CSC Scholarship Application Tips and Tricks, 2024-2025

Nowadays, the Chinese government is one of the world’s top scholarship providers for foreign students. The so-called CSC Scholarships or commonly the “Chinese Government Scholarship” (CGS) are awarded to international students by the Chinese Scholarship Council (CSC) to undertake studies in eligible Chinese universities or partner institutions. This scholarship program is available for all kinds of study programs, including, but not limited to, short courses, training, undergraduate, Master’s, and PhD degree studies.

As Greatyop is a large platform that publishes available scholarships and opportunities in the world, it contains many Chinese scholarship programs. CSC scholarships are usually open from November to April and applications are made through an online application system. However, most of our readers get confused with certain concepts when applying for a scholarship. Therefore, we provide CSC Scholarship Application Tips and Tricks to help our users who are interested in Chinese scholarships. Commonly received messages from our users are as follows:

1. What are my chances to get a Chinese scholarship?
2. Can I apply for the CSC scholarship in more than one university?
3. Which Program Category should I choose?
4. How to write a Research Proposal or Study Plan?
5. Can I apply while I’m in my final year?
6. Where can I find Chinese universities that admit international students under CSC scholarship?
7. Where can I find the list of Chinese universities that do not ask for application Fee?
8. Where can I find Chinese universities’ agency number?
9. Where can I find Chinese embassy agency numbers?

In order to enlighten our readers, we’ve decided to write this article that shows some tips and tricks on the CSC Scholarship Application. The application process needs to be done properly otherwise it may result in an invalid application. The Chinese Government Scholarship (CGS) has the following programs:

• Bilateral Program: a result of exchange agreements between the Chinese government and governments of other countries, institutions, universities or international organizations;
• Chinese University Program: A program that allows eligible universities to recruit foreign students for graduate studies in China;
• Great Wall Program: a scholarship for UNESCO to support students and scholars in developing countries to study and conduct research works in China.
• EU Program: a program for EU students to study and research in China.
• AUN Program: this program is for the ASEAN University Network (AUN) to support students, teachers and scholars from ASEAN countries to study in China.
• PIF Program: a scholarship to sponsor students from Pacific island countries to study in China.
• WMO Program: a program for the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) to support foreign students to study and conduct research in meteorology-related fields in China.

What are my chances to get a Chinese scholarship?

As any scholarship, the first key element is your academic Achievements. You have higher chances to be selected for the scholarship if you have a good Grade Point Average (GPA) and provide a great study plan along with published articles (if available). Although the acceptance letter from a supervisor or a pre-admission letter is not a requirement to apply for the CSC scholarship, we believe it may increase your chances.

Last tip, you may consider applying to universities located in different cities, especially those located in small cities. In fact, the number of applications in big cities like Shanghai, Beijing, Tianjin, Wuhan, Guangzhou, etc. is very high compared to small cities. Just imagine that you applied to a university that has 30 scholarships available and only received 20 applications. The answer is obvious.

Can I apply for the CSC scholarship in more than one university?

The answer is yes and it increases your chances of winning the Scholarship. You can apply for the CSC scholarships in more than one university. However, you will have to fill out different CSC Scholarship online application forms for each university or institution. If you apply successfully and have been selected by more than one University, the CSC will select the one that suits you best and you will be admitted under the CSC Scholarship in that specific University.

Which Program Category should I choose?

While filling out the CSC scholarship, you will be required to choose a category. There are three types of program categories: Type A, Type B, and Type C.

• Select Program Category Type A, if you’re applying through a Chinese Embassy or Ministry of Education (MOE) of your country (Chinese Government Scholarship-Bilateral Program);
• Select Program Category Type B, if you’re applying through a Chinese University (Chinese Government Scholarship-Chinese University Program);
• Select Program Category Type C, if you’re applying through other programs.

How to write a Research Proposal or Study Plan?

A Study Plan or Research Proposal is a document that provides important information about your future studies in China. The document must contain a minimum of 200 words for the undergraduate program applicants and 800 words for postgraduate program applicants. Moreover, it must include key elements such as:

• Your field of interest;
• Why that particular field?
• What will be your contribution to the field?
• The reason to study in China under the CSC scholarship;
• The reason to choose a particular university;
• Your plans after graduation and.
• Relevant information that sets you apart from other candidates.

The study plan is a key document that will increase or decrease your chances of winning. This is more applicable to candidates who are applying for graduate studies or senior scholar programs. Therefore, you must take your time to write it properly.

Can I apply while I’m in my final year of graduation?

The answer is yes. A prospective diploma recipient must submit official documents issued by his institution to prove his current student status and expected graduation date. However, the applicant has to get his / her grade before arriving in China (August-September) in order to be able to register at his / her university. We suggest you contact the international student’s office of the university and ask them about this matter as some institutions may not allow it.

Where can I find Chinese universities eligible for CSC scholarships, Chinese universities’ agency number and Chinese Universities without Application Fees?

The complete and up-to-date list of Chinese universities that admit international students under the CSC scholarship with their corresponding agency number is available here. Universities are grouped by regions, and provinces and listed in alphabetical order. Furthermore, the tables contain the list of Chinese Universities without Application Fees. In fact, any university name followed by this symbol is a university that admits international students without application fees.

Chinese embassy agency number

Although there are resources online showing some Chinese embassy agency numbers, we believe the best way is to visit the embassy and ask them directly. Anyway, candidates will need to submit their documents if applying for a type A program through the dispatching authority in their country. Therefore, visiting them may be like first contact, and they can give you information on specific requirements (if any) that students may need to meet in order to apply through them. So, Greatyop’s recommendation to get a Chinese embassy agency number is to ask the dispatching authority or the Chinese embassy you’re planning to apply through.

We hope the information provided in this article (CSC Scholarship Application Tips and Tricks) is useful and helpful for our readers to gain more insight into the concepts and application procedures of the Chinese Government Scholarship. The general CSC Scholarship application procedure with the required documents are available here. For more details on studies in China, please visit the Campus China website. Wish you all the best. To be the first to see latest opportunities, please follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram.