Chinese Government Scholarship (CSC)

Full awards cover tuition, on-campus housing, a monthly living stipend and medical insurance; some awards waive only part of the tuition.

• You must be a non-Chinese citizen in good physical and mental health.
• Bachelor's: high-school graduate under 25, with a China Scholastic Competency Assessment (CSCA) score report.
• Master's: bachelor's degree holder under 35.
• PhD: master's degree holder under 40.
• Chinese-taught programmes need HSK 4 (master's or PhD) or HSK 3 (bachelor's); English-taught ones need IELTS or TOEFL as each university requires.
• You can't hold another Chinese government or university scholarship at the same time (one-off awards excepted).

For non-Chinese citizens. You can apply through a Chinese university that accepts CSC applications (Peking University, for example, uses the 'Type B' university route) or through your home country's official channel, such as the Chinese embassy. Each university and route has its own requirements.

1. 1

   Step 1: Choose your route

   Type A (Bilateral Programme) goes through your home country's dispatching authority, usually the Chinese embassy. Type B (Chinese University Programme) goes through one Chinese university that offers it.

2. 2

   Step 2: Contact universities early

   Check each university's admission requirements. On the embassy route, you must get a pre-admission letter or invitation from a Chinese university.

3. 3

   Step 3: Complete the CSC online form

   Fill in the CSC online application with the correct programme category (Type A or B) and agency number: your embassy's for Type A, or the university's for Type B. With the wrong agency number, your application won't be processed.

4. 4

   Step 4: Apply to the university

   Many universities also require their own online application, where you upload the printed and signed CSC form. For Type B, you can choose only one university.

5. 5

   Step 5: Submit by the deadline

   Submit everything by the deadline your embassy or university sets. Some embassies also ask you to email them once your online application is done.

6. 6

   Step 6: Wait for CSC's decision

   The embassy or university recommends candidates to the China Scholarship Council for final review. Results usually come around July–August, along with an admission notice and a JW201 visa form.

• CSC online application form
• Passport information page
• Notarised highest diploma and academic transcripts
• Language certificate (HSK, IELTS or TOEFL)
• Pre-admission letter from a Chinese university (embassy route)
• Study plan or research proposal
• Two recommendation letters (master's and PhD)
• Foreigner Physical Examination Form and non-criminal record certificate

Deadline

For 2026 entry, deadlines ran from December 2025 to March 2026 depending on route: Fudan's Type B window ran from 13 October to 10 December 2025, the Chinese consulate in Montreal's online deadline was 22 February 2026, and Peking University's CSC deadline was 17 March 2026.

Dates depend on the route. Embassy notices and university (Type B) rounds can open as early as October and close between December and March (for 2026 entry, Fudan's window ran from 13 October to 10 December 2025 and Peking University's deadline was 17 March 2026), for study starting in September.