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In this article, I present the three most popular ways of studying in China on\u00a0scholarship. Even though you have to plan sufficiently in advance and it takes time to deal with the bureaucracy, I think that this is an opportunity that is really worth it.<\/p>\n
In the majority of cases, scholarships won\u2019t only cover your tuition and accommodations during your studies, but will also provide you with a monthly allowance for your personal expenses.<\/p>\n
Here you will find information to help you decide what scholarships are the most appropriate for you as well as the steps and documents necessary to apply for them. Good luck and \u52a0\u6cb9! Jiayou!<\/i> (You can do it!).<\/p>\nWhat scholarships are there?<\/h2>\n
The most commonly applied for scholarships for studying at universities<\/strong>\u00a0across China are basically three:<\/p>\n They are universal (citizens of the majority of countries can apply for them depending on the educational conventions established between the countries) and don\u2019t have too many application requirements. It\u2019s worth mentioning that given how expensive university education is in the country, these financial endowments are quite generous.<\/p>\n Of course there also exist other scholarships, such as inter-university ones, those from some private organizations, those specific to Chinese universities and others that may be granted by the educational entities in your country. Nonetheless, in this article, I\u2019m going to exclusively focus on the most popular and universal ones.<\/p>\n <\/strong><\/p>\n This is a difficult question. The first thing you need to ask yourself is what you\u2019re going to study. Basically, you have two options: either you can study Chinese (for which you will obtain a college diploma) or you can do a bachelor\u2019s or postgraduate degree (bachelor\u2019s degree, Master of Science<\/i> or a Ph.D.<\/i>). After that, you have to think about where you want to study, as this will also have an effect on your choice of scholarship.<\/p>\n To give you an idea, the entities that grant scholarships have agreements with a huge number of universities on the national level (you have to keep in mind that in China, everything pertains or is connected to the government in some way. In the end, the government departments that promote financing, the Confucius Institute and multiple universities all form a part of the governmental fabric).<\/p>\n These agreements establish the scholarship quotas that each financer grants to each university per type of studies. For example, the Chinese central government will grant 4 scholarships to study any degree (bachelor\u2019s degree<\/i>) at the Shanghai University of International Business during the 2017-2018 school year.<\/p>\n Scholarships from the central government are applicable to students from the majority of countries, which results in extreme competition. Keep in mind that learning Chinese<\/a> is turning into a tool to set yourself apart and is becoming progressively more valued internationally.<\/p>\n Because of this, it\u2019s very important that once you have a clear idea of what you are going to study and in what city you would like to do it, investigate the following points university by university: 1) whether they accept scholarships to study what you want to study (master\u2019s degree, Chinese course, etc.) and 2) how many scholarships each entity grants for the type of studies that you have chosen.<\/p>\n You can do your research online, but not all universities publish this data on their webpage (especially on the English version), so I recommend that you ask them directly via email. This way, you can analyze what type of assistance you are most likely to receive. It\u2019s absolutely essential that you do this research if you want to have the option of having your studies in the Middle Kingdom financed.<\/p>\n Below, I will give you a series of explanations that I hope will help orient you a little more.<\/p>\n A large number of foreigners venture to take a Chinese course at a Chinese University. It\u2019s a great idea if you are already studying the language in your country<\/a>; you will see your level progress exponentially compared to the minimal progress that you can at times perceive in your city.<\/p>\n If you have never studied Chinese before, this is the perfect chance to try it out and see if you like it and are good at it. I have some friends who after studying for one year in China knew more than I learned in five years studying in Spain, but obviously this depends on you.<\/p>\n The three scholarships mentioned in the previous section accept Chinese language course students, with\u00a0Confucius Institute<\/strong> scholarships being the ones most directed at this purpose (they also offers scholarships for PhD students and researchers, but these aren\u2019t very popular). Even so, these scholarships require you to have previously studied Chinese, and preferentially at one of the innumerable branches that the institute has across the globe.