CSC Scholarship at South China University of Technology: Application Guide

Scope: 2026 intake and the 2026/2027 cycle, international degree and non-degree students at South China University of Technology, from the university's own School of International Education prospectus and admission pages at sie.scut.edu.cn and www.scut.edu.cn/en. See the recorded official notices and any source qualifications below.

Application fee

The self-funded application fee is CNY 450 (申请费：450 元), non-refundable, and an application that does not pay it is invalid (不支付申请费的申请无效), per the 学习费用 section of the 2026 SCUT International Student Prospectus. The standing FAQ exempts CSC and ICLTS applicants from the application fee. Source: https://sie.scut.edu.cn/FQA/list.htm

Application deadline

The self-funded application deadline is 30 June each year (申请截止时间：每年 6 月 30 日) for undergraduate applicants, with the caveat that some schools set their own earlier cut-off; teaching starts each September.

Application deadline

The master's programme application deadline is also 每年 6 月 30 日 (30 June each year), and the doctoral programme deadline is 每年 6 月 15 日 (15 June each year) — the doctorate closes two weeks earlier than the master's and bachelor's routes.

Visa and residence permit

The Chinese Government Scholarship at SCUT runs from October to February each year (申请日期：每年 10 月至次年 2 月), with final award lists announced May to July and the JW201 visa form and admission letter downloaded from the CSC portal in July; programmes commence in early September.

CSC agency number

SCUT's CSC agency number is 10561 with programme category B (受理机构编码：10561 项目类别：B), stated in both the Chinese 2026 prospectus and the English Chinese Government Scholarship page.

Application fee

Chinese Government Scholarship full coverage is a waiver of the application fee, tuition and accommodation, a monthly living allowance of CNY 3,000 for master's students and CNY 3,500 for doctoral students, plus comprehensive medical insurance for international students in China.

Scholarship

SCUT runs the Chinese Government Scholarship through several distinct programmes: the Chinese University Scholarship programme (all applicants, postgraduate degrees, handled by the SCUT School of International Education admission office), the Silk Road Program, the MBA for Development Countries scheme open to applicants from 65 countries and filed through the Chinese embassy of those countries, the Bilateral Program filed through dispatching authorities or Chinese diplomatic missions, and the EU or American Credit Program for applicants from EU or American universities holding a signed MOU with SCUT.

Scholarship

SCUT is an authorised institution providing preparatory education for Chinese Government Scholarship undergraduates.

Visa and residence permit

The Guangdong Provincial Government Outstanding International Student Scholarship is awarded to full-time international students on academic merit and does not require a separate application — candidates are selected from self-funded applicants. Its benefits are CNY 30,000 for doctoral students, CNY 20,000 for master's students and CNY 10,000 for undergraduates. Its deadline is 30 June each year (每年 6 月 30 日), with three rounds of centralised review from May to July, admission materials posted in July and August, JW202 visa forms downloaded online, and teaching starting 1 September each year (per the admission letter).

Tuition

The SCUT International Student Scholarship For Excellence offers a full or partial tuition waiver for the standard programme duration and also requires no separate application, being drawn from self-funded applicants. Bachelor's first-class honour is a full tuition exemption, second and third class a half exemption (third class for two years); master's first class a full exemption, second and third class a half exemption (third class for two years); doctorate full scholarship is a full tuition exemption plus a living allowance of CNY 1,400 per month excluding the Chinese study period. Recipients undergo an annual evaluation each May and those who fail it become self-funded but may reapply at the next evaluation.

Tuition

The International Chinese Language Teachers Scholarship at SCUT is hosted for four programme types: a four-week programme, a one-semester programme, a one-year programme and a Bachelor's Degree in Teaching Chinese to Speakers of Other Languages. It covers tuition, accommodation, a living allowance (except for four-week students, paid at CNY 2,500 per month for undergraduates and one-year and one-semester students) and comprehensive medical insurance. Apply through cis.chinese.cn, then after recommending-institution review register and upload documents in SCUT’s system, free of application fee. Source: https://www.scut.edu.cn/en/2025/1202/c608a58739/page.htm

Intake

International Chinese Language Teachers Scholarship eligibility: non-Chinese citizens in good physical and mental condition aged 16 to 35, extended to 45 for in-service Chinese teachers, with bachelor's applicants generally under 25. The bachelor's programme requires a senior high school diploma plus HSK Level 4 at 210 and HSKK Intermediate at 60; the one-year programme requires HSK Level 3 at 210 with priority for HSKK holders; the one-semester programme requires HSK Level 3 at 180 with a required HSKK score. Applicants who received a similar scholarship within three years are not eligible for the one-year or one-semester programmes.

Intake

The 2026 International Chinese Language Teachers Scholarship cohorts commence as follows: the 汉语国际教育本科 programme in September 2026 for a four-year funding period; the 一学年研修生 programme in September 2026 for 11 months; the 一学期研修生 programme in either September 2026 or March 2027 for five months; and the 四周研修生 programme in July 2026 or December 2026 for four weeks, open to groups of 10 to 15.

