Chinese Government Scholarship (CSC) Type B 2027: University Programme Guide

The Chinese Government Scholarship (CSC) Type B is the Chinese University Programme: the route where you apply directly to a Chinese university instead of through your government. Under Type B, participating universities open their own CSC calls, review the applications they receive, and nominate their chosen candidates to the China Scholarship Council. CSC then makes the final decision. That structure — university first, CSC last — is the opposite of Type A, the Bilateral Programme, where your home country’s dispatching authority recommends you under a government-to-government agreement. If you have not yet decided which route fits you, read this guide together with our CSC Type A Bilateral Programme guide; the coverage for full awards follows the same published CSC standards, but the gatekeeper, the Agency Number, the deadlines and the application systems are entirely different.

Type B rewards applicants who do their homework at the level of the individual university. There is no single Type B deadline, no single Type B document list and no single Type B portal form that covers everything: each university sets its own closing date, runs its own online application system alongside the CSC system, and decides which categories and programmes it will nominate for in a given year — in recent cycles, many universities have used Type B mainly for graduate study, including high-level postgraduate calls, while some also open undergraduate or Silk Road sub-programmes for students from Belt and Road partner countries. This guide gives you the verified framework: CSC’s published stipend standards (CNY 2,500 per month for undergraduates, CNY 3,000 for master’s students, CNY 3,500 for doctoral students), the eligibility and age limits, the two-system application process, the Agency Number rule that decides whether your CSC form reaches the right university, the documents universities consistently require, and an honest timeline for the 2027 intake. Everything here is a framework to be confirmed against your target university’s own 2027 call — because in Type B, the university’s call is the document that governs your application. You can also place Type B in the full landscape of Chinese funding with our guide to fully funded scholarships in China through CSC and the wider scholarship directory.

CSC Type B at a Glance

How Type B Works — and How It Differs from Type A

Think of Type B as a two-key system. The university holds the first key: it publishes the call, checks eligibility, reviews your academic file, sometimes interviews you, and decides whether to nominate you. CSC holds the second key: it reviews the university’s nominated candidates and issues the final approval. Being admitted by a university is not the same as being awarded the scholarship, and being strong on paper is not enough if the university never nominates you — both steps must succeed, in that order. This also means your relationship with the university’s international students office matters from day one: they are your selection committee, your help desk and your nominating body in one.

Compared with Type A, three practical differences dominate. First, access: Type B is open to you directly, without a home-country quota or a dispatching authority — if a university’s call is open to your nationality and level, you can apply. Second, choice: you select the exact university and programme, and a successful nomination is tied to that choice, rather than a placement process. Third, fragmentation: everything — dates, fees for the university application stage at some institutions, interview practice, whether a supervisor’s acceptance is required — is decided university by university. Applicants who thrive in Type B are the ones who build a shortlist of two or three target universities, read each call forensically, and run three slightly different applications in parallel rather than one generic application everywhere.

Eligibility for CSC Type B

Citizenship, health and academic standing

You must be a citizen of a country other than the People’s Republic of China and be in good health, mentally and physically. Universities apply CSC’s standard that applicants should have a strong academic record for their level — Type B is competitive precisely because universities nominate their strongest files, and many university calls describe the programme as intended for high-achieving applicants. You must also satisfy the admission requirements of the specific programme: a bachelor’s degree for master’s entry, a master’s degree for doctoral entry, and programme-level prerequisites set by the department.

Age limits by level

These are the same CSC-published age ceilings used across the Chinese Government Scholarship, set out in CSC’s programme materials and reproduced in official guidance such as the Henan provincial government Chinese Government Scholarship page and embassy notices for recent cycles. A university cannot waive them for a CSC nomination, so check your date of birth against the ceiling for your level before you pay any application fee or order translations.

Language requirements

Your evidence must match your programme’s teaching language. For Chinese-taught programmes, universities apply CSC’s HSK standards — HSK Level 4 is the published expectation for Chinese-taught master’s and doctoral programmes, with higher levels (HSK 5) required by some universities and departments, and HSK Level 3 or above the reference point for undergraduate and non-degree study. For English-taught programmes, expect to provide IELTS or TOEFL results, or — where a university expressly accepts it — an official English medium-of-instruction certificate from your previous university. Never assume a medium-of-instruction letter is accepted: many top universities require a test score, and the call will say which. Undergraduate applicants should also note the recent introduction of the China Scholastic Competency Assessment (CSCA) in CSC application guidance for bachelor’s programmes — if your target university opens undergraduate Type B places, confirm whether a CSCA score report is required and register early if it is.

