking University each set up about 800 to 600 autonomous scholarship programs annually;
The “Confucius Institute Scholarship” launched by the Confucius Institute Headquarters funded 12,000 international students studying Chinese in China in 2023.
Central Government Institutions
The Chinese Government Scholarship is directly managed by the Ministry of Education, accounting for 58% of the total national international student scholarships in 2023, covering all stages of bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees, as well as short-term exchange.
The program is implemented through two sub-categories: the “Country-Specific Bilateral Program” and the “University Autonomous Enrollment Program”—the former allocates targeted quotas to “Belt and Road” countries like Pakistan and Thailand, and the latter allows universities like Peking and Fudan to autonomously select outstanding students from countries like Europe and America.
The Ministry of Education conducts the final review for all applications, with a focus on advantageous Chinese disciplines such as engineering and Chinese language. In 2023, the scholarship quota for these majors accounted for 65%, directly serving the international promotion of disciplines and talent reserve.
Local Governments
70% of the quotas for the Shanghai “Municipal Government Scholarship for International Students” are reserved for economy/trade and biomedicine majors, establishing internship connections with industrial parks like the Free Trade Zone and Zhangjiang Pharmaceutical Valley, allowing students to engage with local enterprises during their studies;
The Guangdong “Pearl River Scholarship” focuses on students from ASEAN countries. 60% of the students funded in 2023 chose cross-border e-commerce and digital media majors, echoing the development needs of Guangdong’s digital economy.
Zhejiang’s “Silk Road Scholarship” goes a step further, with 35% of funded students staying locally to work in the digital economy after graduation, truly achieving a closed loop between “study abroad” and “employment.”
Universities and Specialized Institutions
Tsinghua University’s “Belt and Road” Scholarship supports 500 students annually to pursue engineering and computer science majors. In addition to tuition waivers, it provides access to laboratories, leveraging Tsinghua’s strengths in engineering technology;
Peking University’s “Yanyuan International Student Scholarship” focuses on the humanities. 80% of the students in the Chinese Language and Literature major covered in 2023 participated in fieldwork projects such as organizing Dunhuang documents and explaining artifacts in the Forbidden City.
The “Confucius Institute Scholarship” from the Confucius Institute Headquarters specifically serves the promotion of the Chinese language, with 70% of the quotas allocated to students from “Belt and Road” countries. After graduation, most are engaged in Chinese language teaching or Sino-foreign cultural exchange work, strengthening the foundation of language and cultural dissemination.
Required Documents
The 2024 Chinese Government Scholarship (CSC) application guide explicitly requires the submission of 12 basic materials, including a passport copy, notarized bachelor’s/high school diploma, HSK Level 4 or above score report, two academic recommendation letters, and a financial guarantee certificate.
In actual applications, the average material deficiency rate is 15%, mainly focused on the financial guarantee certificate lacking the official seal of the issuing unit or the recommendation letter missing the professor’s signature—in 2023, applications returned due to these two deficiencies accounted for 60%.
Medical majors also require the submission of an additional clinical internship certificate, increasing the total number of materials to 15, and the review time is 3 working days longer than for general majors.
Basic Identity and Academic Certificates
All scholarship applications require a scanned copy of the original passport (validity must cover the duration of study in China), notarized academic degree/diploma (must be issued by a Chinese notary office and accompanied by an English translation), and notarized transcripts of previous education.
For example, undergraduate applicants must submit a notarized high school diploma, and master’s applicants need double notarization of their bachelor’s diploma and degree certificate. The validity period for academic notarization is uniformly 6 months; expired notarizations must be re-obtained.
In 2024, applications rejected due to expired notarization accounted for 8%, concentrated during the concentrated submission period in March—it is recommended to complete notarization 1 month in advance.
Language and Academic Ability Credentials
Language proof is divided into two categories: Chinese-taught majors require an HSK Level 4 or above score report (some universities require Level 5), and English-taught majors require IELTS 6.5 or TOEFL 90 or above scores.
Academic ability is reflected through recommendation letters. At least one of the two recommendation letters must come from an undergraduate/master’s supervisor, and the content needs to specifically describe the applicant’s research ability and learning potential.
In the 2023 Tsinghua University “Belt and Road” Scholarship application, the admission rate for students who submitted a handwritten recommendation letter from their supervisor was 20% higher than for ordinary recommendation letters, directly reflecting the importance of academic relevance.
Financial and Additional Materials
The financial guarantee certificate must be issued by the unit of the applicant or guarantor, stating the guaranteed amount (covering the first year’s living expenses) and accompanied by the guarantor’s bank statement for the last 3 months.
Materials returned due to missing bank statements accounted for 40%. Special attention must be paid to ensuring the statement shows the words “salary” or “income.”
In addition, some specialized scholarships require supplementary materials: the Confucius Institute Scholarship requires proof of Chinese learning experience (such as studying at a Confucius Institute for 1 year), and university autonomous scholarships like Peking University’s “Yanyuan International Student Scholarship” require the submission of a research plan (word count requirement of 800-1,500 words). The admission rate for applicants who submitted a research plan was 25% higher than for those who did not, demonstrating the alignment of academic planning.