How does HEC nomination for the Chinese Government Scholarship work?

Under the Chinese Embassy in Pakistan's guidance for the 2021/2022 academic year, you applied to the Higher Education Commission (HEC) of Pakistan for nomination first, then completed the online application in the CSC system, then handed the printed hard copies to HEC's HRD office before the deadline HEC set — and the embassy accepted only files that HEC forwarded. The embassy stated that it did not accept individual applications. That guidance was published on 10 December 2020 and every date in it belongs to that one intake.

The steps as that guidance printed them

Section III of Guidance of Applying for the Chinese Government Scholarship Bilateral Program (2021/2022 Academic Year), published by the Embassy of the People's Republic of China in Pakistan, gives four steps:

1. Apply to the Higher Education Commission for CGS nomination.
2. Apply to your target universities for pre-admission letters before submitting the online application, if those letters are available. The guidance states that CSC cannot guarantee enrollment at your target university if no pre-admission notice is obtained.
3. Complete the online application in the CGS Information Management System for International Students (log on to http://www.csc.edu.cn/studyinchina or http://www.campuschina.org and click "Application Online"), submit the completed application form online, and print a hard copy.
4. Submit all hard copies of the application documents to the HEC HRD office in Pakistan before the deadline required by HEC.

The guidance adds one note under those steps: "The Chinese Embassy in Pakistan only accepts application documents forwarded by HEC."

Who decides the nomination

Section I of the same guidance states that the Embassy of the People's Republic of China in Pakistan entrusts the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan to select and nominate qualified candidates for the Chinese Government Scholarship Bilateral Program, and that the embassy does not accept individual applications. It also states that individual applicants may apply directly to Chinese universities for scholarships through other programs, with information at www.csc.edu.cn/laihua or http://www.campuschina.org — that is a different route from the bilateral program described here.

That section also describes the bilateral program as full or partial scholarships under educational exchange agreements or consensus between the Chinese government and governments of other countries, institutions, universities or international organizations, supporting undergraduate, postgraduate and PhD programs as well as general scholar and senior scholar non-degree programs. It states that 289 designated Chinese universities offered programs at that time, across science, engineering, agriculture, medicine, economics, legal studies, management, education, history, literature, philosophy and fine arts.

This is one embassy's guidance for applicants it handled. It is written here as that embassy's statement, not as a rule for Chinese embassies or consulates generally.

The documents the guidance listed

Section IV lists these documents:

• Application Form for Chinese Government Scholarship (in Chinese or English).
• Copy of passport home page — a clear scanned copy of an ordinary passport with validity later than 1 March 2022, a date that belonged to that intake. If the passport did not meet the requirement, applicants were told to get a new passport first; with the dispatching authority's permission, applicants who could not get one in time could instead submit a scanned identity certificate or official document showing English name, gender, nationality and date of birth.
• Notarized highest diploma — prospective diploma winners submitted official proof of student status from their current school; documents in languages other than Chinese or English needed notarized Chinese or English translations.
• Academic transcripts, with the same translation rule.
• Study plan or research proposal in Chinese or English — a minimum of 200 words for undergraduates, 500 words for non-degree students and 800 words for postgraduates.
• Two recommendation letters in Chinese or English from professors or associate professors, for applicants to graduate programs or senior scholar programs.
• Works, for applicants to music studies (their own works) and fine arts programs (two sketches, two color paintings and two other works).
• Valid documents of legal guardians in China, for applicants under 18.
• Foreigner Physical Examination Form, for stays of more than six months: a photocopy of the form completed in English, with the original kept by the applicant. The guidance says the form is designed by the Chinese quarantine authority and can be obtained from the dispatching authority, that the examination must cover every item on the form, that records missing the physician's signature, the hospital's official stamp or a sealed photograph of the applicant are invalid, and that the result is valid for only six months.
• Non-criminal record report — a valid certificate issued by the local public security authority, usually issued within six months before the application is submitted.
• If applicable: a pre-admission letter from a Chinese Government Scholarship university, and a language qualification certificate such as an HSK certificate or an IELTS or TOEFL report.

The guidance closes the list with a reminder that all uploaded supporting documents must be clear, authentic and valid, recommends scanning with a professional device, and states that applicants bear the consequences of unclear or unidentifiable uploaded materials.

What the official page does not say

The embassy page states that the arrangement described applied to the 2021/2022 academic year; whether the same arrangement applies to a later intake is not stated on the page. The Higher Education Commission of Pakistan's own website could not be read and is not a source here, so HEC's own deadline, internal form and any current call for nomination are not stated on this page. For the current year, take the instructions from HEC or from the Chinese Embassy in Pakistan.

The sections read for this page do not state how many nominations HEC makes, how long its selection takes, or how it ranks applicants.

Related questions

Can I send my application straight to the embassy instead of HEC?

No, not under this guidance. Section I states that the Chinese Embassy in Pakistan entrusts HEC to select and nominate candidates and does not accept individual applications, and the note to section III states that the embassy accepts only application documents forwarded by HEC. The guidance does point to a separate route — applying directly to Chinese universities for scholarships through other programs, with information at www.csc.edu.cn/laihua or http://www.campuschina.org.

Do I need a pre-admission letter from a Chinese university?

The guidance treats it as optional but useful: step (b) says to apply to target universities for pre-admission letters before submitting the online application if available, and states that CSC cannot guarantee enrollment at your target university without a pre-admission notice. In section IV the pre-admission letter appears under "submit the following documents if applicable".

What does the guidance say about the student visa afterwards?

Section VIII says to refer to the website of the Chinese Embassy or Consulate General in Karachi for study visa application information, and lists documents that "may include but not only limited to" a completed visa application form, a passport with at least six months of remaining validity and blank visa pages, a recent bareheaded color passport photo on a white background, the admission letter, "Visa Application for Study in China" (Form JW201), a notarized highest diploma attested by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan, and a police character or clearance certificate attested by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan. It reminds holders of a study visa to apply to local exit/entry administrations of public security organs for a foreigners' residence permit within 30 days of entry, and notes that the original JW201 form should be returned to applicants for that purpose.

Sources

• Guidance of Applying for the Chinese Government Scholarship Bilateral Program (2021/2022 Academic Year) — Embassy of the People's Republic of China in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan
• CSC Study in China — China Scholarship Council
• Campus China — China Scholarship Council

Checked 10 October 2026

This page is an unofficial summary, is not legal or immigration advice, is not published by or affiliated with the bodies named, and if the official text or the instructions of the university, embassy or exit-entry office handling your case differ from what is written here, theirs prevail.