Category availability is the university’s decision

Unlike Type A, where categories follow bilateral agreements, Type B categories follow each university’s own call. In recent cycles many universities have run Type B primarily as a postgraduate route — you will see calls framed as a high-level postgraduate programme for master’s and doctoral candidates — while others add undergraduate intakes or named sub-programmes. Treat any general statement (including in this guide) as background only: the operative fact is what your target university’s current call lists. If it lists only doctoral programmes this year, a master’s application to that university under Type B does not exist, however eligible you are in the abstract.

Benefits and Coverage

A full Type B scholarship follows CSC’s published standards:

• Tuition waiver for the approved programme and duration.
• Accommodation — a free university dormitory place (usually a twin room) where the university requires on-campus living, or a monthly accommodation subsidy where off-campus living is permitted: CNY 700 per month for undergraduate and master’s students, CNY 1,000 per month for doctoral students.
• Monthly stipend — CNY 2,500 for undergraduates, CNY 3,000 for master’s students and CNY 3,500 for doctoral students, at CSC’s published rates.
• Comprehensive medical insurance under the scheme referenced on Campus China — CNY 800 per person per year, or CNY 400 for programmes under six months.

The scholarship normally covers the standard duration of your degree — typically two to three years for a master’s and three to four years for a doctorate, as specified in your admission documents — including, where approved, a preparatory Chinese-language year. It does not cover international travel, visa and document costs, any application fee the university charges for its own admission stage, or living costs above the stipend in expensive cities. Some universities also offer partial or differently structured awards alongside the full CSC package in their own calls; if you are offered anything other than the full package, compare the written offer item by item, and model your remaining costs with our budget and cost calculators before accepting. A place at a famous university with a partial award can cost you more over three years than a full award at a less famous one — do the arithmetic, using our university rankings to weigh quality alongside the money.

Programmes and Fields

Designated Chinese universities offer CSC programmes across the disciplines CSC lists for the scholarship — science, engineering, agriculture, medicine, economics, law, management, education, history, literature, philosophy and fine arts among them — but the operative menu is the programme list in each university’s call. In Type B, programme choice is also a strategic choice: universities nominate candidates who strengthen their priority departments, and sub-programmes (such as Silk Road calls at some universities) may ring-fence places for particular regions or fields. Read the department’s own page as well as the international office’s call: entry requirements, supervisor availability for doctoral applicants, and whether the programme is actually taught in English in the intake year are all department-level facts. For doctoral study especially, identify potential supervisors whose research matches yours, read their recent work, and contact them politely and specifically before you apply — several universities ask doctoral Type B applicants for a supervisor’s acceptance or provisional acceptance as part of the file, and even where it is formally optional, it materially strengthens a nomination case.

How to Apply for CSC Type B: Step by Step

1. Shortlist universities and read their current Type B calls. For each target, note: categories and programmes open, deadline, Agency Number, whether an application fee applies at the university stage, interview practice, supervisor-acceptance rules, and accepted language evidence. Work only from the university’s official international admissions pages — for example, the published Type B instructions of a university such as Beijing University of Chemical Technology, which walks applicants through both systems and states its Agency Number (10010) openly: BUCT’s Chinese Government Scholarship application page. Every university’s page follows a similar logic with its own details.
2. Contact potential supervisors (doctoral, and research master’s where relevant). Send a concise email: your background, your proposed research in a few lines, why their group, and attach your CV and transcripts. Do this months before the deadline.
3. Complete the CSC online application, selecting Type B. Register in the CSC Online Application System for International Students via Campus China, choose Programme Category Type B, and enter your target university’s five-digit Agency Number exactly as published. Complete the form and upload the documents the system requires. The Agency Number is what routes your form to that university — a wrong number sends your application to the wrong institution or nowhere.
4. Complete the university’s own application. Register on the university’s international-student application system, fill in its form and upload its document list. Universities are explicit that both applications are required — BUCT’s guidance, quoted above, states that applications submitted on only one platform will not be reviewed. Keep the information identical across both systems.
5. Pay any university-stage application fee and attend any interview. Some universities charge a fee for applicants who pass preliminary evaluation; follow the payment instructions in the call only — never pay a third party. If invited to interview, expect questions on your study plan, your subject knowledge and your reasons for that university.
6. University review and nomination. The university evaluates applications, finalises a nomination list and submits it to CSC. You may receive a pre-admission or conditional notification from the university at this stage — this is not yet the scholarship result.
7. CSC final decision and admission documents. CSC reviews nominated candidates and approves the final list. Successful candidates receive the admission notice and the visa application form (JW201/JW202) through the university.
8. Visa and arrival. Apply for the Chinese study visa with those documents at the Chinese embassy or consulate, and follow the university’s registration instructions. The scholarship does not decide your visa, and no step in this chain can be guaranteed in advance.

