Can undergraduates get a full scholarship in China?
Unofficial answer · Sources checked
Yes. The Application Guide for Chinese Government Scholarship lists undergraduate programmes among the scholarship's supported categories, with eligibility set at a high-school diploma or its equivalent, being under 25 when applying, and a valid score report for the China Scholastic Competency Assessment (CSCA). Its coverage section lists tuition fees, free university dormitory or an accommodation subsidy, a monthly stipend of CNY 2,500 for undergraduates, and comprehensive medical insurance. One condition applies on top of that: undergraduates appear in some of the programmes listed in the guide and not in others, so the programme you apply through decides whether an undergraduate application is possible at all.
What the rules say
Section IV of the Application Guide for Chinese Government Scholarship sets the eligibility conditions. For an undergraduate applicant they are:
- a citizen of a country other than the People's Republic of China, in good health mentally and physically;
- academically excellent, holding a high-school diploma or its equivalent, and under 25 when applying;
- a valid CSCA score report, obtained by registering for and taking the assessment before the application deadline (the guide gives the CSCA website as www.csca.cn, and tells applicants to ask the target institution which test subjects their major requires);
- for a programme taught in a language other than Chinese, meeting the university's own admission requirements on language proficiency and academic ability.
Section III sets what the scholarship pays for, and the stipend differs by level.
| Level | Monthly stipend |
|---|---|
| Undergraduates | CNY 2,500 |
| Master's students / general scholars | CNY 3,000 |
| Doctoral students / senior scholars | CNY 3,500 |
The same section lists tuition fees, free university dormitory or an accommodation subsidy, and comprehensive medical insurance at CNY 800 per person per year, or CNY 400 per person for programmes lasting less than six months.
A second scholarship also has a bachelor's category. The Application Guidelines for International Chinese Language Teachers Scholarship 2025 include the Scholarship for Bachelor's Degree in International Chinese Language Education, which commences in September 2025 and is provided for a maximum of four academic years. As printed, applicants must hold a senior high school diploma and have a minimum score of 210 on the HSK Test (Level 4) and 60 on the HSKK test (Intermediate Level). Those guidelines are dated January 2025 and were written for programmes starting between July 2025 and March 2026, so every date in them belongs to that cycle.
Which programmes take undergraduates
The guide's scholarship programme table names a supporting category for each programme. The table has five rows:
| Programme | Undergraduates listed | Receiving agency named in the row |
|---|---|---|
| EU Program (EU member states) | Yes, with postgraduates, general scholars, senior scholars | Office for Education and Culture, Mission of the PRC to the EU |
| PIF Program (Pacific Island countries) | Yes, with postgraduates, general scholars, senior scholars | Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat |
| WMO Program (meteorological research) | Yes, with postgraduates | WMO |
| Great Wall Program (developing countries) | No; postgraduates, general scholars, senior scholars | National Commission for UNESCO in the home country |
| AUN Program (ASEAN member states) | No; postgraduates | AUN Secretariat |
The Bilateral Program and the University Program are described above the table, in section I. Section I (I) says the Bilateral Program is open to undergraduates, postgraduates, general and senior scholars, and that an applicant files with the dispatching department of their home country. Section I (II) says the supporting student categories of the University Program are various and subject to the requirements of each of the designated universities. The embassy or the university's international student office handling your application can tell you whether that route accepts undergraduates.
What you have to submit
Section VI lists the application documents. Those that bear on an undergraduate application are:
- the online Application Form for Chinese Government Scholarship;
- a clear scanned copy of the information page of an ordinary passport; if the passport expires less than 12 months from the expected start of study, renew it and apply with the new one;
- a notarised photocopy of the diploma and certificate of highest education, plus academic records, with notarised Chinese or English translations where the originals are in another language;
- the CSCA score report;
- pre-admission documents issued by the universities you apply to;
- a study plan in Chinese or English of no less than 200 words for undergraduates;
- if you are under 18, the legal documents of your legal guardian(s) in China;
- for study in China of more than six months, a photocopy of the Foreigner Physical Examination Form; the results are valid for six months;
- a valid Certificate of Non-Criminal Record, usually issued within six months before the application is submitted.
What the official pages do not say
The Campus China page carrying the guide has no publication date and no academic year, so it states no deadline or intake year for the current cycle; ask the university you are applying to, or the embassy handling the scholarship route. The coverage section does not print an amount for the accommodation subsidy, only the choice between a dormitory and a subsidy. The guide requires a valid CSCA score report but does not print a minimum CSCA score. Appendix 1 of the International Chinese Language Teachers Scholarship 2025 guidelines gives coverage figures that apply to undergraduates: a living allowance of RMB 2,500 per person per month, free on-campus accommodation (RMB 700 per person per month for students other than doctoral students who live off-campus with the Host Institution's approval), and comprehensive medical insurance at RMB 800 per person per year for students studying more than one year. It prints no tuition amount.
Related questions
How much does an undergraduate receive each month?
CNY 2,500 per month, according to section III of the guide. Master's students and general scholars are listed at CNY 3,000, doctoral students and senior scholars at CNY 3,500.
Does the scholarship pay for housing, or only tuition?
Both. The coverage section lists tuition fees and "free university dormitory or accommodation subsidy". The page does not print a subsidy amount and does not say who chooses between the two.
Do undergraduates need an HSK score for this scholarship?
Section IV of the guide attaches HSK levels to other categories: Level 3 for Chinese-taught general scholar and senior scholar programmes, Level 4 for Chinese-taught master's and doctoral programmes. For a bachelor's programme the same section requires the CSCA score report, and for a programme taught in a language other than Chinese it requires you to meet the university's admission requirements. See do I need HSK to study in China.
Sources
- Application Guide for Chinese Government Scholarship — 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 of the official texts named above; it is not legal or immigration advice, is not published by or affiliated with the bodies named, and where the official text or the instructions of the university, embassy or exit-entry office handling your case differ, those prevail.