The seven steps of a Chinese Government Scholarship application, in the guide's own order

Section V of the Application Guide for Chinese Government Scholarship sets out the application in seven numbered steps. The steps run from the applicant's own research, through the university, the application receiving agency and the online form, to the China Scholarship Council (CSC) reviewing candidates and announcing results. Everything in this article is a condition of that scholarship. It is not a set of general admission rules for self-funded students.

The seven steps

1. Applicant: learn about universities and majors. The applicant visits the Campus China website (campuschina.org) or uses other means to learn about designated Chinese universities and the majors they offer. The applicant then identifies the preferred scholarship program, designated university and major.

2. Applicant: reach the designated university for admission documents. The applicant contacts the designated university to get admission documents. Section VI, item 7 applies here. It says that "All applicants must provide a pre-admission document issued by the universities applying," and that pre-admission documents include a pre-admission notice from the international students' admission department or an invitation letter from the schools or professors, etc.

3. Applicant: reach an application receiving agency for a recommendation. The applicant contacts an application receiving agency and asks for a recommendation. Section V does not define "application receiving agency."

4. Applicant: fill in and submit the online form. The applicant fills in the Application Form for Chinese Government Scholarship online, through the Chinese Government Scholarship Information System on campuschina.org, and submits it. Section VI, item 1 lists the form as "filled in online."

5. Application receiving agency: submit the candidate list and documents. The agency submits the recommended candidates list and their application documents.

6. CSC: examine eligibility and academic performance. The CSC organizes designated universities and experts concerned to examine applicants' eligibility and academic performance. This happens before the CSC finalizes the short-list candidates.

7. CSC, then the agency: notify results and inform the applicant. The CSC notifies the admission results to the application receiving agency. The agency then has the applicant informed.

Documents tied to steps 2 and 4

Section V does not list the documents for each step. Two links are stated in the guide:

• Step 2 links to section VI, item 7 (the pre-admission document).
• Step 4 links to section VI, item 1 (the online Application Form).

Section VI is headed "Application Documents" and numbers its items 1 to 13. Step 5 refers to "their application documents," but section V does not say which of the section VI items those are.

What section V leaves open

• Section V names no dates for any of its seven steps.
• Section V does not define "application receiving agency." Section I names, for each program, the body where the applicant files, but section I does not use that term.
• Section VI, item 6 refers to "the application deadline" for the CSCA score report without giving a date.

Sources

• Application Guide for Chinese Government Scholarship (China Scholarship Council, Campus China)

Checked 11 October 2026

This page is an unofficial summary. It is not published by or affiliated with the Ministry of Education, the China Scholarship Council or any university, and it is not legal advice. If the official text or the current notice of the university or authority handling your case differs from this page, the official text and that notice prevail.