Required Documents

Document lists converge across university Type B calls. Prepare the full set below; your university’s checklist governs if it differs.

• CSC online application form — generated by the CSC system after you complete and submit the Type B form with the correct Agency Number.
• University application form — completed in the university’s own system, consistent with the CSC form in every personal and academic detail.
• Passport home page copy — clear scan; universities commonly require validity of at least a year beyond application, and applicants who have been to China before may be asked for copies of previous Chinese visas and residence permits.
• Notarised highest diploma and degree certificate — or, for prospective graduates, an official certificate of student status confirming you will graduate before enrolment (one recent university call specifies confirmation of graduation before 1 September of the intake year). Non-Chinese/English documents need notarised translations.
• Official academic transcripts — complete records for the relevant degree(s), with notarised Chinese or English translations where needed.
• Study plan or research proposal — in Chinese or English. University calls commonly set a minimum of around 800 words; doctoral proposals should present background, objectives and methodology properly. Write to the university’s stated minimum, then exceed it in substance, not padding.
• Two recommendation letters — from professors or associate professors, signed, with contact details, specific about your academic ability and research potential.
• Supervisor acceptance letter — where the university or department requires or recommends it for doctoral (and some master’s) applicants.
• Language proficiency certificate — HSK at the required level for Chinese-taught programmes; IELTS/TOEFL (or an accepted medium-of-instruction certificate) for English-taught programmes.
• Foreigner Physical Examination Form — completed and signed by a licensed physician within six months of application, following the official form’s required tests.
• Non-criminal record certificate — a police clearance issued within six months of application, as university calls commonly specify.
• Supporting evidence (optional but valuable) — published papers, awards, and relevant work or research experience, where the university’s system provides for them.

Deadlines and Timeline for the 2027 Intake

The honest summary: there is no single CSC Type B deadline for 2027, and any website that announces one global date is inventing it. What exists are dozens of university deadlines. Build your own calendar from your shortlist, set reminders with a deadline tracker from our tools page, and treat the earliest of your target deadlines as your personal finishing line for documents that all three applications share — notarisation, translation, medical examination and police certificate all have lead times and validity windows that punish last-minute preparation.

Selection Criteria and How to Improve Your Chances

Universities nominate candidates who make the university look good twice: once on admission (can this student succeed in our programme?) and once at CSC (is this file strong enough for national approval?). CSC’s final review then checks eligibility and the university’s recommendations. Optimise for both audiences:

• Fit the department, not just the university brand. A proposal aligned with a department’s active research, supervised by a professor who wants it, beats a generic application to a more famous name where no supervisor has an interest in your topic.
• Make the study plan do real work. State the research problem, what is known, your method, why this university and supervisor, and what the work contributes. Reviewers read hundreds of plans; specificity is the difference.
• Secure supervisor acceptance where it matters. For doctoral applicants it can be decisive, formally (where required) or practically (a supervisor advocating inside the department).
• Keep both systems perfect. Identical names, dates, programme titles and uploads in the CSC and university systems. Discrepancies read as carelessness at exactly the review stage where care is being judged.
• Respect the level rules. Apply only where your age, qualification and language evidence clearly meet the call. A university will not spend a nomination slot on a file CSC is likely to reject on eligibility.
• Apply to a small, well-matched shortlist. Two or three universities where you genuinely fit, each with a tailored plan, outperform ten copied applications — and each application must use that university’s own Agency Number and requirements anyway.
• Prepare for the interview. Some universities interview shortlisted Type B candidates. Rehearse explaining your proposal, your subject fundamentals and your post-study plans in the language of your programme.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Applying on only one platform. CSC system only, or university system only — either way, universities state the application will not be reviewed. Complete both.
• Entering the wrong Agency Number. Each university has its own five-digit number, printed in its call. The wrong number routes your CSC form away from your target university.
• Using a Type A mindset. No dispatching authority, no embassy recommendation and no home-country quota are involved in Type B. Submitting Type B documents to an embassy (or Type A documents to a university) achieves nothing.
• Assuming every university offers every level. Many Type B calls are postgraduate-only in a given year. Read the current call for categories before preparing an application.
• Missing your university’s deadline while waiting for a “CSC deadline”. There is no national Type B date to catch you. When the university closes, it closes.
• Weak or copied study plans. A templated plan with the university’s name swapped in is obvious to reviewers and fatal to nomination prospects. Tailor the substance.
• Expired supporting documents. Medical examination forms and police certificates have validity windows (commonly six months). Time them so they are still valid at submission.
• Language-evidence surprises. Assuming a medium-of-instruction letter is accepted where the call requires IELTS/TOEFL, or presenting HSK below the programme’s level, ends applications at the eligibility check.
• Paying “agents” for nomination promises. Universities nominate and CSC decides. An intermediary cannot sell either decision, and fees paid for such promises are unrecoverable in practice.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between CSC Type B and Type A?

