What is the JW201 form?
Unofficial answer · Sources checked
The JW201 form is the "Visa Application for Study in China" (外国留学人员来华签证申请表, JW201表). The Ministry of Education's reply of 15 February 2008 states that it is used for Chinese Government Scholarship students and for students who come to study in China through government exchange channels, and that the formalities are handled by the secretariat of the China Scholarship Council in consultation with the universities concerned. Along with the JW202 form, it is described in that reply as an important document for the study visa, entry, registration at the university and residence procedures.
What the rules say
The reply answers a question dated 13 December 2007 and was published on 15 February 2008. The reply is published in Chinese; the English wording on this page is this site's translation of that Chinese text.
- Form JW201 is for Chinese Government Scholarship students and for students coming through inter-governmental exchange channels. The formalities are handled by the secretariat of the China Scholarship Council in consultation with the universities concerned.
- Form JW202 is for self-funded students. Each university handles it for the students it has admitted.
- Both forms are described as important documents for obtaining the study visa, entering China, registering at the university and completing residence procedures.
| Form | Who it is for | Who handles it |
|---|---|---|
| JW201 | Chinese Government Scholarship students; students coming through government exchange channels | Secretariat of the China Scholarship Council, in consultation with the universities concerned |
| JW202 | Self-funded students | The university that has admitted the student |
Both rows come from the Ministry of Education reply of 15 February 2008. The same reply adds that any institution enrolling foreign students can provide the JW202 form, and that a private university may apply to the local provincial education administrative department and, once approval is given, obtain the JW202 form as needed.
Who issues it and who decides
The 2008 reply puts the JW201 formalities with the China Scholarship Council secretariat and the universities, not with the student. A scholarship guidebook shows how that reaches the student: the Guidebook to the ASEAN-China Young Leaders Scholarship, published by the China Scholarship Council on Campus China, states in its scholarship confirmation section that winners receive the final results from the Council by email before 31 July and receive the admission documents — the Admission Letter and the Confirmation Form for Study in China (JW201) — from the host universities. That timing and that delivery route are conditions of that scholarship, not a general rule for studying in China.
For the visa itself, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs consular service instruction for the X1 visa lists two documents: the Admission Letter issued by a school or other admitting entity in China, and the Confirmation Form for Study in China (Form JW201 or Form JW202). It states that the holder must, within 30 days of entering China, apply for a residence permit at the exit-entry administration of the public security bureau of the people's government at or above the county level of the intended place of residence.
The Embassy of the People's Republic of China in Pakistan, in its guidance for the Chinese Government Scholarship Bilateral Program for the 2021/2022 academic year, lists the original and a photocopy of the "Visa Application for Study in China" (Form JW201) among the basic documents for a study visa application, and notes that the original JW201 form should be returned to applicants for foreigners' residence permits in China. That is that embassy's statement for that intake, not a rule stated for all Chinese missions.
What the official pages do not say
The 2008 reply does not describe the layout or fields of the form and says nothing about downloading it. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs consular instruction states that documents are required "as required by the Chinese Embassy or Consulate-General in your locality", so the mission handling an individual application still governs what is submitted; that page gives no fees and no processing times. The Pakistan embassy page was published on 10 December 2020 for the 2021/2022 academic year, and whether the same arrangement applies to a later intake is not stated on that page. Where the pages read for this page are silent, ask the university's international student office or the Chinese embassy or consulate handling your application.
Related questions
Is the JW201 form the same as the JW202 form?
No. The 2008 reply assigns JW201 to Chinese Government Scholarship students and students on government exchange channels, handled by the China Scholarship Council secretariat with the universities, and JW202 to self-funded students, handled by the admitting university.
Do I need the JW201 form to apply for an X1 visa?
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs consular instruction for the X1 visa lists the Admission Letter and the Confirmation Form for Study in China, naming Form JW201 or Form JW202, and states that documents are required as the Chinese embassy or consulate-general in your locality requires.
Should the original JW201 form be kept after arrival in China?
The Pakistan embassy's 2021/2022 guidance states that the original JW201 form should be returned to applicants for foreigners' residence permits in China. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs instruction states that the residence permit application must be made within 30 days of entry.
When does a scholarship student receive the JW201 form?
The ASEAN-China Young Leaders Scholarship guidebook states that winners receive the final results from the China Scholarship Council by email before 31 July and then receive the Admission Letter and the Confirmation Form for Study in China (JW201) from the host universities.
Sources
- Ministry of Education — reply of 15 February 2008 on the difference between forms JW201 and JW202 — Ministry of Education
- Guidebook to the ASEAN-China Young Leaders Scholarship — China Scholarship Council (Campus China)
- 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
- Visa Application Instructions of the People's Republic of China — Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the PRC (China Consular Services)
Checked 11 October 2026
This page is an unofficial summary, is not legal or immigration advice, is not published by or affiliated with the Ministry of Education, the China Scholarship Council, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or any embassy, and the official text and the instructions of the university, embassy or exit-entry office handling your case prevail if they differ.