China Link Short-term Scientific Exchange Scholarship: the 2026 notice
Unofficial summary · Sources checked
China Link is a China Scholarship Council (CSC) scholarship for short-term scientific exchange: it funds a stay of 1 to 12 months at a Chinese host university for study or research, and CSC carries it out in 2026 under the notice "China Link Short-term Scientific Exchange Scholarship Program (2026)". To use it you must be a full-time student or full-time academic staff member at one of CSC's foreign partner universities, and you must first obtain admission from a Chinese host university. The host university processes the application and submits the nomination list to CSC; CSC notifies the host university, and the host university notifies you.
The scholarship match on this site prints whether China Link appears for the study level, country group, age and programme language you enter, marks the conditions it cannot test, and links to the notice the entry was taken from. A result there is not an award and not an eligibility decision.
Everything below comes from the 2026 notice published on Campus China. Where a rule is quoted, the item number is from that notice.
Who can apply
The notice sets two funding categories (item 2.1):
- General scholar: current undergraduates or graduates.
- Senior scholar: current PhD candidates or faculty.
Eligibility (item 4):
- 4.1: be a citizen of a country other than the People's Republic of China, and be in good health both mentally and physically.
- 4.2: be under 45 when applying for general scholar; be under 50 when applying for senior scholar. Item 4.2 does not say at which point in the process age is measured.
- 4.3: be registered as a full-time student or employed as full-time academic staff at a CSC foreign partner university at the time of application and throughout the proposed stay in China. The partner list is Appendix 1.
- 4.4: have obtained admission qualification from the host Chinese university for the next intake. The host list is Appendix 2.
The two lists and the online application guide are named as attachments to the notice. This page does not describe the contents of Appendix 1, Appendix 2 or Appendix 3, so it cannot tell you whether a given university is on either list; ask the university's international student admission department.
How long it lasts, and when you must start
Duration is 1 to 12 months, and you must start your study in China no later than 31 August 2027 (item 2.2). Working language is English or Chinese, depending on the programme provided by the Chinese host university (item 2.3). Study and research fields are all disciplines other than Chinese language study (item 2.4).
What the scholarship covers
Item 3 calls it a full scholarship from CSC during the stay in China, with four components:
| Component | What the notice says |
|---|---|
| Tuition | Tuition waiver |
| Housing | Free on-campus accommodation |
| Insurance | Comprehensive medical insurance |
| Living costs | Monthly stipend: CNY 3,000 for general scholars, CNY 3,500 for senior scholars |
These are the items listed. Item 3 names no other component, and the notice states no fee and no travel arrangement.
How to apply
The order in the notice is: admission first, then the CSC online application, then the host university's nomination.
- Contact the host Chinese university in advance to obtain admission qualification (item 5.1).
- Ask that university's international student admission department to confirm its own deadline for university-level review (item 5.1).
- Do this as early as possible, because requirements may vary by institution (item 5.1).
- Log in to the Chinese Government Scholarship Information System at studyinchina.csc.edu.cn and complete the CSC online scholarship application (item 5.2).
- After submitting, contact the host university's international student admission department by email or through the institution's designated channel (item 5.2).
- Give them this exact information: Full Name + CSC Serial Number + Application for China Link Scholarship (item 5.2).
The CSC application portal is open to applicants all year round (item 5.2). After that, item 5.3 requires the host Chinese university to submit the scholarship nomination list to CSC at least 2 months before the student's arrival in China. Item 5.4 has CSC notify host universities of award results on a monthly basis, and item 5.5 has host universities notify applicants. The notice gives no single closing date for applicants.
Questions people ask
Is China Link open to Chinese citizens?
No. Item 4.1 requires you to be a citizen of a country other than the People's Republic of China.
Can I use it to study Chinese language?
No. Item 2.4 covers all disciplines other than Chinese language study.
Is there an application deadline?
The CSC application portal is open all year round (item 5.2). The notice tells you to confirm the host university's own deadline for university-level review, and it requires host universities to submit the nomination list at least 2 months before arrival (items 5.1, 5.3). The notice states no single application closing date.
Who tells me whether I got it?
CSC notifies the host Chinese universities of award results monthly, and the host university notifies applicants (items 5.4, 5.5).
Is this a degree programme?
The notice funds a stay of 1 to 12 months of study or research and describes the scheme as short-term scientific exchange (items 2.2, title). The notice does not describe any degree path.
Sources
- China Link Short-term Scientific Exchange Scholarship Program (2026) — China Scholarship Council (Campus China, campuschina.org)
Checked 10 October 2026.
This page is an unofficial summary, is not legal or immigration advice, is not published by the bodies named, and if the official text or the instructions of the office handling your application differ from this page, the official text and those instructions prevail.