Fully funded PhD in China: the four things the Chinese Government Scholarship covers

For a doctorate under the Chinese Government Scholarship, funding means four items listed in section III of the Application Guide for Chinese Government Scholarship: tuition, university housing or an accommodation subsidy, a stipend of CNY 3,500 per month for doctoral students, and comprehensive medical insurance at CNY 800 per person per year. The guide itself does not use the words "full" or "partial" — "fully funded" is a reader's shorthand, not the document's term. The English on this page is this site's translation of the Chinese text.

The China Scholarship Council (CSC), entrusted by China's Ministry of Education, is responsible for the admission, enrolment and administration of scholarship recipients.

The four items in section III

Item	What section III states
Tuition fees	Tuition fees are covered. No amount is given in the quoted provisions.
Housing	Free university dormitory, or an accommodation subsidy.
Stipend	CNY 3,500 per month for doctoral students and senior scholars.
Medical insurance	Comprehensive medical insurance, CNY 800 per person per year.

Three details are worth reading closely.

The housing line offers two forms: a free university dormitory or an accommodation subsidy. The guide does not say which one a given student receives, or how the choice is made.

The stipend is set by category. Undergraduates receive CNY 2,500 per month, master's students and general scholars CNY 3,000 per month, and doctoral students and senior scholars CNY 3,500 per month (section III, item 3).

The insurance line carries a second figure: CNY 400 per person for programmes lasting less than six months (section III, item 4). That second figure describes short programmes, not a doctoral degree.

What the funded period covers

Section II divides the scholarship period into two parts. It covers major study and Chinese language (preparatory) study; the language courses last one year, while the duration of the scholarship for major study "conforms to that as required" (section II, item II). So a year of language preparation is inside the scholarship where it is given, and the length of the funded major study follows the length of the programme.

Section II also lists the supported categories — undergraduates, postgraduates, general scholars and senior scholars — and describes the fields offered by designated Chinese universities, which include science, engineering, agriculture, medicine, economics, law, management, education, history, literature, philosophy and fine arts, among others. The guide directs readers to www.campuschina.org for the list of designated universities and the majors they offer.

What section III does not list

Airfare, a settlement allowance and family support are not listed in section III. This page is not saying they are never paid — only that this section, and the provisions quoted on this page, do not cover them. If you need certainty on any cost that falls outside the four items, ask the university or the authority handling your case, whose current notice prevails.

Note also that the guide page carries no publication date and no academic year, and gives no application deadline. Treat its figures as the wording of the guide as saved, and confirm the amounts against the notice current when you apply.

Suggestion, not a requirement: when you plan your budget, list your expected costs next to these four headings and mark anything outside them as "unconfirmed" until you see it in writing from the university.

Questions people ask

Is the stipend the same for master's and doctoral students?

No. Section III sets the monthly stipend at CNY 3,000 for master's students and general scholars, and CNY 3,500 for doctoral students and senior scholars.

Does the scholarship pay for flights to China?

Airfare is not listed among the four items in section III of the guide. The provisions quoted on this page do not cover it, so this page cannot tell you whether it is ever paid.

Does funding include the Chinese language year?

Where language study is given, yes. Section II states that the scholarship covers both major study and Chinese language (preparatory) study, and that the language courses last one year.

Sources

• Application Guide for Chinese Government Scholarship — China Scholarship Council (Campus China, campuschina.org)

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, CHSI or any university, it is not legal advice, and if anything here differs from the official text or from the current notice of the university or authority handling your case, the official text and that notice prevail.