Here it is. You are decided to study in China and realize your dream in one of China’s university. But first things first, let’s see which China’s scholarship exists and how do they work.
China is the most popular destination in Asia for students studying abroad. In 2017, students from 204 countries and territories studied in China, bringing the total number of international students to 489,200, which marked an increase of over 10 percent for the second year in a row, and it keeps increasing.
To promote internationalization, China offers foreign students different types of scholarships to allow foreign students from all the continents to have the opportunity to study a degree.
To apply for a scholarship in China, you need to understand first the three main scholarships:
When applying for the Chinese Government Scholarship, you can choose 3 universities of your preference. The first one being the one you want to go to the most.
Regarding the Local Government Scholarship (limited to students studying Mandarin), you need to be enrolled first in your university before applying to it.
If it’s a Confucius scholarship, you have to pick two universities of your choice. Besides, there is an option that allows you to go to another university suggested by the government in case the universities you applied for are full.
For Chinese Government Scholarship, applications usually start early January and finish late March of each year. Regarding notifications, applicants usually receive an answer around May and June (can sometimes receive notification in July and August).
For Local Government Scholarship: procedures are different in every city/province, so it is better to contact directly the university you enroll in.
For Confucius Institute Scholarship, you can apply anytime. The answer arrives after approximately 45 days.
The Chinese Government Scholarship is a full scholarship that covers tuition, insurance, living expenses, and accommodation for the whole study year.
The Confucius Institute Scholarship covers as much as the Chinese Government Scholarship but is limited to students studying Chinese.
Other full scholarships exist such as scholarships offered by local government, university and enterprise. If you don’t get the Chinese Government Scholarship, you can still try to apply for the others.
For Mandarin Chinese learners applying for the Confucius Institute Scholarship, taking the HSK and HSKK certificates is required. The requirements depends on what you want to study.
If you haven’t taken a HSK exam in the past, you can still enroll the program but won’t be able to apply for this particular scholarship.
Students who want to study Chinese for a semester should provide a minimum score of 180 on the HSK Test (Level 3), and an HSKK test score.
Regarding one-academic-year studies, you should provide a score above 210 on the HSK 3 or 4 (depending on whether you study language or language, history and philosophy as well).
If you want to study a Bachelor’s Degree in Teaching Chinese to Speakers of Other Languages (TCSOL), you should hold a minimum score of 210 on the HSK Test (Level 4) as well as 60 on the HSKK test (Intermediate Level).
For those who want to study a Master’s Degree in TCSOL, you should have a minimum score of 210 on the HSK Test (Level 5) as well as 60 on the HSKK test (Intermediate Level).
Finally, if you want to study a PhD in TCSOL, a minimum score of 200 on the HSK Test (Level 6), 60 on the HSKK test (Advanced Level) will be required.
Read More: Know more about the HSK test
Read More: More details on the Confucius Institute website
Note that if you want to prepare yourself for the HSK and HSKK tests, we provide tailored Chinese classes to make sure you get a high score. Try a free demo here :)
Some scholarships offered by local government, university and enterprise may not be as good as the Chinese Government Scholarship. They sometimes cover partial tuition only.
It is important to know that the most popular is a university, the more complicated it will be to receive a local scholarship because the competition will be tough between all the international students.
There are a lot of very good universities not too popular yet among students that offer a good local scholarship (for example Chongqing University).
To apply for the Chinese Government Scholarship, go here.
To apply for the Local Government Scholarship, contact the university you’re enrolled in.
To apply for the Confucius Institute Scholarship, go here.
Applying for a scholarship in China is not the easiest thing to do, and it takes some time, but it is worth it because once you arrive in China, you can finally enjoy your experience while having financial security.
If you have any problem during your application, don’t hesitate to contact your embassy or the university you enrolled in. People will be there to help you and guide you through the process.
And if you want to learn more Chinese before arriving in China, click the link below :)
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