CSC Scholarship statistics: what is actually published
This page separates official Chinese Government Scholarship recipient data from figures that cannot be calculated from public records. The CSC does not publish a complete applicant-and-award dataset by route, so CSC Path does not present a universal acceptance percentage.
320
universities tracked in our database
31
provinces and municipalities covered
2
universities with a confirmed-free CSC application
90
verified CGSIS agency numbers
Live counts from the CSC Path university database (74 deadline windows hand-verified against official notices; 26 curated hidden-gem picks). Fee-required universities in our data charge CNY 200-1080.
Acceptance-rate data: what is not published
A defensible rate needs completed applications and final awards from the same route, institution, and intake. Those matching totals are not published nationally. See the full correction and methodology in our acceptance-rate deep dive.
| Application route | Published rate | What would be needed |
|---|---|---|
| Type A (embassy / bilateral) | Not published | A valid rate needs completed applications and final awards from the same dispatching authority and intake. |
| Type B (university), cold application | Not published | A valid rate needs completed applications, university nominations, and final CSC awards for the same host and intake. |
| Type B with pre-acceptance letter | Not published | No official dataset separates applicants with a letter from applicants without one, so its effect cannot be expressed as a percentage. |
Official statistics that do exist
These Ministry of Education figures describe enrolled students or scholarship recipients. They must not be relabelled as the success rate for a new applicant.
| Period | Official figure | What it measures | Primary source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | About 9% | Share of international students then studying in China who received Chinese Government Scholarships. This is not an application acceptance rate. | Ministry of Education, December 2025 |
| 2025 | Nearly 60% | Share of Chinese Government Scholarship recipients studying at master's or doctoral level. | Ministry of Education, December 2025 |
| 2018 | 63,041 | Chinese Government Scholarship recipients among 492,185 international students (12.81%). Historical enrolment data, not an intake success rate. | Ministry of Education, April 2019 |
| 2024 | 271,064 | International students enrolled in Chinese higher-education institutions. The table does not provide matching CSC application or award totals. | Ministry of Education, March 2026 |
Official stipends and age limits
| Degree 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 |
Source: official CGS program terms republished on campuschina.org. Tuition, on-campus accommodation (or subsidy) and comprehensive medical insurance are covered on top of the stipend.
The 2027/2028 cycle in dates
- From September 2026Monitor the official notice for your 2027/2028 embassy, dispatching-authority or university route. This planning period does not confirm that any particular application is open.
- 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.
Month-by-month detail in the CSC Scholarship 2027-2028 guide.
Cite or share this data
This page may be cited or quoted with attribution (CC BY 4.0). Suggested citation: "CSC Scholarship Statistics 2026, CSC Path, cscpath.com/csc-statistics". If you republish a figure, please keep the definitions and source context intact: relabelling enrolment figures as application acceptance rates misleads applicants.
Download the university dataset (CSV)Includes every tracked university, CSC status, fee status, scholarships, disciplines, official links, and the last verification date.
Dataset methodology
- Coverage means universities tracked by CSC Path; it does not mean every row is confirmed as a current CSC host.
- CSC status, fees, deadlines, and application links are checked against official university or government notices where available and retain a verification date.
- Missing or uncertain values remain labelled unknown instead of being inferred.
- Version 2026.08.08 is licensed under CC BY 4.0. Corrections can be submitted through the editorial and corrections policy.
FAQ
Is there an official CSC scholarship acceptance rate?
No current public CSC dataset provides completed applications and final awards for every route in the same intake. Without that matching numerator and denominator, a universal acceptance percentage cannot be calculated.
How many universities are in the CSC Path dataset?
CSC Path tracks 320 universities across 31 provinces and municipalities. That total is the directory's coverage, not a claim that every listed university is a current CSC host. Each record labels its CSC status and should be checked against the current university notice.
How much is the CSC scholarship stipend in 2026?
Official monthly stipends: CNY 2,500 for bachelor's, CNY 3,000 for master's, CNY 3,500 for PhD students, paid on top of tuition waiver, accommodation, and medical insurance.
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