CSC scholarship paperwork in order: from the pre-admission document to the online form

Sources checked 11 October 2026 · Chinese Government Scholarship

The first paper that the application process names is the pre-admission document. Item 7 of section VI describes it, and step 2 of section V asks you to get it from the designated university. At step 4 you fill in the online Application Form, which is item 1 of section VI. Everything taken from the Application Guide for Chinese Government Scholarship in this article is a condition of that scholarship, not a general admission rule for self-funded students.

Which body receives the application

Section I of the Application Guide says where you file, and the answer depends on the programme type.

Bilateral Program: "An applicant shall file an application with the dispatching department of their home countries."
University Program: "An applicant shall file an application with Chinese universities undertaking this program."
Designated Scholarship Programs: "An applicant shall file an application with the international organizations and institutions concerned."
Student Exchange Program: "An applicant shall file an application with Chinese universities and their foreign partners."

For the Designated Scholarship Programs, section I also gives the application receiving agency for each one. The Great Wall Program lists the National Commission for UNESCO in the home country. The EU Program lists the Office for Education and Culture, Mission of the PRC to the EU. The AUN Program lists the AUN Secretariat. The PIF Program lists the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat. The WMO Program lists WMO.

The seven steps in order

Section V has seven numbered steps. The steps below keep the guide's numbering. Section V prints no dates for any of them.

Step 1. Find the designated Chinese universities and the majors they offer. Visit websites (the step names www.campuschina.org) or use other means. Then identify the preferred scholarship programme, designated university and major. Step 1 names no item of section VI.

Step 2. Reach the designated university for admission documents. Item 7 of section VI says: "Pre-Admission Documents. All applicants must provide a pre-admission document issued by the universities applying. Pre-admission documents include pre-admission notice issued by the international students' admission department or invitation letter from the schools or professors, etc."

Step 3. Reach an application receiving agency for a recommendation. Step 3 names no item of section VI. Section I above says which body receives the application for each programme type.

Step 4. Fill in and submit the Application Form for Chinese Government Scholarship online. The step names the Chinese Government Scholarship Information System (www.campuschina.org) as the place to do this. Item 1 of section VI is "Application Form for Chinese Government Scholarship (filled in online)." Item 2 of section VI asks for a scan: "Applicants are required to submit a clear scanned copy of the information page of their ordinary passports." Step 4 names no file format.

Step 5. The application receiving agency submits the recommended candidates list and their application documents. Step 5 names no item of section VI.

Step 6. The CSC organizes designated universities and experts concerned to examine applicants' eligibility and academic performance. This happens before the short-list candidates are finalized. Step 6 names no item of section VI.

Step 7. The CSC notifies the admission results to the application receiving agency. The agency then has the applicant informed. Step 7 names no item of section VI.

Other papers in section VI

Section V does not name a step for items 2 to 13 of section VI, except the links given above. The items below are quoted or summarised with their own numbers.

Item 2 (passport): If the validity period of the passport you hold is "less than 12 months (calculated from the expected start date of study)", the item asks you to renew the passport and use it for the application.
Item 3 (diploma): A notarized photocopy of the diploma and certificate of highest education. A current university student "shall submit the certificate of expected graduation or student status issued by his/her university."
Item 4 (academic records): Records in languages other than Chinese or English "shall be attached with notarized translations in Chinese or English."
Item 5 (language): Applicants for master's, doctoral, general scholar and senior scholar programmes taught in Chinese must submit a valid HSK score report. Programmes taught in other languages require language certificates "in accordance with the requirements of each university."
Item 6 (CSCA): Applicants for a bachelor's degree must register for and take the CSCA before the application deadline, and obtain a valid Score Report.
Item 8 (study or research plan): Written in Chinese or English. The minimum length is "no less than 200 words/characters for undergraduates; no less than 500 words/characters for scholars; no less than 1000 words/characters for postgraduates."
Item 9 (recommendation letters): An applicant for a postgraduate programme, or for academic education as a senior scholar, submits two recommendation letters in Chinese or English from professors or associate professors.
Item 10 (arts or design): The applicant provides his or her own works, such as videos and paintings.
Item 11 (under 18): The applicant submits the legal documents of his or her legal guardian(s) in China.
Item 12 (medical): For study in China for more than six months, a photocopy of the Foreigner Physical Examination Form. "Medical examination results are valid for only six months."
Item 13 (police record): A valid Certificate of Non-Criminal Record (or Police Clearance Certificate) issued by the local public security, which is "usually issued within six months prior to the submission date of the application."

Suggestion, not a requirement of the Application Guide: before you start the online form, check the passport's validity against your expected start date, because item 2 measures the 12 months from that date.

For the scholarship as a whole, see the CSC guide on this site.

Sources

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

Checked 10 October 2026

This page is an unofficial summary. It is not published by or affiliated with the Ministry of Education, the China Scholarship Council, the National Immigration Administration, any embassy or any university, and it is not legal advice. The official text and the current notice of the office handling your case prevail if they differ.