Other Scholarships & the Self-Funded Route to Studying in China

Chinese-government and university scholarships worth knowing about (all separate from CSC: you can apply in parallel):

• Chinese Government Scholarship – Silk Road Program (Belt & Road): country-specific quotas for citizens of Belt & Road partner countries. Similar coverage to CSC. Application usually through the Chinese embassy.
• Provincial Government Scholarships: each Chinese province and major city runs its own scheme. The strongest are Beijing Government Scholarship (BGS), Shanghai Government Scholarship (SGS), Jiangsu Jasmine Scholarship, Guangdong Government Scholarship, Zhejiang Government Scholarship. Coverage ranges from partial tuition to full tuition + monthly stipend. Usually less competitive than CSC.
• University Scholarships: individual universities offer their own "President's Scholarship," "International Excellence Award," in-study achievement awards, and: for MBBS especially: first-year enrolment discounts. Many universities offer 30–100% tuition waivers for high-performing self-funded students after year 1.
• Confucius Institute Scholarship (now CIS/ICLT): for students studying Chinese language, Teaching Chinese to Speakers of Other Languages, or Chinese culture. Full tuition + stipend, typically CNY 2,500–3,500/month.

Full landscape and current status on our Scholarships overview.

Full scholarship typically covers:

• 100% tuition
• Free dormitory OR a monthly housing allowance
• Monthly living stipend (CNY 2,500–3,500)
• Comprehensive medical insurance

Partial scholarship can mean any subset. Common combinations:

• Tuition-only: free tuition, no stipend, no accommodation. You still pay for living costs: realistic USD 3,500–8,000/year out of pocket.
• Tuition + accommodation: free tuition and dorm, no stipend. Out of pocket USD 2,000–4,500/year for food, personal, transport.
• Tuition + insurance: free tuition and health cover, no dorm, no stipend. Out of pocket similar to tuition-only.

Always confirm exactly what your admission letter includes. The word "scholarship" alone means very little: read the fine print.

Provincial scholarships in particular vary: some are full CSC-equivalent, others are one-time tuition waivers. Check the current status on our Scholarships overview.

Realistic all-in annual budget for self-funded international students:

• Budget option: tier-2/3 city, mid-tier university, shared dorm, canteen food, no travel: USD 5,500–8,500/year.
• Standard option: solid tier-2 university, dorm or shared apartment, mixed food: USD 8,000–12,500/year.
• Premium option: top university in Beijing/Shanghai, off-campus studio, eating out often, travel: USD 15,000–22,000/year.

For English-taught MBBS specifically: USD 6,500–13,500/year all-in including tuition, dorm, food, and internship expenses.

Self-funded students often qualify for university-level scholarships in year 2 based on first-year grades: a 30% or 50% tuition waiver is common. Some students plan around this: start self-funded with modest first-year budget, then reduce costs from year 2 through in-study aid.

See our detailed page on Self-Funded Study for a per-tier breakdown, direct-admission steps and MBBS specifics.

Chinese embassies require applicants for the X1 student visa (self-funded) to show ability to cover the first year of tuition + living costs. Typical thresholds requested:

• Bank statement in your name (or a sponsor's name with a notarised support letter) showing at least USD 8,000–12,000 available and stable for the last 3–6 months.
• Some embassies accept fixed deposits, mutual funds or property valuation in addition to a savings account.
• If sponsored by a parent or employer: a notarised affidavit of financial support + sponsor's bank statement + sponsor's ID.

Some universities (especially for MBBS) also require this as part of the university admission itself before issuing the JW202 form for the visa.

Do not show funds that suddenly appeared in your account the week before applying: embassies flag this as suspicious. Ideally, funds should be in place 3+ months before you apply. A ready-to-adapt affidavit of financial support template is on our Templates page.

Yes: and this is a widely-used strategy for applicants with a borderline profile.

Two common pathways:

• University in-study scholarships (year 2 onwards): most Chinese universities offer merit-based tuition waivers of 30–100% starting in year 2, based on first-year GPA (usually 85%+ or top 10% of class). This includes many top-tier universities. Ask the international office for the exact criteria at your target university.
• CSC Type B for continuing students: if you are already enrolled and have strong grades, you can apply for CSC Type B directly to your university as a continuing-degree student. Some universities allocate CSC quota specifically to continuing high-performers.

For MBBS specifically, in-study scholarships are less generous but still common: usually 30–50% tuition waivers, rarely covering full tuition.

Strategy: choose a mid-tier university where you can realistically be top 5–10% of your international cohort rather than a top-tier university where you might be middle-of-pack. The scholarship opportunities in year 2 are far greater at the university where you excel.

Yes: often more accessible than CSC and worth a serious look, especially for applicants with borderline CSC profiles.

Why they matter:

• Less competition: provincial scholarships receive fewer international applications than CSC.
• Multiple provinces run parallel schemes: you can apply to CSC + one or two provincial schemes without conflicting rules (as long as you do not accept two Chinese government scholarships simultaneously).
• Coverage varies but is often generous. Beijing Government Scholarship, Shanghai Government Scholarship and Jiangsu Jasmine each offer full tuition + monthly stipend at levels comparable to CSC.

Notable schemes:

• Beijing Government Scholarship (BGS): for students at 50+ Beijing universities, full or partial tuition + stipend CNY 20,000–40,000/year. Applied through the host university.
• Shanghai Government Scholarship (SGS): similar structure at Shanghai universities.
• Jiangsu Jasmine Scholarship: for study in Jiangsu Province (Nanjing, Suzhou, Wuxi and more).
• Guangdong Government Scholarship. Sun Yat-sen, SCUT, SUSTech and others.

Full current status and per-university mapping on our Provincial Scholarships page.