Scholarships in China for international students: the national schemes in one table
Unofficial summary · Sources checked
There are two groups of national scholarship schemes for international students preparing to study in mainland China: the programmes inside the Chinese Government Scholarship, and a set of separately published scholarship notices. The scholarship match on this site asks for your study level, citizenship group, age, teaching language and HSK level, and prints the national schemes those answers match, each with one of three labels and a link to its official notice. Province-level scholarships and scholarships run by a single university are outside this table and outside that tool.
The national schemes in one table
| Scheme | Who it is for | Study levels named in the notice | Body that receives applications | Official notice |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chinese Government Scholarship — Bilateral Program | Applicants covered by cooperation and exchange agreements or consensus between the Chinese government and the governments and institutions of other nations (section I(I)) | Undergraduates, postgraduates, general scholars, senior scholars (section I(I)) | The dispatching department of the applicant's home country (section I(I)) | Application Guide for Chinese Government Scholarship |
| Chinese Government Scholarship — University Program | Talented international students recommended by designated Chinese universities (section I(II)) | Section I(II) says the supporting student categories are various and subject to the requirements of each university; it names no level | Chinese universities undertaking this program (section I(II)) | Application Guide for Chinese Government Scholarship |
| Chinese Government Scholarship — Great Wall Program | Students and scholars from developing countries (section I(III) table) | Postgraduates, general scholars, senior scholars | National Commission for UNESCO in the home country (website given in the guide: en.unesco.org/countries) | Application Guide for Chinese Government Scholarship |
| Chinese Government Scholarship — EU Program | Students and scholars from EU member states (section I(III) table) | Undergraduates, postgraduates, general scholars, senior scholars | Office for Education and Culture, Mission of the PRC to the EU (website given in the guide: chinamission.be) | Application Guide for Chinese Government Scholarship |
| Chinese Government Scholarship — AUN Program | Students and scholars from ASEAN member states (section I(III) table) | Postgraduates | AUN Secretariat (website given in the guide: www.aunsec.org) | Application Guide for Chinese Government Scholarship |
| Chinese Government Scholarship — PIF Program | Students and scholars from Pacific Island countries (section I(III) table) | Undergraduates, postgraduates, general scholars, senior scholars | Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat (website given in the guide: www.forumsec.org) | Application Guide for Chinese Government Scholarship |
| Chinese Government Scholarship — WMO Program | Aspiring international students and scholars in meteorological research (section I(III) table) | Undergraduates, postgraduates | WMO (website given in the guide: http://www.wmo.int/) | Application Guide for Chinese Government Scholarship |
| Chinese Government Scholarship — Student Exchange Program | General and senior scholars supported under exchange and cooperation agreements between Chinese universities and foreign partners, for a training session of no more than 12 months (section I(IV)) | General scholars, senior scholars | Chinese universities and their foreign partners (section I(IV)) | Application Guide for Chinese Government Scholarship |
| ASEAN-China Young Leaders Scholarship (ACYLS) | ASEAN nationals, in particular young and promising professionals with working experience in ASEAN Member States (Guidebook, Introduction) | Master or PhD degrees, short-term research programmes, and training courses in the PRC | The ACYLS national focal point of the applicant's home country, or the AUN Secretariat for faculty and staff of ASEAN universities applying through AUN and its Thematic Networks; online submission through CGSIS is compulsory for each applicant (Guidebook, application sections) | Guidebook to the ASEAN-China Young Leaders Scholarship |
| MOFCOM Scholarship — CSC Program | Governmental officials, research fellows, and senior managerial personnel from recipient countries; from 2015 it mainly sponsors young and middle-aged talents from recipient countries (Enrollment Guide, Introduction) | One-year and two-year master programmes, and three-year doctoral programmes | The relevant department of the applicant's own government first gives approval and recommendation; where that government allows direct submission, the Economic and Commercial Counselor's Office of the Chinese Embassy in the applicant's country (Enrollment Guide, sections II and V) | MOFCOM SCHOLARSHIP-CSC Program (Enrollment Guide) |
| Youth of Excellence Scheme of China Program (YES China) | The programme trains global governance talents with a broad international perspective, superior comprehensive quality, outstanding leadership and multicultural background; supporting candidates are Master students (sections 1 and 2) | Master students, leading to a master's degree (in principle 12 months; some programmes follow "1+1") (section 2) | The China Scholarship Council, which "accepts individual applications directly" through its online system, after the applicant has a pre-admission letter from one of the subprogrammes (section 4) | Youth of Excellence Scheme of China Program Chinese Government Scholarship |
| Chinese Trade Unions Silk Road Scholarship (CTUSRS) | Citizens of a country other than the PRC, preferably from countries along the "Belt and Road"; at least a high school certificate; at least one-year work experience, preferably in China-related affairs; under age 45; not a concurrent awardee of a Chinese government scholarship (Eligibility) | One year of Chinese language study as a scholar; the online form is completed with "Apply As: General Scholar" (Introduction; section III) | Online application through CGSIS with Program Category "Type A" and Agency Number "00009"; the notice names no office that receives paper documents (section III) | Chinese Trade Unions Silk Road Scholarship |
