Great Wall, EU, AUN, PIF and WMO: the designated scholarship programmes open to postgraduates

Five designated scholarship programmes in the Application Guide for Chinese Government Scholarship are open to postgraduates: the Great Wall Program, the EU Program, the AUN Program, the PIF Program and the WMO Program. Section I(III) says an applicant files with the international organisations and institutions concerned, and the table in that section names the receiving agency for each programme. The guide gives no quota, deadline or eligibility detail for these five programmes beyond that table.

Where the designated programmes sit in the guide

Section I of the guide lists four scholarship categories: bilateral, university, designated and student exchange (I(I) to I(IV)). Section I(III) describes the designated programmes as set up in accordance with cooperation agreements between China and international organisations and institutions. This page covers only that category.

The five programmes

Programme	Target group	Supporting categories	Application receiving agency	Website as printed
Great Wall Program	Students and scholars from developing countries	Postgraduates, general scholars, senior scholars	National Commission for UNESCO in the home country	https://en.unesco.org/countries
EU Program	Students and scholars from EU member states	Undergraduates, postgraduates, general scholars, senior scholars	Office for Education and Culture, Mission of the PRC to the EU	http://www.chinamission.be
AUN Program	Students and scholars from ASEAN member states	Postgraduates	AUN Secretariat	www.aunsec.org
PIF Program	Students and scholars from Pacific Island countries	Undergraduates, postgraduates, general scholars, senior scholars	Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat	www.forumsec.org
WMO Program	Aspiring international students and scholars in meteorological research	Undergraduates, postgraduates	WMO	http://www.wmo.int/

All five rows list postgraduates. The EU Program, the PIF Program and the WMO Program also list undergraduates. The Great Wall Program, the EU Program and the PIF Program also list general and senior scholars. The AUN Program lists postgraduates only.

Where to file

Section I(III) says an applicant shall file an application with the international organisations and institutions concerned. Neither section I(III) nor the table names the China Scholarship Council or a university as the place to file for these five programmes. The receiving agency for each programme is the organisation in the table row for that programme.

Section V sets out a seven-step application process for the scholarship. It brings the application receiving agency into steps 3, 5 and 7. The steps, in order, are:

1. The applicant learns about designated Chinese universities and majors, for example by visiting the website at http://www.campuschina.org or by other means, and identifies the preferred programme, university and major.
2. The applicant reaches the designated university for admission documents.
3. The applicant reaches an application receiving agency for a recommendation.
4. The applicant fills in and submits the Application Form for Chinese Government Scholarship online through the Chinese Government Scholarship Information System.
5. The application receiving agency submits the recommended candidates list and the application documents.
6. The CSC organises designated universities and experts to examine eligibility and academic performance before the short-list is finalised.
7. The CSC notifies the admission results to the application receiving agency, which then informs the applicant.

Section V does not say which agency handles steps 3 and 5 for a given programme. The table in section I(III) is the only place the guide names a receiving agency for each programme. Section V gives no date for any step.

What the guide does not give

None of sections I to VI of the guide gives a quota, an application deadline or eligibility detail for the five designated programmes beyond the table in section I(III).

Section IV lists eligibility conditions for the Chinese Government Scholarship, including age limits and HSK levels. Section IV does not say which of the five designated programmes it applies to, so this page does not apply those conditions to any one of them. Those age limits and HSK levels are conditions of the scholarship as described in the guide. They are not general admission rules for self-funded students.

Section VI lists the application documents for the scholarship. Section VI does not list separate documents for each of the five designated programmes.

Suggestion, not a requirement: before writing to any agency, it may help to list the five receiving agencies and their websites from the table in one place, so that each one can be checked against section V.

Questions people ask

Which of the five designated programmes also take undergraduates?

According to the table in section I(III), the EU Program, the PIF Program and the WMO Program list undergraduates in addition to postgraduates. The AUN Program lists postgraduates only. The Great Wall Program's row does not list undergraduates.

Do I file my application with the China Scholarship Council for these programmes?

Section I(III) says an applicant files an application with the international organisations and institutions concerned. The table names the receiving agency for each programme. Section V places the CSC at the examination and notification stages (steps 6 and 7), not at the filing stage named in section I(III).

Sources

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

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, and it is not legal advice. The official text and the current notice of the university or authority handling your case prevail if they differ.