<\/p>\n To apply for national and provincial government scholarships for Chinese courses, it\u2019s not necessary to have previously studied the language. Nonetheless, because of this, many more people apply for them, which means that they are also more difficult to obtain.<\/p>\n Between these two scholarships, the Chinese government provides additional support for Chinese language courses at a larger number of universities. However, not all provincial governments grant scholarships to study Chinese. You will have to research university by university.<\/p>\n To summarize, if you have studied Chinese at the Confucius Institute, I strongly recommend that you apply for their scholarship to study Chinese in China. If you meet all of the requirements (I will explain this in detail in the section dedicated to it), it\u2019s very likely that they will give you the scholarship for the university of your choice.<\/p>\n If you\u2019ve never studied Chinese or haven\u2019t been a student of the Confucius Institute, you have to apply for either a Chinese central government or provincial government scholarship corresponding to the city where you want to study. Between the two, I suggest that you apply for the first one, as the offering is broader and therefore you will be more likely to get a scholarship for the place of your choice.<\/p>\n Other people, although less numerous, decide to go to China to study for a bachelor\u2019s degree, master\u2019s degree or PhD, whether in Chinese or English. In this case, like in the previous case, you have to first research what universities offer the studies that you want to take and second of all check if those universities accept students on government scholarships (whether national or provincial) for your studies (the majority do accept them, especially for courses given in Chinese). Click here to start your search<\/a>.<\/p>\n Once you have this clear, contact the university to find out how many students they admit both for the Chinese central government scholarships and provincial government scholarships pertaining to it (this specific information is hard to find online).<\/p>\n In this section, it\u2019s worthwhile to make a distinction: to apply for a Chinese central government scholarship<\/strong> (national), there are two ways. One is via authorized agencies (basically the Chinese Embassy in your country or certain international organizations in your place of residence, such as the European Union, etc.). The second is directly at the destination university.<\/p>\n Both of these options have the power of granting Chinese government scholarships, and both have a different scholarship quota, with that of authorized agencies normally being greater. In addition, if you apply through the Chinese Embassy in your country, for example, you will only be competing with students with your same nationality (as it will only accept applications from the country where the embassy is located).<\/p>\n On the other hand, if you decide to apply for the scholarship directly at the destination university, you will be competing with students from all around the world, given that they accept applications from all five continents. Because of this and considering that the quantity of scholarships granted directly by the university is smaller, it\u2019s more difficult to obtain a scholarship from the Chinese government if you choose to do it this way (if you\u2019re already in China, for example).<\/p>\n In addition, there are provincial government scholarships<\/strong>. The way to apply for these is exclusively by submitting your documentation to the destination university. This means that it\u2019s necessary to already be in China to apply (you can also entrust someone to do it for you or send the documentation via mail, but I don\u2019t recommend the last option).<\/p>\n Obviously, this requirement greatly reduces the competition, as there\u2019s a smaller number of candidates already present in China before starting their studies. Nonetheless, unless you want to study Chinese, provincial government scholarships require you to already have an official Chinese or HSK diploma (normally 4 for a bachelor\u2019s degree and 5 for a master\u2019s degree or PhD, depending on the university).<\/p>\n This last requirement greatly favors people that already have the necessary Chinese certification. There are only few people that have that Chinese level, and an even smaller number are already in China during the application process.<\/p>\n To summarize, choose the option that gives you the most possibilities<\/strong> depending on your situation and your background. In general terms, if you\u2019re in your country of origin and don\u2019t speak Chinese, I recommend that you apply for a Chinese government scholarship from the Chinese Embassy in your country.<\/p>\n This scholarship also includes financing for you to take a Chinese leveling course of up to two years in duration that will allow you to take undergraduate or postgraduate degree courses in Chinese. You can also opt for a program taught in English, but it goes without saying that the applicants will be multiplied exponentially.