JW202 and JW201 for graduate students: who gets which form and what it is used for

JW202 is the form for self-funded international students, and JW201 is for Chinese Government Scholarship students or those coming through inter-governmental exchange channels. The Ministry of Education's reply of 15 February 2008 draws this distinction and states what both forms are used for.

The English wording for the Ministry of Education's reply of 15 February 2008 is this site's translation of the Chinese text.

Who gets which form

The reply of 15 February 2008 states that the Foreign Student Visa Application Form (JW201) is for students on the Chinese Government Scholarship or those arriving through inter-governmental exchange channels, and is handled by the secretariat of the China Scholarship Council together with the relevant universities.

The same reply states that the Foreign Student Visa Application Form (JW202) is for self-funded international students, and is handled by each university for the students it admits.

What the forms are used for

The reply of 15 February 2008 states that JW201 and JW202 are important documents used for the study visa, entry, registration at the university, and residence formalities.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs lists the form among the X1 visa documents. Its Visa Application Instructions require, for an X1 visa, the admission letter issued by a school or other admitting entity in China and the Confirmation Form for Study in China (Form JW201 or Form JW202). The holder must, within 30 days of entering China, apply for a residence permit at the exit-entry administration of the public security bureau of the people's government at or above the county level of the intended place of residence.

Who may issue the forms

The reply of 15 February 2008 states that any institution that enrolls international students may provide JW202. A private university may apply to its local provincial education administrative department; upon agreement it may enroll international students and, as needed, obtain JW202.

The reply of 15 February 2008 states no fields or layout of the forms.

The scholarship route and the July date

The Ministry's 2009 page (dated 17 September 2009) says the China Scholarship Council will send the List of Admitted Students, the Admission Notice and the Visa Application Form for Study In China (JW201) to the relevant dispatching authorities by July 31. The application receiving authority sets the dates that apply now, so confirm the current deadline with that authority.

Questions people ask

Does a self-funded master's or doctoral student receive JW202?

The reply of 15 February 2008 states JW202 is for self-funded international students and is handled by the admitting university; it defines the form by funding category, not by degree level. A self-funded graduate student the university admits is a self-funded international student under that reply.

Do I need both JW201 and JW202?

No. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs lists either Form JW201 or Form JW202 as the confirmation form for the X1 visa, and the reply of 15 February 2008 assigns one form per student category.

Sources

• Ministry of Education — reply of 15 February 2008 on the difference between forms JW201 and JW202 (Chinese) — Ministry of Education
• Visa Application Instructions of the People's Republic of China, China Consular Services website — Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the PRC
• Application for the Scholarship of Chinese Government (page dated 2009-09-17) — Ministry of Education of the PRC, English website

Checked 11 October 2026

This page is an unofficial summary, is not published by or affiliated with the Ministry of Education, the China Scholarship Council, CHSI or any university, is not legal advice, and the official text and the current notice of the university or authority handling your case prevail if they differ.