One-year Chinese language study in China on a scholarship: the two official routes
Unofficial summary · Sources checked
One year of Chinese language study in mainland China is funded through two separate official schemes, and their terms do not transfer from one to the other. The International Chinese Language Teachers Scholarship has a Scholarship for One-Year Study Program: the 2025 guidelines say the program commences in September 2025 and that the scholarship is provided for a maximum of eleven months (Section II, item 4). The Application Guide for Chinese Government Scholarship says the scholarship covers both major study and Chinese language (preparatory) study, and that "the language courses last one year" (Section II(II)).
Everything below comes from those two documents only. Where either document is silent on a point, this page says so rather than filling the gap from another programme. The scholarship match on this site reads 19 national scholarship entries, including the International Chinese Language Teachers Scholarship — One-Year Study Program, and prints for each one either "Conditions met", "Check a condition" or "Not met yet", with a link to the official notice it came from; a result is not an award.
The two routes side by side
| One-Year Study Program (International Chinese Language Teachers Scholarship 2025) | One year of language study (Chinese Government Scholarship guide) | |
|---|---|---|
| What the year is | A programme of its own: commences September 2025, scholarship for a maximum of eleven months (Section II, item 4) | Chinese language (preparatory) study covered by the scholarship; "the language courses last one year", and the duration of the scholarship for major study conforms to that as required (Section II(II)) |
| Who it is for | Applicants to international Chinese language education, Chinese language and literature / history / philosophy, or Chinese language study programmes (Section II, item 4) | The scholarship sponsors undergraduates, postgraduates, general and senior scholars (Section II(I)); general scholar applicants need a high school diploma or higher and must be under 45 (Section IV.5) |
| Language scores | See the table below (Section II, item 4) | HSK (Level 3) passed for a Chinese-taught general scholar programme, excluding Chinese language majors (Section IV.8) |
| Monthly money | Living allowance of RMB 2,500 per person per month for one-year study program students (Appendix 1, item 3) | Stipend: general scholars CNY 3,000 per month (Section III.3) |
| Accommodation | Free on-campus accommodation, typically a double room; off-campus only with host institution approval (Appendix 1, item 2) | Free university dormitory or accommodation subsidy (Section III.2) |
| Insurance | Comprehensive medical insurance purchased by the host institution (Appendix 1, item 4) | Comprehensive medical insurance, CNY 800 per person per year; CNY 400 for programmes lasting less than six months (Section III.4) |
| When it applied | The 2025 cycle dates given below | The guide states no academic year |
Section II(II) of the Chinese Government Scholarship guide does not tie the one year of language study to a named category, and does not state who must take it. The 2025 International Chinese Language Teachers Scholarship guidelines do not describe the One-Year Study Program as preparation for a degree programme.
Route 1: the One-Year Study Program
What the programme is. Section II, item 4 of the Application Guidelines for International Chinese Language Teachers Scholarship 2025 says the program commences in September 2025 and the scholarship is provided for a maximum of eleven months.
Language scores required (Section II, item 4).
| Programme applied to | Required score |
|---|---|
| International Chinese language education | Minimum 270 on HSK (Level 3); an HSKK score is required |
| Chinese language and literature, Chinese history, or Chinese philosophy | Minimum 180 on HSK (Level 4) and 60 on HSKK (Intermediate Level) |
| Chinese language study | Minimum 210 on HSK (Level 3); priority to applicants who provide an HSKK score |
The scholarship match compares HSK level only, so the minimum score inside a level is printed in the entry for you to check yourself.
What the scholarship covers (Appendix 1). The scholarship supports tuition, accommodation, living allowance and comprehensive medical insurance.
- Tuition: host institutions use the tuition fees for education and management of scholarship recipients, cultural programming and HSK tests. Online programmes receive tuition support only (item 1).
- Accommodation: host institutions provide free on-campus accommodation, typically double rooms. With host institution approval a recipient may live off campus; doctoral students then receive RMB 1,000 per person per month and other students RMB 700 per person per month, paid monthly or quarterly (item 2).
- Living allowance: paid monthly by the host institution. Undergraduates, one-year study program students and one-semester study program students receive RMB 2,500 per person per month; master's students in International Chinese Language Education receive RMB 3,000; doctoral students in that field receive RMB 3,500 (item 3).
- Medical insurance: purchased by host institutions under the Ministry of Education regulations on overseas students. Appendix 1 item 4 gives RMB 100 per person for four-week students, RMB 400 per person for one-semester students and RMB 800 per person per year for students studying more than one year. Appendix 1, item 4 does not state a premium for the eleven-month One-Year Study Program itself.
