How to get a scholarship for studying in China?
- China, with its high quality of education, low tuition and diverse cultures, becomes one of the most populous country for international students to pursue further education and enrich their experiences.
- The better news is that there are numerous scholarship programs provided not only by the Chinese government but also countless universities and enterprises to support international students to study in China. This means that studying in China for free (or close to free) can be realizable.
- Then the question arises, how to receive a full scholarship with a growing number of international students intending to study in China? What scholarships are available to you? Are you eligible to apply for it? What are the application documents you need to prepare? What’s the application procedure? And when can you receive the result?
- Don’t worry, you can cover all the bases by following the steps given bellow:
Step 1: Make a list of suitable scholarships
- The very first thing to successfully obtain a scholarship is to know what is on offer. But please don’t simply Google for “List of China scholarships for international students” or something similar. Because they will not actually give you a list of all scholarships because the scholarships in China are too many!
- Of course, you need to get a whole picture about scholarships in China. You can refer to 5 Types of China Scholarships for International Students to know more about scholarships in China.
- However, the list that you need most should be matched with your personal circumstances, from your target major to your favorite programs and institutions. In this way, you can make your choice more purposeful and precise rather than running around in circles.
- For example, if you want to apply for a short-term Chinese language program with scholarship, you can directly search for Chinese language program on the Scholarship Page of CUCAS to find suitable programs.
- What if you are planning to apply for a bachelor degree program, you should select some universities first and check if they provide scholarships to undergraduate students because some scholarships may only provide to applicants for graduate programs.
- Please note that you have to choose a specific program before applying for a scholarship and you can’t change the major or university you filled in after success. Therefore, you’d best find your target major, programs and universities first, or at least one of them.
- Don’t forget to record all available scholarships, their application deadlines and the name of corresponding universities on your list (easier to search for details later). Considering the fierce competition, you can increase your chances by bring more universities into your list.
Step 2: Make sure you qualify
- Once you have collected all available scholarships that cover your desired programs, the next step is to check the application eligibility before you compare all the details of different kinds of scholarships, in case of you have done all research but finally find yourself can’t meet the requirement. Please read through the scholarship information carefully to confirm that you meet the criteria.
- Generally speaking, the eligibility of scholarships include but not limited to age, educational background, good health, nationality (non-Chinese citizen or come from designated countries), etc. For Chinese-teaching programs, you should meet a certain level of Chinese proficiency.
- However, the application requirements depend on the type of scholarships. Sometimes, the requirements for the same scholarship program may be different among different universities. So, you have to check the details of scholarship one by one. You can directly search for relative information on our website.
- During this process, you can make a record of the reason why you’re unqualified to avoid you check it once again later. Is it an uncontrollable factor like age and nationality or is it a requirement that you can strive to meet? This will help you when you find no program is suitable for you in the end and maybe you can find one from those you have deleted from your list before.
Step 3: Make comparisons
- When you make sure that you are eligible for the remainders on your list, then you can start to compare the details of each scholarship, such as the coverage, duration and required documents. The coverage refers to tuition, accommodation, stipend, comprehensive medical insurance and so on. The duration of scholarship concerns to how long you will receive the scholarship.
- For instance, full scholarships usually exempt tuition fees, provide free on-campus accommodation, offer a certain amount of stipend and comprehensive medical insurance. Some even will waive your registration fee. While partial scholarships will provide one or some items of the full scholarship. In most cases, the more items the scholarship covers and the longer it lasts, the more application documents it requires and harder for you to obtain one.
- This is the reason why you need to make comparisons. You should not only see the benefits, but also heed the competition you may face. If the university clarify the quota of the scholarship, it will be the best. But what if there is no such information, you can speculate according to the ranking of the institution in the field.
- You can remove some from your list if you think it’s to hard for you to apply for it or it covers too few items. You can also reserve all programs and give it a try if you have limited number of choices and enough energy. This process would be quite time-consuming but it definitely worth it.
- To apply for a scholarship, you will inevitably fill out plenty of forms and prepare for lots of documents to complete your application. This process requires much patience and orderliness. If you are applying for several scholarship at the same time, you can imagine how difficult it will be. But please have confidence in your own ability and remember to make more copies of those must-needed documents.
- Despite the difference of requirements among different scholarships and universities, there are some documents you must need to provide with your application:
- 1. Application form (varies from different scholarships)
- 2. Photocopy of your passport (in valid)
- 3. Photocopy of your highest diploma and transcripts
- 4. Recommendation letters (usually requires 2 letters)
- 5. Study Plan (or Research Proposal or Personal Statement)
- Except for the above documents, you may also need to provide the certificate of your language proficiency: HSK certificate for Chinese-taught Programs and IELTS or TOFEL certificate for English-taught Programs if you’re non-English speakers. Meanwhile, an increasing number of universities require applicants to provide Physical Examination Record. This may depend on the individual scholarship, so it is best for you to check respectively.
Step 5: Make a final check
- Before you start to apply for scholarships, please make sure you are really ready to submit your application materials. Most of the time, you won’t be reminded if you have mistakes in your application documents but directly eliminated. To avoid this, you can take following factors into consideration and check your application documents a few more times:
- 1. All necessary documents are in readiness.
- 2. Make sure all documents qualified.
- 3. All application forms have been filled in.
- 4. No spelling mistakes.
- 5. Leave your contact information.
- You can also ask somebody else to help you do a final check as they might observe something you’ve missed.
Step 6: Apply by process
- Every scholarship has its own procedures, but generally you will need to apply on online platforms and submit your application documents to the admission office of your university.
- More details will be stated on the official websites of universities. As a rule, application materials sent through e-mail will not be accepted. That means you have to submit by mail, so you must pay high attention to the time it will take and ensure your application will be received before the deadline.
- Last but not least, you’d better not submit your application documents just before holidays, or you will have to wait longer than normal. Usually, it will take 3-4 weeks for the examine and approval process.
The Final Word
- During the application, you might face many other questions in details, such as where to get the application form?; how to fill the application form? or why can’t I upload my documents? , etc.
- In these cases, CUCAS team can help you to save your efforts, avoid mistakes and increase your admission opportunity.
- Please feel free to consult us:
For inquiries you can ask:
