Chinese Government Scholarship (CSC): How to Apply for a PhD in China

Who can apply

The Chinese Government Scholarship (CSC) pays for international students to study in China. The China Scholarship Council (CSC) runs the scheme for the Ministry of Education.

You can apply for a doctoral award if you meet these rules:

You are not a Chinese citizen.
You are in good health.
You hold a master's degree, or you will hold one before you enrol.
You are generally under the age of 40.

Universities add their own rules on top of these. Check the entry requirements for your chosen programme before you apply.

What the scholarship pays for

The full scholarship covers:

Tuition fees.
On-campus accommodation.
A monthly living allowance.
Comprehensive medical insurance.

Some schemes also pay a one-off travel allowance. A partial scholarship covers only some of these items.

The living allowance changes each year and by university. Two 2026 university calls set it at RMB 3,500 a month for doctoral students. Check the current call at your target university for the exact amount.

Tip: Ask your university's international office for last year's award letter. It shows real numbers, even if this year's amount may differ.

Two application routes

The CSC scholarship runs through two main routes. Pick the one that fits your plan.

Route	How it works	Who nominates you
Bilateral Program (Type A)	You apply through your country's Ministry of Education or the Chinese embassy.	The embassy or your home government
University Program (Type B)	You apply to a Chinese university first, then apply for the scholarship online.	The university

For the Bilateral Program, contact your home country's dispatching authority. It sets its own deadline and quota. For the University Program, apply to the university's graduate programme first. The university later nominates you for the scholarship.

Deadlines and timeline

Dates vary by country and by university. As a general pattern:

University-run programmes often open their graduate application in the autumn, months before the next academic year.
After a conditional offer, you apply for the scholarship itself in the CSC's online system.
Embassy-run applications follow a deadline set by your country's dispatching authority or the Chinese embassy, often early in the year.
The CSC reviews nominations and informs universities and students around June or July.

Always confirm the exact dates on the website of your target university or your home country's embassy. The dates change every year.

Documents you need

Prepare these documents before you start:

A valid passport.
Your highest degree certificate. Doctoral applicants submit both the bachelor's and the master's certificate.
Academic transcripts for the bachelor's and master's degree.
A notarized translation into Chinese or English, if the originals are in another language.
A study or research plan, usually a few thousand words for doctoral applicants, signed by your prospective Chinese supervisor.
Two recommendation letters from professors or associate professors.
A physical examination form, valid for only six months.
Proof of language proficiency: an HSK certificate for Chinese-taught programmes, or an IELTS or TOEFL score for English-taught programmes.
A certificate of no criminal record, for some universities.

If your degree comes from outside China, some universities also ask for a degree and transcript verification report from the Chinese Service Center for Scholarly Exchange (CSCSE).

Chinese-taught or English-taught programmes

Doctoral programmes in China run in Chinese, in English, or in both. Your language of instruction changes what you must prove.

For a Chinese-taught programme, you normally need an HSK (Hanyu Shuiping Kaoshi) certificate. Universities set their own minimum level and score.
For an English-taught programme, you normally need an English test score, such as IELTS or TOEFL, unless your previous degree was taught fully in English.
If your Chinese is below the required level, some universities admit you on condition that you take a remedial Chinese course first. You must then reach the required level within a set time, often one year.

Check the language requirement for your exact programme before you apply. It often differs between departments at the same university.

How to apply, step by step

Choose your route: Bilateral Program or University Program.
Contact the university or the dispatching authority to confirm the current call and the documents it needs.
For the University Program, apply to the graduate programme on the university's own application system first.
Register in the Chinese Government Scholarship Information System and fill in the online form.
Upload or post the required documents before the deadline.
Attend an interview, if the university asks for one.
Wait for the preliminary admission result from the university.
Wait for the final result from the CSC. Only the CSC's review makes the scholarship final.

Common mistakes

Applying after the embassy or university deadline. Some dispatching authorities stop taking applications weeks before the CSC's own deadline.
Sending an incomplete application. Universities reject incomplete sets of documents.
Submitting transcripts without a certified translation.
Assuming a university offer also means a scholarship award. The CSC's expert panel makes the final funding decision.
Missing the physical examination window. The form is valid for only six months.

Where to find open positions

PhD Atlas lists funded PhD positions across many countries, including positions with other funding sources if a China-based PhD does not fit your plan. You can also browse funded PhD positions directly.

If you are weighing other scholarship options, read our guide on MSCA Doctoral Networks, a major EU-funded route to a paid PhD.