<\/p>\n If you are already in China and have HSK4 or greater, applying for the provincial government scholarship that interests you will drastically increase your chances of obtaining financing. Remember to check if the university accepts students on scholarship for the program you want to study.<\/p>\n To finish, a few considerations:<\/p>\n If it isn\u2019t clear to you in any event, I recommend that you apply for as many scholarships as possible (so long as you meet the minimum requirements). Even though you can\u2019t receive two scholarships during the same year (I\u2019m talking about government scholarships, including those from the Confucius Institute), you can apply for as many as you want, thus increasing the chances that you will get one.<\/p>\n Chinese central government scholarships finance university studies for bachelor\u2019s degrees, postgraduate degrees, Chinese language study programs and research terms abroad across the country.<\/p>\n The main feature of these scholarships is that they must be preferentially (although not exclusively) applied for <\/strong> via authorized agencies<\/strong>. Authorized agencies are organizations that through the agreements that they maintain with the Chinese government, have the ability to grant scholarships to study at universities in the Asian country.<\/p>\n While multiple of these exist, the main ones are the Chinese diplomatic missions in each country. Even so, not all Chinese embassies in the world have this power. You have to check the case of the Chinese embassy or consulate closest to you.<\/p>\n Another type of authorized agencies are those that belong to concrete study programs. For example, the European Union or UNESCO accept applications for Chinese central government scholarships to study for undergraduate or postgraduate degrees. <\/p>\n The alternative way to apply is to directly submit the required documentation to the destination university. Although it\u2019s possible, it\u2019s not very advisable to choose this way, as the quota of scholarships granted by the university itself is much smaller (compared to authorized agencies). It\u2019s even possible that some universities may not accept applications directly. Check your case on the website of the university that you\u2019ve chosen or by directly contacting it via email.<\/p>\n Classification of Chinese central government scholarships:<\/p>\n In terms of the type of financing<\/strong>, Chinese central government scholarships are divided into:<\/p>\n Precisely because total scholarships are more attractive for a larger number of people, they will also be harder to obtain due to the high demand for them. If you have the option of financing yourself, even if just for\u00a0living expenses<\/a>, it\u2019s a better idea to apply for a partial scholarship, as it will be easier to obtain.<\/p>\n Minimum requirements for applicants<\/strong>:<\/p>\n Required documentation <\/strong>:<\/p>\n NOTE:<\/strong> All documentation must be written in English or Chinese. Otherwise, you must present a sworn translation into one of the two languages. The documents will not be returned under any circumstances, because of which you should NOT send the originals<\/strong> but rather certified or notarized copies.<\/p>\n Application process<\/strong>:<\/p>\n These types of scholarships are granted by provincial governments, including the governments of the four Chinese cities considered \u201cdirect-controlled municipalities\u201d (Beijing, Tianjin, Chongqing and Shanghai), as they operate as provinces in themselves.<\/p>\n These apply to bachelor\u2019s degrees, master\u2019s degrees and PhD studies as well as to Chinese language courses. Nonetheless, not all universities are allocated scholarships from their provincial government for all types of studies. You should carefully review your case.<\/p>\n These are divided into three types:<\/p>\n The main feature of these scholarships is that the application is done directly and exclusively via the destination university.<\/strong><\/p>\n To do so, first you have to check if the university that you have chosen admits students on scholarship from the provincial government for the studies of your choice. For example, the Zhejiang A & F University (ZAFU) admitted, for the 2016-2017 school year, 12 students with a type B scholarship (bachelor\u2019s degree) and 4 students with a type C scholarship (language studies).<\/p>\n Normally, students applying for scholarships are already in the destination city (or at least live somewhere in China). Once again, the main reason is that you have to apply at the university itself, and not through an entity or organization (such as consulates, international agencies, etc.).<\/p>\n These scholarships also tend to be the first choice of bachelor\u2019s degree, master\u2019s degree or PhD students and not for studying Chinese. Although it\u2019s possible, the quantity of scholarships destined for the latter program is much smaller. For example, the government of Shanghai does not offer scholarships to study Chinese at any of the universities under its jurisdiction.<\/p>\n Nonetheless, keep in mind that if you are planning to study for a bachelor\u2019s or graduate degree with the scholarship, it\u2019s essential for you to have a valid HSK diploma<\/strong> or Chinese proficiency certification (4 and above; check your case on the website of your university).