| China Link Short-term Scientific Exchange Scholarship Program (2026) | General scholars: current undergraduates or graduates; senior scholars: current PhD candidates or faculties; non-PRC citizens in good health, under 45 (general) or under 50 (senior), registered or employed at a CSC foreign partner university, holding admission qualification from a host Chinese university (sections 2.1 and 4) | General scholar, senior scholar (section 2.1) | The host Chinese university gives admission qualification, then the applicant applies in the CSC online system (studyinchina.csc.edu.cn); host universities submit the nomination list to CSC (sections 5.1–5.3) | China Link Short-term Scientific Exchange Scholarship Program (2026) |
| International Chinese Language Teachers Scholarship (ICLT) | Eligible Chinese language teachers outside China, and outstanding students, recommended by Recommending Institutions: Confucius Institutes, independent Confucius Classrooms, selected HSK test centers, foreign educational institutions, Chinese language teacher training programmes/Chinese departments at foreign universities, professional associations for Chinese language teaching, Chinese embassies and consulates abroad (preamble) | Doctor's, Master's and Bachelor's degree scholarships, and one-year, one-semester and four-week study programmes (section II, items 1–6) | Recommending Institutions recommend candidates; the application website named in the page is chinese.cn | Application Guidelines for International Chinese Language Teachers Scholarship 2025 |
How the Chinese Government Scholarship categories work
The Application Guide for Chinese Government Scholarship sets out four categories in section I. The Bilateral Program follows agreements between the Chinese government and other governments or institutions, and the application goes to the dispatching department of the home country (section I(I)). The University Program runs through designated Chinese universities, and the application goes to those universities (section I(II)). The Designated Scholarship Programs in section I(III) are set up under agreements between China and international organizations and institutions; the applicant files with the international organization or institution concerned, and the table in that section names the receiving agency for each programme. The Student Exchange Program in section I(IV) is launched under agreements between Chinese universities and foreign partners, and the applicant files with the Chinese universities and their foreign partners.
The separately published notices
The ASEAN-China Young Leaders Scholarship, MOFCOM Scholarship — CSC Program, Youth of Excellence Scheme of China Program, Chinese Trade Unions Silk Road Scholarship, China Link Short-term Scientific Exchange Scholarship Program (2026) and the International Chinese Language Teachers Scholarship are published in their own notices, not in the Application Guide. Each of those notices sets its own route, shown in the table: ACYLS through the national focal points or the AUN Secretariat, MOFCOM first through the relevant department of the applicant's own government and, only where that government allows direct submission, the Economic and Commercial Counselor's Office of the Chinese Embassy, YES China directly to the China Scholarship Council online, and the Silk Road Scholarship through the online system with its own agency number.
Questions people ask
Do I send every application to the China Scholarship Council?
No. The notices name different receiving bodies. The Bilateral Program goes to the dispatching department of the home country, the University Program and Student Exchange Program go to the Chinese universities (with their foreign partners for exchange), and the Designated Scholarship Programs go to the international organization or institution concerned. China Link applications go through the host Chinese university and the CSC online system. ACYLS applications go to the national focal points or the AUN Secretariat; MOFCOM applicants first obtain the approval and recommendation of the relevant department of their own government and submit as that department requires; only where that government allows direct submission do they hand documents to the Economic and Commercial Counselor's Office of the Chinese Embassy, and applications without that office's recommendation are not considered (Enrollment Guide, section V); YES China applications are accepted directly by the China Scholarship Council online; Silk Road Scholarship applications are made online with Agency Number "00009".
Does the University Program name the degrees it supports?
Section I(II) of the Application Guide for Chinese Government Scholarship says the supporting student categories are various and subject to the requirements of each university; it does not name a degree level. The same section says an applicant files with the Chinese universities undertaking this program.
Are scholarships run by one province or one university in this table?
No. The table covers national schemes only. Province-level scholarships and scholarships run by a single university are outside this table, and they are also outside the scholarship match tool's 19 national entries.
Sources
- Application Guide for Chinese Government Scholarship, China Scholarship Council (Campus China, campuschina.org)
- Guidebook to the ASEAN-China Young Leaders Scholarship, China Scholarship Council (Campus China, campuschina.org)
- MOFCOM SCHOLARSHIP-CSC Program (Enrollment Guide), China Scholarship Council (Campus China, campuschina.org)
- Youth of Excellence Scheme of China Program Chinese Government Scholarship, China Scholarship Council (Campus China, campuschina.org)
- Chinese Trade Unions Silk Road Scholarship, China Scholarship Council (Campus China, campuschina.org)
- China Link Short-term Scientific Exchange Scholarship Program (2026), China Scholarship Council (Campus China, campuschina.org)
- Application Guidelines for International Chinese Language Teachers Scholarship 2025, Center for Language Education and Cooperation (CLEC, chinese.cn)
Checked 10 October 2026
This page is an unofficial summary, is not legal or immigration advice, is not published by the bodies named, and the official text and the instructions of the body handling your application prevail if they differ.