After years of working with thousands of students applying to study in China, I kept seeing talented, hungry applicants missing out, not because of ability or desire but strategy.
Every student is looking for scholarships (why wouldn’t you?) and there are millions of scholarships available each year.
From our experience many scholarships actually go unclaimed. (Forbes report $100million unclaimed in US annually) not just because they’re hard to find, but because students don’t understand their purpose.
There’s no such thing as a free scholarship!
Every scholarship exists for a reason and it’s essential to align with the purpose of the scholarship.
Here are the main categories
1) Attracting the top Talent to boost prestige, ranking and research – eg., academic, athletic
2) Soft Power & Diplomacy, incl Bilateral Trade – Developing Future Leaders
3) Labor Market Needs: Filling critical gaps – eg., STEM / tech
4) Social Impact: Advancing equity, inclusion
5) Institutional Diversity: Creating a “Mini UN” and diverse experience
6) Attraction & Conversion: aid as a lever to attract and compete for students.
7) Human Capital Development: Brain Gain – funding students to go out, develop and return back
It’s all about understanding and aligning with the why. Talented, hungry students shouldn’t lose out on funding.
This is what we’ve built in Global Admissions – so students can match with funding that aligns with their advantage and fits their profile, not just apply blindly to the most well known ones.
Now live! 🌏
- We’ve Launched a New Scholarship Finder Tool - April 22, 2026
- Upgrading Admissions at the Speed of AI: Our 2026 Roadmap - April 16, 2026
- Application Services Update for 2026 Intake - November 18, 2025