Intake

Undergraduate applicants must hold a CSCA (来华留学本科入学学业水平测试, China Scholastic Competency Assessment) score report and be under 25 years of age in principle; the CSCA official site is given as www.csca.cn.

Language requirement

Language requirements: Chinese-taught science and engineering programmes require HSK Level 4 at 180 with HSK Speaking Intermediate; liberal arts, economics and management, foreign languages, arts, design, architecture and sports require HSK Level 5 at 180 with HSK Speaking Intermediate; Teaching Chinese to Speakers of Other Languages requires HSK Level 4 at 180. English-taught undergraduate programmes require TOEFL iBT 68, IELTS 5.5 or Duolingo 100; master's and doctoral programmes require TOEFL iBT 80, IELTS 6.0 or Duolingo 112. Language certificates are valid for two years and must remain valid at enrolment in September.

Age requirement

Master's applicants must hold a bachelor's degree and be under 35; doctoral applicants must hold a master's degree and be under 40; undergraduate applicants must be under 25. For undergraduates the age is stated as a general principle (年龄原则上不超过 25 周岁).

Entry requirements

Master's and doctoral applicants must contact a potential SCUT supervisor before applying and obtain a pre-acceptance letter (导师预同意接收函); MBA applicants must additionally have at least three years of work experience after a bachelor's degree or two years after a postgraduate degree, and pass evaluation by the MBA centre.

Language requirement

The 前沿软物质学院 (School of Emergent Soft Matter) sets its own higher entry bar: IELTS 5.5 or TOEFL iBT 70 minimum, with high-school mathematics, physics and chemistry averages of at least grade B or 75 marks.

Accommodation

Accommodation, per the 住宿费 table of the 2026 prospectus, covering the autumn semester to the following spring semester (ten months): Wushan campus double room CNY 9,800; University Town campus double room CNY 8,000 and four-person room CNY 3,500; Guangzhou International Campus single room CNY 20,000, double room CNY 10,000 and four-person room CNY 5,000. Short-term winter or summer accommodation is CNY 100 per day for a single room, CNY 50 per day for a double room and CNY 25 per day for a four-person room. Rooms are allocated first-come-first-served, must be paid online at check-in with no cash accepted, and international students may live off campus provided they register with the local police station within 24 hours of moving in.

Medical insurance

Other published costs from the 2026 prospectus: living expenses of roughly CNY 20,000 to 30,000 per year for food, transport and communications; residence permit handling of CNY 800 for 12 months or more and CNY 400 for under 12 months; medical insurance of CNY 800 per year; campus card CNY 30 (waived entirely for degree students, 学历生全免); and a physical examination fee of CNY 553, waived for students whose study period exceeds one year.

Application deadline

The 2026 SCUT summer international Chinese language camp runs July to August each year with a 30 June application deadline each year (申请截止时间：每年 6 月 30 日), and course fees are CNY 3,500 per four weeks or set according to the group's actual curriculum design.

Campus

SCUT's School of International Education is the admission contact point, at sieinfo@scut.edu.cn and +86-20-81182580 (admission) or +86-20-81182585, located in Room 205, Building B1, University Town Campus, Guangzhou.

Tuition notes

Annual and per-term tuition for international students, from the 学习费用 (Study Fees) table of the 2026 华南理工大学来华留学生招生简章. Chinese language programme (汉语, beginner/intermediate/advanced): CNY 2,560 for one month (minimum 10 students), CNY 4,400 for two months, CNY 8,500 per semester (regular class), CNY 16,200 per year (regular class), CNY 10,000 per semester (intensive class) and CNY 18,200 per year (intensive class). International foundation programme: CNY 23,000 per year Chinese-taught, CNY 18,000 per year English-taught. Bachelor's, per year: liberal arts CNY 18,200; Teaching Chinese to Speakers of Other Languages CNY 18,200; economics and management CNY 20,000; science, engineering, foreign languages and sports CNY 23,000; art and design CNY 25,000; English-taught or bilingual CNY 26,000; Guangzhou International Campus undergraduate programmes CNY 95,000. Master's, per year: liberal arts CNY 23,000; economics and management CNY 25,000; science, engineering, foreign languages and sports CNY 28,000; art and design CNY 28,000; MBA (English-taught) CNY 44,500; other English-taught master's CNY 32,000. Doctoral, per year: liberal arts CNY 34,000; economics and management CNY 34,000; science and engineering CNY 40,000. Summer international Chinese language camp: CNY 3,500 per four weeks, with course fees otherwise set by the group's actual curriculum design. These are per-year, per-semester or per-month charges and are never an application fee.

Source: 华南理工大学 2026 来华留学生招生简章 (South China University of Technology International Student Prospectus 2026), published by the School of International Education at sie.scut.edu.cn; figures read from the scanned PDF edition at https://sie.scut.edu.cn/_upload/article/files/2b/8e/9cb43a4d4aa19f8b16f21a4ff7c8/3ebb84d7-7a87-4dad-af0d-d79b0cad2deb.pdf. Fees and dates can change: confirm the current intake on the official notice before paying anything.