How do I apply for the Chinese Government Scholarship?
Unofficial answer · Sources checked
You do not send one application to one office: you apply through an "application receiving agency", and which agency that is depends on the scholarship programme — the Bilateral Program goes through the dispatching department of your home country, the University Program through the Chinese university itself, the designated scholarship programs through the international organisation concerned, and the Student Exchange Program through the Chinese university and its foreign partner. You then fill in and submit the Application Form for Chinese Government Scholarship online in the Chinese Government Scholarship Information System. The China Scholarship Council (CSC) reviews the applications and notifies the admission results to the application receiving agency, which informs you.
What the rules say
The Application Guide for Chinese Government Scholarship sets out the process in section V as seven steps, in this order:
- Learn about the designated Chinese universities and the majors they offer, and identify your preferred scholarship programme, designated university and major. The guide names visiting websites, including http://www.campuschina.org, or other means.
- Reach the designated university for admission documents.
- Reach an application receiving agency for a recommendation.
- Fill in and submit the Application Form for Chinese Government Scholarship online via the Chinese Government Scholarship Information System (http://www.campuschina.org).
- The application receiving agency submits the recommended candidates list and the applicants' application documents.
- The CSC organises the designated universities and experts concerned to examine applicants' eligibility and academic performance before finalising the short-list candidates.
- The CSC notifies the admission results to the application receiving agency, which then has the applicant informed.
Steps 1 to 4 are the applicant's; steps 5 to 7 are carried out by the agency and the CSC. The login page of the Chinese Government Scholarship Information System read for this page shows a "CREATE AN ACCOUNT" link and two kinds of sign-in — "Applicant/Student User" and "Other User" — but it does not describe the application steps; those are in the guide.
Where your application goes
The programme you apply under decides who receives the application. Section I of the guide states this as follows.
| Programme | Student categories | Where the application goes |
|---|---|---|
| Bilateral Program | Undergraduates, postgraduates, general and senior scholars | The dispatching department of your home country |
| University Program | Varies, subject to the requirements of each university | The Chinese universities undertaking this program |
| Designated Scholarship Programs | Varies by program | The international organisations and institutions concerned: the Great Wall Program to the National Commission for UNESCO in the home country, the EU Program to the Office for Education and Culture, Mission of the PRC to the EU, the AUN Program to the AUN Secretariat, the PIF Program to the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat, and the WMO Program to WMO |
| Student Exchange Program | General and senior scholars, for a training session of no more than 12 months | Chinese universities and their foreign partners |
The Bilateral Program is described as operating under cooperation and exchange agreements or consensus between the Chinese government and the governments and institutions of other nations. The designated programs are set up under cooperation agreements between China and international organisations and institutions. The University Program finances international students who are directly recommended by designated Chinese universities; in the page text read for this page, one word of that sentence is masked and is not reproduced here. The Student Exchange Program runs under exchange and cooperation agreements between Chinese universities and foreign partners.
Who decides
The CSC organises the designated universities and experts concerned to examine eligibility and academic performance before finalising the short-list, and then notifies the results. The result reaches you through the application receiving agency, not directly from the CSC. The agency's own role in the process is to give the recommendation, submit the candidates list and the application documents, and pass on the result.
What the official pages do not say
The parts of the application guide read for this page give no deadlines and no list of required documents, so neither is stated here. The guide page carries no publication date and no academic year. Only the public login page of the Chinese Government Scholarship Information System was read, and it does not explain the application steps. Where you need a deadline, a document list or the status of a specific application, ask the office handling your case: the application receiving agency named by your programme, or the international student office of the university you are applying to.
Related questions
Do I send my application straight to a Chinese university?
Only under two of the four routes. Under the University Program you file with the Chinese universities undertaking the program, and under the Student Exchange Program you file with the Chinese universities and their foreign partners. Under the Bilateral Program you file with the dispatching department of your home country, and under the designated scholarship programs you file with the international organisation or institution concerned.
Where do I fill in the scholarship application form?
Online, in the Chinese Government Scholarship Information System, as step 4 of the guide's process; the system's login page offers "Applicant/Student User" and "Other User" sign-in and a "CREATE AN ACCOUNT" link for new users.
How long is a Student Exchange Program stay?
The guide describes the Student Exchange Program as supporting general and senior scholars for a training session of no more than 12 months.
Sources
- Application Guide for Chinese Government Scholarship — China Scholarship Council (Campus China, campuschina.org)
- Chinese Government Scholarship Information System, login page — China Scholarship Council (studyinchina.csc.edu.cn)
Checked 10 October 2026
This page is an unofficial summary, is not legal or immigration advice, is not published by or affiliated with the China Scholarship Council or any university, embassy or scholarship body, and if the official text or the instructions of the university, agency or office handling your case differ from what is written here, theirs prevail.