Beijing Government Scholarship: Tuition Waivers Explained
By CSC Path Editorial, checked against official CSC and university sources.
Studying in Beijing without CSC? The BGS knocks out your tuition, if you apply through your university at the right moment. What it covers, and what it doesn't.
1.What is the Beijing Government Scholarship (BGS)?
A municipal scholarship funded by the Beijing government for international students at Beijing universities. It is fundamentally a tuition-waiver scholarship: full or partial tuition, tiered at up to ¥40,000/year (PhD), ¥30,000 (master's), ¥20,000 (bachelor's), with smaller tiers for long-term training/language students (¥10,000) and exchange students (¥5,000) (Beijing municipal portal). Unlike CSC, the standard BGS does not include a stipend, accommodation, or insurance, so budget those separately.
2.Who's eligible?
Non-Chinese citizens enrolled (or admitted) at Beijing higher-education institutions, in good health, meeting the standard age/degree norms (bachelor's under 25/30, master's under 35, doctoral under 40 depending on university), with solid academic records, and not holding another Chinese government scholarship at the same time. Each university applies its own competitive criteria on top.
3.How to apply (through your university, not the city)
There is no central application portal for students: you apply through the international student office of your Beijing university, which nominates candidates to the municipal education commission. Examples: Peking University runs its BGS round via the ISD office (PKU page); Beijing Normal University lists BGS among its admissions scholarships (BNU page). Deadlines are typically by end of February for the September intake, but each university sets its own; check the exact date on your university's scholarship page when notices publish (usually December–January).
4.BGS vs CSC vs other Beijing funding
CSC full scholarship = tuition + housing + stipend + insurance; BGS = tuition only. So BGS is the right tool when: you missed CSC, you're self-funded and want the biggest single cost removed, or your university's CSC quota is exhausted. Beijing universities also run their own awards (e.g., chancellor/freshman scholarships) that can sometimes be combined with BGS where rules allow; always ask the international office what's stackable. For fully-funded alternatives, compare Shanghai's SGS (which does include a stipend at Type A level) and CSC.
5.Strategy for 2027 applicants
If Beijing is your target city: apply CSC Type B at your Beijing university (deadlines Dec–Mar) AND tick/submit the BGS application in the same admission season (by ~February). They're separate decisions, and if CSC comes through you simply take the better award (you can't hold both). Universities to browse in our directory: Peking, Tsinghua, plus dozens of BGS-participating Beijing schools (directory). Beijing's funding landscape has three layers: CSC, BGS, university awards. The $50 shortlisting session tells you which combination your profile can realistically win. *CSC Path is an independent educational resource, not affiliated with the China Scholarship Council. Always verify through official sources.*
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