2027-2028 status: check your route
Last checked 6 September 2026. We found current 2026-2027 route notices, but no single official CSC notice confirming a universal 2027-2028 opening date or deadline. Embassy, dispatching-authority, and university routes can use different schedules.
A Chinese government overview published on 13 August 2026 says applications typically open in September and close by the end of March. Use that as a broad planning window only. The same guidance tells applicants to confirm dates with the relevant institution. Read the official government overview.
One early country-specific signal is now public. On 2 April 2026, the Chinese Embassy in Burkina Faso published a reminder for local undergraduate candidates for the 2027-2028 academic year and referred to a 25 April CSCA sitting. This is evidence for that country route only. It is not a universal CSC opening date or deadline. Read the official embassy reminder.
September is a time to check your route, not proof that its portal is accepting applications. Save the notice naming your intake, eligible programs, required systems and deadline before submitting. A 2026-2027 notice remains evidence for that past cycle.
Use this page as a preparation guide, then verify your route on Campus China, the official application system, and the authority or university receiving your application.
What is the CSC scholarship?
The China Scholarship Council (CSC) scholarship: also called the Chinese Government Scholarship (CGS): funds eligible international students through multiple routes and participating Chinese universities. A full award generally covers the tuition, accommodation, medical insurance, and living allowance listed in the applicable scholarship notice. Program availability and application requirements vary by route, university, degree, and intake.
Applying through the official CSC portal is free at studyinchina.csc.edu.cn, but universities may charge their own portal fee when you submit the university application. You never need an agent, and anyone claiming to "sell" a guaranteed scholarship should be treated with extreme caution.
About application fees
University application fees typically range CNY 400-800; a few universities charge none, and a few waive it for CSC awardees. The CSC portal itself is always free.
Fee amounts verified against official 2026-2027 admission notices; universities update fees yearly: confirm on the linked portal.
See the full CSC application-fee and real-cost guideThe CSC is the flagship, but it isn't the only way to study in China for free. See our guide to other scholarships in China (MOFCOM, ANSO, Chinese Language Teachers, provincial and university awards).
What the scholarship covers
A full Chinese Government Scholarship normally includes the items below. The controlling route and admission notices determine the exact award and duration:
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
| Level | 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 |
Who is eligible?
Current 2026-2027 notices require applicants to be non-Chinese citizens, meet the stated health and academic conditions, and usually be under 25 for a bachelor's degree, under 35 for a master's degree, or under 40 for a doctoral degree. Your route or program may add degree, language, subject, nationality, pre-admission, or other requirements, so confirm every condition in the notice that will govern your 2027-2028 application.
CSCA planning 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. For 2027/2028, plan for the test and confirm the required subjects, score validity and submission dates with your receiving authority and target university.
Read an official notice confirming the 2026-2027 start of the requirementThe three application routes (Type A, B & C)
The application category identifies the receiving channel. It does not create one universal deadline, document list, or application limit. Confirm the category and submission rules in your current dispatching-authority or university notice.
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.
Choose a route only when an official notice says you are eligible to use it. For Type B, verify that the university is accepting applications for the relevant program and use the agency number stated in its current notice or confirmed inside CGSIS.
2027-2028 application timeline
- From Sep
Monitor
Check the notice for your 2027/2028 route
- Varies
Deadline
Use your authority or university notice
- After close
Review
Route-specific review and any interview
- Varies
Results
Check the official system and receiving authority
- Notice
Arrival
Follow the admission notice
These are planning checkpoints, not confirmed 2027-2028 dates. The route that receives your application controls the deadline. University program availability, agency numbers, portal steps, and document requirements can change between cycles.
CSC 2027 schedule: when does it open?
There is no confirmed universal opening date as of 6 September 2026. Start with the authority that will receive your application: an embassy or national dispatching authority for the relevant Type A route, or a participating university for a relevant Type B route. Its official notice should state the opening period, deadline, agency number, eligible programs, and any second-portal steps.
Current 2026-2027 notices are useful for preparing passports, diplomas, transcripts, study plans, language evidence, recommendations, medical documents, and the CSCA where applicable. They are not proof of a 2027-2028 deadline. Recheck this page and the official sources when new notices appear.
Documents you'll need
Use this as a planning baseline only. Submit the exact documents, translations, notarizations, validity periods, and file formats required by your route and university.
- 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
How to apply: the 7 steps
Our step-by-step guide breaks the whole process into seven manageable stages. Work through them in order:
Good to know
- There is no universal 2027/2028 deadline; prior-cycle dates do not establish a current route opening.
- 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
When will the CSC scholarship 2027 open?
As of 6 September 2026, CSC has not published one universal opening date or deadline for the 2027-2028 cycle. General government guidance says applications typically open in September and close by the end of March, but embassy, dispatching-authority, and university routes publish separate notices. Follow the dates in the notice that controls your route.
Is the CSC application really free?
The official CSC portal does not sell scholarship selection. A university may separately charge an application or portal fee, waive it for a stated route, or charge none. Confirm the current university notice before paying and treat any promise of a guaranteed award as a warning sign.
Do bachelor's applicants need the CSCA in 2027/2028?
The CSCA requirement began with the 2026-2027 intake for bachelor's applicants under current official notices. For 2027-2028, prospective bachelor's applicants should plan for the test and confirm the required subjects, score validity and dates with the receiving authority and each target university.
Do I need IELTS for the CSC scholarship 2027-2028?
There is no safe universal answer. Current scholarship notices require language evidence that meets the target university and program rules. Depending on the program, that may be IELTS, TOEFL, HSK, another certificate, or another form of evidence the university explicitly accepts. Check the current program notice before booking a test or relying on a medium-of-instruction letter.
Go deeper
- The complete CSC scholarship FAQ covers 40+ specific questions this overview leaves out.
- The CSC program profile summarizes coverage, eligibility, and channels in one page.
- What the CSC scholarship is explains Type A vs Type B and what the award pays for.
- Agents, scams, and how to apply safely is the checklist to vet any paid service before the new cycle's scam season starts.
- CSC statistics and data separates official recipient figures from unpublished acceptance-rate claims and includes fee data in one citable page.
- The CSC age limit rules give the exact cutoffs (25/35/40) with embassy wording, before you invest weeks in an application.
- The physical examination form guide covers the form fields, common validity rule, and how to check the current notice before submission.
- The CSC agency number guide shows how to find the code for the receiving authority and route in your current notice.
- How many universities you can apply to separates route-specific instructions from unsupported universal limits.
- Applying without a passport explains what to verify before relying on an alternative identity document.
- What CSC Scholarship Type C means explains why the controlling notice determines the category and agency number.
Figures based on China Scholarship Council program information. Always verify current details on campuschina.org and your target university's admissions page.
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