CSC Scholarship From Sri Lanka: MOHE Route & Key Dates
By CSC Path Editorial, checked against official CSC and university sources.
Sri Lanka's Ministry call lands mid-November and closes in three weeks, with interviews at short notice and a rule that declining bars you from future scholarships. The verified guide.
1.Route 1: the MOHE route (Type A)
The Ministry of Education, Higher Education and Vocational Education (mohe.gov.lk) runs an open call, shortlists, interviews, and nominates, with the crucial caveat in its own words: "The final selections will be made by the Chinese Scholarship Council (CSC) as the awarding authority. Therefore, no candidate should treat his/her nomination... as an acceptance for an award." The 2026/27 cycle (both notices dated November 14, 2025, deadline December 6, 2025, applied at foreignscholarships.mohe.gov.lk): Undergraduate: 2 scholarships (under 25, minimum 3 passes at 2024 A/Levels, English "C" at O/L, instruction in Chinese with a preparatory year if below HSK3, shortlisting by Z-score + interview; UGC-selected internal students may not apply) (official UG notice PDF); Postgraduate: 10 scholarships (master's under 35 / PhD under 40, 4-year SLQF-6 bachelor's with First or Second-Upper, HSK4 for Chinese-taught or IELTS/TOEFL per university; government employees apply through their institution head; GPA shortlisting + structured interview) (official PG notice PDF).
2.Rules that surprise applicants
From the official notices: interviews are called "at short notice" with originals required; declining after selection bars you from all future MOHE scholarships; canvassing = disqualification; recipients are removed from the UGC internal admission stream; travel costs are always self-funded; and bachelor's applicants must now sit the CSCA exam at their own cost (sittings were December 21, 2025 / January 25, 2026; see our CSCA guide). Stipends: CNY 2,500/month (UG), 3,000 (master's), 3,500 (PhD).
3.Route 2: Type B direct applications
The standard direct route via campuschina.org (Type B, the university's agency number; university nominates, CSC approves) is fully open to Sri Lankans and has no MOHE gate; the window runs roughly November–March depending on university (BNU example). With only 12 bilateral seats total, Type B in parallel is the rational play (our letters guide).
4.Legalizing Sri Lankan documents (3 steps)
Sri Lanka is not an Apostille contracting party (HCCH table). Per the Chinese Embassy's official procedure: (1) notarization (police clearance via Police HQ; sworn-translator translations; affidavits via commissioner for oaths), (2) attestation by the Consular Affairs Division, Sri Lanka MFA (online appointments; regional offices in Kandy, Jaffna, Matara and others; Department of Examinations certificates only via Colombo), (3) legalization at the Chinese Embassy Consular Office (Rs 8,060/civil document, collection 4th working day).
5.Visa: no visa center, it's online + embassy
No CVASC operates in Colombo. Since June 30, 2025 all mainland-China visa applications run through the China Online Visa Processing System (consular.mfa.gov.cn/VISA/): online form + upload, then in-person passport submission and biometrics at the embassy (120/3B Vidya Mawatha, Colombo 07); pre-review 1–3 working days, post-submission 3–4; apply 2–3 weeks ahead (official embassy notice).
6.Timeline + pitfalls for 2027-28
Pattern: MOHE notices ~mid-November 2026, deadline ~early December, interviews shortly after, CSC portal submission January–March, results mid-2027, embassy award ceremony ~August (the 2025/26 ceremony was August 13 with ~30 recipients, per embassy report). Pitfalls: the MOHE deadline lands ~2 months before China-side deadlines and isn't repeated; 3-year general degrees don't meet the 4-year SLQF-6 requirement for master's; only one CSC-portal application allowed; incomplete/late = rejected.
Twelve seats and a three-week window: preparation decides it. Our $50 shortlisting session maps MOHE + Type B targets; the Full CSC Package ($700) runs both.
*CSC Path is an independent educational resource, not affiliated with the China Scholarship Council. Always verify through official sources.*
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