China Scholarship Council

CSC Scholarship Overview

The Chinese Government Scholarship (CGS), administered by the China Scholarship Council, is offered to eligible international students through participating routes and universities. Host institutions, programs, and award types can change by cycle, so verify the current official notice before applying.

Is the official CSC portal really free?

Applying through the official CSC portal is free. A university may separately charge, waive, or omit a fee for a named route, so confirm the amount and payment stage in its current notice. Beware of anyone claiming to "sell" guaranteed scholarships or posing as CSC officials. (Our optional service is independent consulting for those who want expert hands-on help.)

What is the new CSCA exam for Bachelor's applicants?

The CSCA requirement began with the 2026/2027 intake: current official notices require bachelor's applicants to take the China Scholastic Competency Assessment and upload a valid score report. The universal 2027/2028 scholarship notice is not published yet, so bachelor's applicants should plan for the test but confirm the required subjects and dates in the new notice and with the target university.

What does the CSC scholarship cover?

Tuition

Fully waived at the host university

Accommodation

Free on-campus housing or a housing subsidy

Medical insurance

Comprehensive insurance for international students

Monthly stipend

Bachelor's CNY 2,500 · Master's CNY 3,000 · PhD CNY 3,500

How much is the monthly stipend, and what are the age limits?

Degree	Monthly stipend	Age limit
Bachelor's	CNY 2,500 / month	Under 25
Master's	CNY 3,000 / month	Under 35
PhD	CNY 3,500 / month	Under 40

Applicants must be non-Chinese citizens in good health. The full age-limit rules (with current-notice wording and cutoff examples) and what actually costs money (the CSC portal is free, while any separate university fee must be verified), and the physical examination form requirements have their own guides. Official recipient statistics, the limits of public acceptance-rate data, and fee information across 319 tracked universities live on the CSC statistics page.

Which CSC application category (Type A or Type B) should you use?

Type A

Chinese Embassy (Bilateral Program)

Apply through the dispatching authority named in your country's current notice, often the Chinese embassy or a national education agency.

Type B

Chinese University Program

Apply through a university that publishes a current Chinese Government Scholarship route. Confirm its agency number, eligible programs, portal steps, and deadline.

Type C

Other designated agencies

Apply through other CSC-designated agencies or specific bilateral/organisational programs.

Application combinations and portal limits can be route-specific. Use the current CGSIS instructions and the notice from each receiving authority instead of relying on a fixed formula from a previous cycle.

When does each stage of the CSC cycle happen?

Oct–Nov 2026 (monitor)Watch for the first official 2027/2028 embassy, dispatching-authority, and university notices. No universal opening date has been published.

Late 2026–spring 2027Submit by the deadline in your controlling notice. Type A and Type B routes use different authorities and can close on different dates.

After submissionReceiving authorities and universities review files; an interview is used only where the current route or program requires one.

Result periodCheck the official system and the authority that received your application. Result timing varies by route and institution.

Admission-notice dateTravel and registration should follow the dates and instructions in your admission documents.

Which documents do you need for a CSC application?

CSC online application form (from studyinchina.csc.edu.cn)
CSCA Score Report for bachelor's applicants when the current notice requires it
Highest diploma or current-student proof, with any translation or notarization required by the notice
Academic transcripts, with required translations
Study plan or research proposal at the length stated for your applicant category
Recommendation letters for the applicant categories named in the notice
Foreigner Physical Examination Form when required for the route and study duration
Passport identification page meeting the notice's validity rule
Language evidence that meets the target program's published requirement
Pre-admission document, invitation, or supervisor form only in the form required by the route or university
Non-criminal record certificate when required and within the stated validity window
Any additional university-portal documents, fee receipt, portfolio, or program-specific evidence

What else should you know before applying?

The 2027/2028 notice is not published yet; prior-cycle dates are planning evidence, not confirmed deadlines.

Language preparation, interviews, and pre-admission requirements vary by route, program, and university.

Application combinations and portal limits must be checked in the current CGSIS instructions.

Current 2026/2027 notices require applicants to be non-Chinese citizens and meet the stated health, age, degree, and program conditions.

The official scholarship portal does not sell selection; a university can separately charge an application fee under its own notice.

Frequently asked questions

What does the CSC scholarship cover?

A full CSC (Chinese Government Scholarship) award covers tuition, on-campus accommodation or a housing subsidy, comprehensive medical insurance, and a monthly living stipend of CNY 2,500 for Bachelor's, CNY 3,000 for Master's, and CNY 3,500 for PhD students. Confirm whether the current notice offers a full or partial award.

Is applying for the CSC scholarship free?

Applying through the official CSC portal (studyinchina.csc.edu.cn / CGSIS) is free. A university may charge a separate portal fee stated in its current notice. Beware of anyone selling 'guaranteed' scholarships.

What are the age limits for the CSC scholarship?

Current notices commonly require Bachelor's applicants to be under 25, Master's applicants under 35, and PhD applicants under 40. The controlling route notice determines the exact cutoff wording and date.

What is the difference between Type A, B, and C?

Type A is applied for through the dispatching authority named in the current country notice, often an embassy or national education agency. Type B is applied for through a university that publishes a current Chinese Government Scholarship route. Type C covers other CSC-designated programs or agencies. Confirm current application combinations and limits in CGSIS and the notice controlling your route.

When does the CSC application cycle open?

The CSC/CGS cycle typically opens between October and December each year, with most university deadlines falling between January and April. Always confirm the current cycle's dates on the official portal and on your chosen university's international students office page.

Do I need IELTS or TOEFL for the CSC scholarship?

Language evidence is set by the current scholarship route, university, and program notice. An English-taught program may require IELTS, TOEFL, a medium-of-instruction certificate, or another form of evidence it explicitly accepts; a Chinese-taught program may set its own HSK level. Check the current notice before relying on any one document.

This page is the evergreen overview of how the scholarship works. For the current cycle's expected dates, quotas and the new CSCA rule, see the CSC scholarship 2027-2028 guide. For the full language-requirements picture, read applying without IELTS. And before you pay anyone for help, read agents, scams, and how to apply safely.

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Apply for free on the official portal, then follow our 7-step guide. Short on time? See how we can help.

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Figures based on China Scholarship Council program information. Always verify current details on campuschina.org and your target university's admissions page.