The Chinese Government Scholarship covers tuition and accommodation and pays a monthly allowance. Here is how the application works and what to prepare in advance.
What the scholarship covers
A full CSC scholarship means free tuition, a dormitory place, health insurance and a monthly allowance: ¥2,500 for bachelor's, ¥3,000 for master's and ¥3,500 for doctoral students. Besides the full scholarship there are partial grants and universities' own scholarships.
Two ways to apply
Type A goes through the Chinese embassy in your country. Type B goes directly through a university, which selects candidates and recommends them to the CSC. Applying through a university usually gives better chances. You can use both routes at once, as long as you apply to different universities.
Documents
Passport, school certificate or diploma with a notarised translation, transcript, study plan or motivation letter, two references, the Foreigner Physical Examination Form and a police certificate. Chinese-taught programmes need an HSK certificate, English-taught ones IELTS or TOEFL.
Timeline
Most universities accept applications from January to March. Results and the Admission Notice arrive in June–July; then you apply for the X1 visa, and classes start in September.