Type B is the Chinese University Programme: you apply directly to a participating university, it nominates you, and CSC makes the final decision, using the university’s Agency Number. Type A is the Bilateral Programme: your home country’s dispatching authority recommends you under a bilateral agreement. Full-scholarship coverage follows the same CSC standards in both, but the route, gatekeeper, Agency Number and deadlines differ completely.

How much stipend does CSC Type B pay per month?

At CSC’s published standards for a full scholarship: CNY 2,500 per month for undergraduates, CNY 3,000 for master’s students and CNY 3,500 for doctoral students — plus a tuition waiver, free dormitory or an accommodation subsidy (CNY 700 per month at undergraduate and master’s level, CNY 1,000 at doctoral level), and comprehensive medical insurance at CNY 800 per year.

Do I need to apply in both the CSC system and the university system?

Yes. Universities require the CSC online application (Type B, with the university’s Agency Number) and their own international-student application. Published university guidance states plainly that applications submitted on only one platform will not be reviewed.

Where do I find my university’s Agency Number for Type B?

In the university’s own CSC call or international admissions pages — each university has a unique five-digit number (for example, 10010 for Beijing University of Chemical Technology, as published in its application guidance). Never reuse another university’s number or a number from an unofficial list without checking it against the official call.

When is the CSC Type B deadline for 2027?

There is no single national deadline. Each university sets its own closing date, commonly somewhere between December and April for autumn intake. Your deadline is the one in your target university’s 2027 call, and both application systems must be completed by it.

Can undergraduates apply for CSC Type B?

Only where a university’s call opens undergraduate places under Type B — many calls in recent cycles are postgraduate-only, sometimes framed as high-level postgraduate programmes, while some universities run undergraduate or Silk Road sub-programmes. Check the categories in the current call, the under-25 age limit, and whether a CSCA score report is required for bachelor’s applicants.

Does the university’s pre-admission mean I have won the scholarship?

No. A university notification before CSC’s review means you have passed the university stage or been nominated — CSC makes the final decision on nominated candidates. Treat the scholarship as confirmed only when the university informs you of CSC’s approval and issues your admission documents.

Do I need a supervisor’s acceptance letter for Type B?

For doctoral applications, many universities require or strongly recommend a (provisional) acceptance from a prospective supervisor, and some master’s programmes expect one too. Even where it is optional, documented supervisor support strengthens your nomination case. Check your department’s requirement and contact supervisors months before the deadline.

Sources and Verification

The facts in this guide were checked against official sources at the time of writing:

• China Scholarship Council / Campus China (campuschina.org) — Chinese University Programme framework, published stipend standards, coverage and eligibility, as reproduced in official programme materials including the Henan provincial government Chinese Government Scholarship page.
• Beijing University of Chemical Technology — Chinese Government Scholarship application instructions (two-platform requirement, Type B selection, Agency Number 10010, document list).
• Embassy of China — 2026/2027 Chinese Government Scholarship Application notice (CSC eligibility wording, age limits, HSK levels and CSCA note for undergraduate applicants).
• University Type B calls and programme guides from designated Chinese universities (nomination process, study-plan length, document validity windows, supervisor acceptance practice).

Disclaimer: Scholarship details, categories, deadlines and amounts change with each cycle and are set for Type B by each university’s own call. Always confirm deadlines, amounts and eligibility on the official Campus China website and your target university’s international admissions pages before applying. StudyGraduate is an information portal, not an agency, a university or CSC; we cannot nominate or approve you, and nothing in this guide promises selection, admission or visa approval.