Chinese Government Scholarship for Undergraduates 2027/28

The Chinese Government Scholarship is China’s main scholarship for international students. It is funded by the Chinese government and run by the China Scholarship Council (CSC), and it pays for degrees at every level from bachelor’s to doctorate at a large number of Chinese universities. This page covers the undergraduate route: a full bachelor’s degree, taught in Chinese or, on some courses, in English.

The 2026/2027 round is closed, and the 2027/2028 notices have not appeared yet (checked 9 October 2026). Last year Chinese embassies and consulates began posting notices in late October 2025, with closing dates in early February 2026. The consulates in Melbourne and Medan closed on 8 February, and the embassy in Malaysia on 1 February. One date is already fixed for anyone aiming at September 2027: the undergraduate entrance test, described below, has sittings in November 2026, December 2026 and January 2027.

The routes in

Your application ends up in the CSC’s online system, the Chinese Government Scholarship Information System on Campus China, but it reaches the CSC through an “agency”. Each agency has a number you enter on the form, and the system will not pass your application on if the programme category or agency number is wrong.

Through your country’s Chinese embassy or consulate (Type A). The embassy collects applications from its country, reviews them, and recommends a shortlist to the CSC. The Melbourne consulate’s agency number, for example, was 0362, and Indonesia’s was 3602. Some of these are bilateral programmes with a fixed theme. Indonesia’s 2026/2027 notice offered 20 places across all levels in fields such as marine studies, medicine, health, tourism and education.

Through a Chinese university (Type B). Universities that run their own share of the scheme take applications directly, under their own agency number, and you may apply to only one. Some university programmes, Fudan University’s among them, recruit only master’s and doctoral students, so check that an undergraduate intake exists before you start.

The route that matters is the one your own embassy describes. The embassy in Malaysia, for instance, handled only non-degree places for 2026/2027 and told degree applicants to apply through universities.

What the scholarship covers

The embassies describe it as a full scholarship that does not include international travel. Host universities set out what that means in practice:

Item	Covered (checked 9 October 2026)
Tuition	Waived
Accommodation	A free room on campus, or a housing subsidy where you are allowed to live off campus
Living stipend	Paid monthly, at a rate the CSC sets for each degree level
Medical insurance	Medical insurance for international students in China
International flights	Not covered

We have not listed the stipend amount, because the official CSC portal could not be reached when we checked and the figures elsewhere are from older rounds. Confirm the current rate on Campus China or with your university before you plan a budget. Scholars may not hold another Chinese government or university scholarship at the same time, apart from one-off prizes. Anyone found concealing other funding loses the award, repays what was paid, and is barred from applying for three years.

Who can apply

• Not a citizen of the People's Republic of China, and in good physical and mental health
• A high school graduate, or about to graduate, with good grades
• Under 25 when you apply
• Holding a valid CSCA score report
• Meeting your chosen university's own entry requirements for academic level and language. For courses taught in English, that usually means an IELTS or TOEFL score set by the university
• If you are under 18, able to provide documents for a legal guardian in China

The HSK Chinese test requirements in the embassy notices apply to Chinese-taught master’s, doctoral and non-degree programmes. For a Chinese-taught bachelor’s degree, check what the university asks for, as some embassy notices also set HSK 3 for Chinese-taught undergraduate places.

Documents

The 2026/2027 notices asked undergraduate applicants to upload:

1. The scholarship application form, completed in Chinese or English in the online system.
2. A clear scan of the passport information page. If the passport will have less than 12 months left from the expected start of study, renew it first.
3. A notarised copy of your highest diploma, or proof of student status from your school if you have not yet graduated.
4. Your academic transcripts, with notarised Chinese or English translations if needed.
5. Language certificates, as your university requires.
6. Your CSCA score report.
7. A pre-admission document from the university, such as a pre-admission notice or an invitation letter.
8. A study plan in Chinese or English of at least 200 words.
9. A copy of the Foreigner Physical Examination Form, completed in English and valid for six months, if you will stay more than six months.
10. A non-criminal record certificate from the local police, usually issued within six months of applying.

Applicants for art or design courses may also upload examples of their work. Melbourne and Medan asked for no paper documents; other embassies may.

How the round runs

The Indonesian notice for 2026/2027 gives a clear picture of the usual timing.

1. Oct to early FebChoose a university, get its pre-admission document, take the CSCA and submit online with the right agency number.
2. Feb to early MarThe embassy reviews applications and sends its recommended candidates to the CSC for final review.
3. July to AugResults appear in the online system. Successful applicants download the admission notice and the JW201 visa form.
4. SeptemberStudy begins in China.

University routes run their own calendars, and some close earlier than the embassies. Write to the international admissions office of your chosen university early, both for the pre-admission letter and to confirm that it takes CSC undergraduates.

If you are still choosing a country, our guide on how to choose which country to study in and the study cost calculator help with the comparison. The deadline planner is a good place to log the CSCA registration window now. Check every requirement against the Campus China portal and your embassy’s notice when the 2027/2028 round opens.