HSK score reports for a scholarship application: pass marks and two-year validity
Unofficial summary · Sources checked
On the official HSK level pages, a valid report is one whose two-year validity, counted from the exam date, has not run out. Item 5 of the document list in the Application Guide for Chinese Government Scholarship asks Chinese-taught master's, doctoral, general scholar and senior scholar applicants for "a valid HSK score report", but the item does not define "valid" and does not itself name a level; Section IV, items 8 to 10, name the levels (HSK Level 3 for Chinese-taught general scholar programmes, excluding Chinese language majors, and for Chinese-taught senior scholar programmes; HSK Level 4 for Chinese-taught master's or doctoral programmes). The level pages supply the part the guide leaves open: what a report shows, the full score, a pass mark on some levels, and the two-year period.
This article accompanies the scholarship match on this site: you enter your highest HSK level passed and the language your programme is taught in, and every result links to the official notice it was taken from.
What an HSK score report shows
The HSK (Level 3) page states that the score report provides four scores: Listening, Reading, Writing and Total. It states a full score of 300 points. The HSK (Level 5) and HSK (Level 6) pages state the same four scores and the same full score of 300 points.
Pass marks: stated on some level pages, not on others
| Official page | Full score | Pass mark | Validity |
|---|---|---|---|
| HSK (Level 3) | 300 | 180 or above | two years, from the day of the exam |
| HSK (Level 5) | 300 | not stated on the page | two years, from the exam date |
| HSK (Level 6) | 300 | not stated on the page | two years, from the exam date |
| HSKK (Intermediate) | 100 | 60 or above | two years, from the test date |
| HSKK (Advanced) | 100 | 60 or above | two years, from the test date |
The HSK (Level 3) page states that a cumulative score of 180 or above qualifies as a passing mark. The HSK (Level 5) and HSK (Level 6) pages give the full score of 300 in their score report statement and state no pass mark. That is a difference between the pages, not a rule about Levels 5 and 6 — for your own case, follow the instructions of the office handling your application.
The HSKK (speaking) lines
The HSKK (Intermediate) page and the HSKK (Advanced) page each state a full score of 100 points and a passing mark of 60 or above. Both state that HSK Speaking scores are valid for two years, starting from the test date.
How the two years are counted
Each of the level pages starts the period on the test itself: "from the day of the exam" on the HSK (Level 3) page, "from the exam date" on the HSK (Level 5) and HSK (Level 6) pages, and "from the test date" on the HSKK pages. The level pages do not give a worked example of the counting and do not state what happens once the two years have passed. Use the exam date on your own report, and the instructions of the body handling your application, for any date that decides anything.
What item 5 of the scholarship document list asks for
Item 5, "Language qualification certificates", of the Application Guide for Chinese Government Scholarship states that applicants for master's, doctoral, general scholar and senior scholar programmes taught in Chinese must submit a valid HSK score report that meets the corresponding Chinese language proficiency requirements. It states that applicants for programmes taught in other languages must provide relevant language proficiency certificates, such as IELTS or TOEFL score reports, in accordance with the requirements of each university.
Three limits on that item matter here:
- The quoted item names master's, doctoral, general scholar and senior scholar programmes taught in Chinese. It does not name bachelor's programmes.
- It does not name an HSK level and does not name a minimum score. It refers to the Chinese language proficiency requirements that correspond to the programme; the levels are in Section IV, items 8 to 10.
- It uses the word "valid" without defining it.
The page the guide is published on carries no publication date and no academic year.
So the two texts meet at one point: the guide asks for a report that is both valid and sufficient for the programme, and the level pages state the validity period and, on some levels, a pass mark. Section IV of the guide names the level for each Chinese-taught programme type (items 8 to 10) but no minimum score within a level, and the level pages do not say which score a given programme asks for. Ask the university, or the agency receiving your application, which requirement applies to you.
What the scholarship match does with your HSK level
The tool asks for your highest HSK level passed (none, or 1 to 6), your study level, your citizenship group, your age if you give it, and the language the programme is taught in. It compares HSK level only: the minimum score inside a level is printed in the entry for you to check yourself. Each result carries one of three labels — "Conditions met", "Check a condition" or "Not met yet" — and a result is not an award or an eligibility decision. Programmes closed to the entered study level, country group or age are left out of the results and counted in a line under them, and scholarships run by a single province or a single university are not in the tool.
Questions people ask
Does every HSK level page state a pass mark?
No. The HSK (Level 3) page states 180 or above out of 300. The HSK (Level 5) and HSK (Level 6) pages state the full score of 300 and no pass mark.
When does the two-year validity start?
On the exam date. The HSK (Level 3) page says the scores are valid for two years starting from the day of the exam; the HSK (Level 5) and HSK (Level 6) pages say from the exam date; the HSKK pages say from the test date.
Does the scholarship guide say which HSK level I need?
Yes, in Section IV. Item 5 of the document list requires a valid HSK score report that meets the corresponding Chinese language proficiency requirements for the programme types named in it. Items 8 to 10 of Section IV name the level: HSK (Level 3) for Chinese-taught general scholar programmes (excluding Chinese language majors) and senior scholar programmes, and HSK (Level 4) for Chinese-taught master's or doctoral programmes. Neither item 5 nor items 8 to 10 name a minimum score.
Does a pass mark of 180 mean I meet the language requirement?
180 or above is the passing mark the HSK (Level 3) page states for that test. Item 5 asks for a report that meets the programme's corresponding requirements, which the guide states as a level (Section IV, items 8 to 10) but not as a score. Check with the university or the office handling your application.
Sources
- HSK (Level 3) — Chinese Tests Service Website (chinesetest.cn), Chinese Testing International
- HSK (Level 5) — Chinese Tests Service Website (chinesetest.cn), Chinese Testing International
- HSK (Level 6) — Chinese Tests Service Website (chinesetest.cn), Chinese Testing International
- HSKK (Intermediate) — Chinese Tests Service Website (chinesetest.cn), Chinese Testing International
- HSKK (Advanced) — Chinese Tests Service Website (chinesetest.cn), Chinese Testing International
- Application Guide for Chinese Government Scholarship — China Scholarship Council (Campus China, campuschina.org)
Checked 10 October 2026 and 11 October 2026. This page is an unofficial summary, is not legal or immigration advice, is not published by the bodies named above, and where it differs from the official texts or from the instructions of the body handling your application, the official text and those instructions prevail.