<\/p>\n Special features of provincial government scholarships<\/strong>:<\/p>\n NOTE<\/strong>: The government of Shanghai categorizes its scholarships in a special way, only distinguishing two types, A and B. Type A are total coverage scholarships (they cover the costs of tuition, accommodations and health insurance, and provide a monthly allowance for personal expenses) and type B are partial coverage scholarships (they only cover tuition and health insurance). Remember that the government of Shanghai does not offer scholarships for Chinese language courses.<\/p>\n Minimum requirements for scholarships granted by provincial governments<\/strong>:<\/p>\n Check the specific requirements of your university for information on minimum educational requirements.<\/p>\n Required documentation<\/strong>:<\/p>\n NOTE<\/strong>: All official documentation must be presented as certified or notarized copies. At some universities, they may request that these documents be legalized. Check your particular case. Each country has different procedures, so you need to investigate the process in your own country.<\/p>\n Application process<\/strong>:<\/p>\n Confucius Institute scholarships are very popular among Chinese students across the globe. This is a governmental body whose goal is to promote knowledge of Chinese language and culture throughout the world. With a presence in more than 120 countries, it annually offers numerous scholarships for studies at a total of 150 universities in China.<\/p>\n Although it also subsidizes certain PhD studies, research terms, participation in international conferences, etc., in this section, I\u2019m going to exclusively focus on the support offered by the entity for Chinese language and culture studies, as these are the most sought after. If you are interested in checking out the financing that it offers for postgraduates and researchers, you can take a look here<\/a> (in Chinese and English).<\/p>\n Categories and duration of Confucius Institute scholarships for studying Chinese<\/strong>:<\/p>\n Scholarships to train Chinese teachers can start in either September or March.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n Applying for scholarships must be done online. During the process, the system will offer you the possibility of choosing two universities by order of priority<\/strong> out of the 150 centers offering this throughout the country. Take a look at the centers that you are most interested in<\/a> (register first to be able to access all information, which is in Chinese and English,) and ensure that you can study the program of your choice at that center (not all centers offer all of the programs mentioned above).<\/p>\n What the scholarship covers<\/strong>:<\/p>\n Scholarships from Confucius Institute include the cost of tuition and accommodations (at the university residence in a room shared with another person), basic health insurance and a monthly allowance for personal expenses divided in the following way:<\/p>\n Recently, the Institute has been considering the possibility of allowing students on scholarship to live off campus (and therefore choosing not to live at the university residence). In these cases, the Confucius Institute is offering 700 Yuan per month (in addition to the monthly allowance) to help with rental expenses.<\/p>\n In the case of scholarships with a duration of greater than one year, the Confucius Institute will annually revise the grades obtained by recipients, requiring excellent scores to be able to renew the entirety of the financing for the following year.<\/p>\n If the grades of the student are not considered to be above average, the Confucius Institute reserves the right to not renew the scholarship or in any case, to offer partial financing (which covers all expenses except for the monthly allowance for personal expenses).<\/p>\n Depending on your country of origin, the Confucius Institute will also cover the cost of the incoming and outgoing international flights to\/from China (one flight there and one flight back in total). Check your case.<\/p>\n Minimum requirements and necessary documentation<\/strong>:<\/p>\n NOTE<\/strong>: During the online application process, you will be required to write a short letter of motivation detailing your reasons and expectations with regard to the scholarship (around 300 words).<\/p>\n\n
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What type of scholarship should I choose?<\/h2>\n
Starting or continuing to study Chinese<\/h3>\n
Studying for a bachelor\u2019s or postgraduate degree<\/h3>\n
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<\/div>\nMost popular scholarships to study at Chinese universities<\/h2>\n
Chinese central government scholarships (national)<\/h3>\n
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Provincial government scholarships (local scholarships)<\/h3>\n
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Confucius Institute scholarships<\/h3>\n
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