China scholarship for Ghanaian students: the national channel behind the Bilateral Program
Unofficial summary · Sources checked
For this award the application goes through the Ghana Scholarships Secretariat, which runs the national selection; the notice names no Chinese embassy or university as the place to submit it. That route is the one the China Scholarship Council describes as the Bilateral Program, where "an applicant shall file an application with the dispatching department of their home countries". To see where your own profile fits among the national programmes, start with the scholarship match: it sorts 19 national scholarship entries by study level, citizenship group, age and language, and labels each one.
How the 2026/2027 Ghana cycle was run
The order below follows the Ghana Scholarships Secretariat notice, "Chinese Government Scholarship Awards to Ghanaian Students for 2026/2027 Academic Year", published 5 November 2025.
- Read the official notice.
- Choose a university and a preferred course from the CSC universities index at http://www.campuschina.org/universities/index.html.
- Open http://www.campuschina.org.
- Click "Scholarship Application for Students".
- Select Programme Category "Type A".
- Enter Agency Number 2881.
- Complete the online application.
- Submit it to the CSC before 30 November 2025.
- Assemble the hard-copy documents listed below.
- Send them to the Registrar, Ghana Scholarships Secretariat, P.O. Box M75, Accra.
- Have them reach the Secretariat not later than Thursday 18 December 2025.
The notice states that the online system "would generate a unique serial for each applicant". It also states that only shortlisted applicants who meet the criteria would be invited for an interview; the notice gives no date or timetable for that stage.
All dates above belong to the 2026/2027 intake. They have passed. When this page was checked on 10 October 2026, no notice for the following intake had been published on the Ghana Scholarships Authority page.
What the notice asked a candidate to be
The notice opens awards at Master's and PhD level only, and lists these conditions:
- Ghanaian citizen resident in Ghana (item a).
- For a Master's programme: a first degree, at least Second Class Upper or better, in a relevant field (item b).
- For doctoral study: at least Second Class (Upper) plus a relevant Master's degree (item c).
- Not above 35 years for a Master's degree, and not above 40 years for doctoral study (item d).
- Medically fit (item e).
- Women are "particularly encouraged to apply" (item f).
The notice adds that the awards are "very limited", and that the services provided by the Secretariat are free, with no individual, group or third party entity engaged by the Secretariat to assist any applicant.
The documents named in the notice
The submission section asks for a hard copy of the completed application form plus:
- certified copies of academic certificates and transcripts;
- a study plan and research proposal of 800 words;
- two recommendation letters from Professors or Associate Professors;
- a copy of the birth certificate;
- one passport-size photograph;
- a copy of the National Service Certificate;
- a curriculum vitae;
- a recent passport bio-data page with validity later than 28 January 2025, printed in the notice as given — that date falls before the closing date printed in the same notice, so confirm with the Secretariat which one it applies;
- other relevant documents.
"If applicable", the notice also asks for a pre-admission letter from a Chinese Government Scholarship university and a language qualification certificate, giving HSK certificates, IELTS or TOEFL reports as examples.
Where the two official documents differ
Both documents apply to the same award, and they are not worded identically. Neither page asks you to choose between them; take the question to the office handling your application.
| Requirement | Ghana Scholarships Secretariat notice, 2026/2027 | Application Guide for Chinese Government Scholarship (CSC) |
|---|---|---|
| Levels covered | Master's and PhD only | Bilateral Program open to undergraduates, postgraduates, general and senior scholars |
| Where the application is filed | Electronically to CSC, plus a hard-copy pack to the Secretariat in Accra | Filed with the dispatching department of your home country |
| Age, Master's | Not above 35 years (item d) | Under the age of 35 (eligibility item 3) |
| Age, doctoral | Not above 40 years (item d) | Under the age of 40 (eligibility item 4) |
| Degree standard, Master's | First degree, at least Second Class Upper, relevant field (item b) | Academically excellent holder of a Bachelor's degree or equivalent (item 3) |
| Degree standard, doctoral | At least Second Class (Upper) plus a relevant Master's degree (item c) | Academically excellent holder of a Master's degree or equivalent (item 4) |
| Health | Medically fit (item e) | In good health both mentally and physically (item 1) |
| Language, Chinese-taught Master's or doctoral | Language qualification certificate "if applicable"; no level stated | HSK (Level 4) (item 10) |
| Programme taught in another language | Nothing specified beyond the above | Must meet the university's admission requirements on language proficiency and academic ability (item 11) |
A further structural difference: the CSC guide lists several programmes with their own receiving agencies — the Great Wall Program through National Commissions for UNESCO, the EU Program through the Mission of the PRC to the EU, the AUN Program through the AUN Secretariat, the PIF Program through the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat, the WMO Program through WMO — while the Ghana notice directs candidates to a single national channel with one agency number.
What the Ghana notice and the CSC guide do not say
The Ghana notice does not set out what the scholarship pays for and states no coverage amounts. Section III of the Application Guide for Chinese Government Scholarship lists the coverage for the Chinese Government Scholarship: tuition fees; a free university dormitory or accommodation subsidy; a stipend of CNY 2,500 per month for undergraduates, CNY 3,000 for Master's students/general scholars and CNY 3,500 for doctoral students/senior scholars; and comprehensive medical insurance of CNY 800 per person per year (CNY 400 per person for programs lasting less than six months). Neither document gives a processing time or a number of awards, and neither gives a selection or interview timetable beyond shortlisting itself or a rule for how a deadline or period is counted. The Campus China page of the guide prints no publication date and no academic year, and Section I(I) of the guide, on the Bilateral Program, does not name any country's dispatching department; the Ghana notice covers one intake only.
Why the scholarship match prints "Check a condition"
The tool gives each result one of three labels. "Conditions met" means every condition the tool can test — level, country group, age, language — is met on what you entered. "Check a condition" means nothing fails, but at least one condition cannot be tested by the tool. "Not met yet" means the programme is open to your level but a stated language condition is not met on what you entered.
The untestable conditions named in the tool include whether your country has an agreement with China. That is exactly the hinge of this route: the CSC guide says the Bilateral Program "accords with the cooperation and exchange agreements or consensus" between the Chinese government and other governments and institutions, and routes the application through a home-country dispatching department. Entering Ghana as "another country" therefore cannot settle whether that gateway exists, so the programme returns as "Check a condition" rather than as a pass.
The tool compares HSK level only, and prints the minimum score inside each level for you to check against your own report. Programmes closed to your entered level, country group or age are left out of the results and counted in a line below them, so read that line as well. Each result links to the official notice it was taken from, and results can be copied or printed.
A result is not an award and not an eligibility decision. This site does not accept or submit applications and is not affiliated with any ministry, embassy, scholarship body or university; deadlines, documents and conditions come from the official texts cited below, not from the tool.
Questions people ask
Can undergraduates apply through this Ghanaian route?
The Ghana Scholarships Secretariat notice opens applications at Master's and PhD level only. The CSC guide says the Bilateral Program is open to undergraduates, postgraduates, general and senior scholars. Ask the Secretariat which levels its next national notice will cover.
Is there a fee to apply?
The notice states that the services provided by the Secretariat are free and that no individual, group or third party entity has been engaged by the Secretariat to assist any applicant. The Application Guide for Chinese Government Scholarship mentions no application fee; the only fee it refers to is tuition, listed under scholarship coverage in Section III.
Do I need HSK 4?
The Ghana notice asks for a language qualification certificate "if applicable" and gives HSK certificates, IELTS and TOEFL reports as examples without naming a level. The CSC guide requires candidates for Chinese-taught master's or doctoral programmes to have passed HSK (Level 4), and candidates for a programme taught in another language to meet the university's own admission requirements on language and academic ability. The two texts do not conflict so much as differ in what they state; confirm the requirement with the office handling your file.
Can I apply directly to a Chinese university instead?
The CSC guide describes that as a different programme: the University Program, filed with Chinese universities undertaking it. The Ghana notice published a Type A application with the Secretariat's agency number, 2881. The two are distinct routes and this notice did not offer the second one.
When does the next intake open?
Neither the Ghana notice nor the Application Guide states a date for the intake after 2026/2027. The 2026/2027 notice was published on 5 November 2025 with a 30 November 2025 online deadline to CSC and an 18 December 2025 closing date at the Secretariat, and no successor notice had been posted on the Ghana Scholarships Authority page when it was checked.
Sources
- Chinese Government Scholarship Awards to Ghanaian Students for 2026/2027 Academic Year, Ghana Scholarships Secretariat notice on scholarships.gov.gh, posted by the Ghana Scholarships Authority
- Application Guide for Chinese Government Scholarship, China Scholarship Council (Campus China, campuschina.org)
Checked 10 October 2026. This page is an unofficial summary, is not legal or immigration advice and is not published by the bodies named above; if anything here differs from the official text or from the instructions of the body handling your application, that official text and those instructions prevail.