Conditions on the living allowance (Appendix 1, item 3). Recipients must register with the university within the period stipulated in the Letter of Admission; otherwise the scholarship is revoked. Students registered on or before the 15th of the month receive the full monthly allowance; those registered after the 15th receive half. If a recipient leaves China for more than 15 days for personal reasons during the study period, excluding summer and winter vacations, the allowance is suspended for the period of absence. Suspension, withdrawal for personal reasons, or disciplinary action by the host institution also suspends the allowance from the date of that event.
How the 2025 cycle applied (Section III). Online registration opened on 20 February 2025 on the International Chinese Language Teachers Scholarship website, http://www.chinese.cn, where applicants could search for recommending and host institutions, submit materials and track the process. Deadlines were Beijing Time:
| Programme start | Applicants must complete applications by | Institutions complete review by |
|---|---|---|
| July | 15 April | 25 April |
| September | 15 May | 25 May |
| December | 15 September | 25 September |
| March 2026 | 31 October | 10 November |
CLEC entrusted an expert panel to review applications, with decisions based on HSK and HSKK levels and scores, geographical distribution and other factors, and results announced about three months before the programme started. These are the dates of the 2025 cycle; the guidelines are dated January 2025 and written for programmes starting between July 2025 and March 2026, and that cycle has passed. The guidelines give no dates for any later cycle.
Route 2: the Chinese Government Scholarship
The one-year line. Section II(II) of the Application Guide for Chinese Government Scholarship says the scholarship covers both major study and Chinese language (preparatory) study: "The language courses last one year, whereas the duration of the scholarship for major study conforms to that as required."
Categories. Section II(I) lists undergraduates, postgraduates, general and senior scholars as the supporting categories. Section IV.5 sets the general scholar condition: a holder of a high school diploma or higher, under the age of 45. Section IV.8 requires that an applicant for a Chinese-taught general scholar programme, excluding Chinese language majors, has passed HSK (Level 3).
Coverage (Section III). Tuition fees; free university dormitory or accommodation subsidy; a stipend of CNY 2,500 per month for undergraduates, CNY 3,000 for master's students and general scholars, and CNY 3,500 for doctoral students and senior scholars; and comprehensive medical insurance of CNY 800 per person per year, or CNY 400 per person for programmes lasting less than six months.
What the guide does not say. Section II(II) does not name the universities or the programmes that place a scholar into the one-year language study, and does not state what happens if the language year is not completed. The guide gives no application dates and states no academic year.
Questions people ask
Is the eleven-month One-Year Study Program the same as the one year of preparatory language study in the Chinese Government Scholarship guide?
Neither the 2025 guidelines nor the Application Guide says they are the same. They are two schemes with their own texts: the eleven-month figure and the September 2025 start come from Section II, item 4 of the 2025 International Chinese Language Teachers Scholarship guidelines, while "the language courses last one year" comes from Section II(II) of the Chinese Government Scholarship guide. Treat them as separate and ask the office handling your application which one your case falls under.
Does the One-Year Study Program have its own medical insurance figure?
Not separately. Appendix 1 item 4 states RMB 100 per person for four-week students, RMB 400 per person for one-semester students and RMB 800 per person per year for students studying more than one year; it does not state a premium for the eleven-month programme.
Do I need an HSKK score?
It depends on the programme applied to under Section II, item 4 of the 2025 guidelines. International Chinese language education applicants must provide an HSKK score; Chinese language and literature, history or philosophy applicants need 60 on HSKK (Intermediate Level); Chinese language study applicants are not required to provide one but priority goes to those who do.
Can I live off campus on the One-Year Study Program?
Yes, with approval. Appendix 1 item 2 allows a recipient to live off campus upon application and approval from the host institution; other students are then entitled to RMB 700 per person per month.
Are the 2025 application dates still open?
No. The dates in Section III of the 2025 guidelines — 15 April, 15 May, 15 September and 31 October 2025 — are the dates of that cycle, and that cycle has passed. The guidelines give no dates for a later cycle.
What does the scholarship match actually test?
It tests study level, country group, age and language against the entries it holds, and it compares HSK level only rather than the score inside a level. Conditions it cannot test — such as whether your country has an agreement with China, work experience, or a condition set by a university — move a result to "Check a condition". A result is not an award or an eligibility decision, and scholarships run by a single province or a single university are not in the tool.
Sources
- Application Guidelines for International Chinese Language Teachers Scholarship 2025 — Center for Language Education and Cooperation (CLEC, chinese.cn)
- 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, is not published by the bodies named above, and if the official text or the instructions of the body handling your application differ from this page, the official text and those instructions prevail.