If you are looking for a Chinese language program scholarship to study Chinese, there is good news and bad news. The good news is that there are scholarships available, the bad news is that they may be difficult to find and apply to.
In this article, we’ll explain available scholarships and how you can apply for a Chinese language program scholarship to study Chinese in China!
About Scholarships in China
China gives thousands of scholarships each year to international students, and many more are interested in scholarships in China.
There are a lot of opportunities to study in China with a scholarship. You can read more about our general guide and the different types of scholarships here. We have helped thousands of students apply to Chinese universities and we work closely with universities in China.
We are going to start with the hardest Chinese language program scholarship to apply for, to the easiest.
1 Semester or 1 Year Scholarship in the Chinese Language
How easy is it to apply? It’s quite hard.
Many students want to come to study in China for 1 semester or 1 year and to get a scholarship. This is one of the more difficult scholarships to apply for, since there is such a high demand for this short-term scholarship.
To start with, the total tuition for a Chinese language program is usually not too high (around 7,000 RMB/1,000 USD per semester). The real cost to the university is much higher, so these programs are already subsidized to encourage more students to study Chinese. These are already the cheapest programs you can do.
Most students do study this program on a self-paid basis due to the low cost and difficulty of applying for this scholarship.
How to apply? You can apply for the CSC Scholarship in 279 universities. You would normally need to apply through the embassy in your home country. Find the full instructions here.
Degree Program in Chinese with Foundation Program
How easy is it to apply? Much easier for many students.
For students who are willing to study a whole degree in the Chinese language, it’s much easier to get a scholarship to study Chinese since this is a less popular path! Often you can apply for a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree, and you can get a full scholarship for the degree, and a free 1- or 2-year Chinese foundation program. Foundation programs are pre-university programs designed to help you improve your Mandarin Chinese; read more about them here.
This is because China is looking to attract more international students, and they would prefer it if they can speak great Chinese and study in Chinese (instead of English). After all, Chinese is the language of China!
There are 279 universities with such a scholarship to study in Chinese, and the instructions for applying are here.
Tips to Increase Your Chances with the Scholarship
We have helped lots of students apply for Chinese language program scholarships. The biggest tips we would give to increase your chances for receiving one are:
1) Make sure you apply early!
Often the students who apply earlier have the highest chances of getting accepted.
2) Demonstrate your commitment to China and learning Chinese.
When you apply, make sure you demonstrate that you are serious about learning Chinese and coming to China. They are looking to award scholarships to serious students!
3) Learn Chinese before
Make sure you have some Chinese level before. Taking an HSK exam (the official Chinese language level test) can increase your chances, and the higher your Chinese level the better – some ability is better than none. There are some online certificate programs you can take online before coming to China. If you can send that certificate with your application it will greatly improve your chances.
China Admissions has many resources to help you study Chinese:
- 8 Universities in China with the Best Online Chinese Programs
- 5 Top Reasons To Take The HSK Test (Chinese Proficiency Test)
- Best FREE Ways to Self-Study Chinese Online
- 7 Best Apps To Learn Chinese For FREE in 2022
- How To Prepare for the New HSK 3.0: Resources for HSK 7, 8, and 9
- A full list of online Chinese courses that China Admissions can help you apply to
4) Make sure you prepare your application documents properly.
Often they will receive so many applications for scholarships, and it’s often quite hard to reply to give feedback if a student hasn’t submitted documents correctly. Make sure you prepare your documents properly when you apply according to the requirements, and submit them in a high-quality format!
If you are not accepted for the scholarship, normally you will not hear back about the reason. You only have one chance, so make it count. If you can also go to the embassy with your documents to check in person it can also be an advantage.
We have some more information about how to prepare documents here.
Articles about Scholarships
You can read more information about scholarships below
Search Scholarships
You can search for scholarships for the Chinese language here.
Questions? Visit our Support Page.
- Will Chinese Universities Increase Tuition Fees? - June 23, 2023
- Top 5 Places to Study Chinese: Your Path to Language Fluency - May 30, 2023
- Our Goal is to Help Empower a New Wave of Students to Understand China - May 10, 2023