Menu

Study Plan and Recommendation Letters for Graduate Study in China: The Official Requirements

Sources checked

The short version: for a master's or doctoral application under the Chinese Government Scholarship you need three things that take time to obtain: a study or research plan of at least 1,000 words, two recommendation letters from professors or associate professors, and a pre-admission document from the university. Start with the pre-admission document, because the other two feed into it.

What the guide requires, word for word

The China Scholarship Council's application guide lists the documents in section VI:

  • Item 7, pre-admission documents. All applicants must provide a pre-admission document issued by the university they are applying to. It can be a pre-admission notice from the international students' admission department, or an invitation letter from the school or from a professor.
  • Item 8, study or research plan. Written in Chinese or in English: no less than 200 words or characters for undergraduates, no less than 500 for scholars, and no less than 1,000 for postgraduates.
  • Item 9, recommendation letters. An applicant for a postgraduate programme submits two recommendation letters, in Chinese or in English, from professors or associate professors.

The guide sets a minimum length for the plan and the rank of the referees. It does not prescribe a structure for the plan or a template for the letters.

Preparing the plan

Since the guide leaves the structure open, the suggestions below are ours, not official requirements:

  • State the programme and university you are applying to and why that department fits your subject.
  • Summarise your previous study and any research or professional work that prepares you for it.
  • For a research degree, set out the question you want to work on, the method and a rough timetable.
  • Say what you intend to do with the degree afterwards.
  • Keep to the language of the application: Chinese or English.

For a doctoral application, send a draft to the prospective supervisor before you finalise it. A plan the supervisor has already seen is easier to turn into an invitation letter.

Choosing referees

The guide's only conditions are the number, the language and the academic rank. A letter from someone who is not a professor or associate professor does not meet the wording of item 9. Give your referees your draft plan and your transcript so that what they write matches the rest of the file.

Getting the pre-admission document

Write first to the university's international admissions office and ask what it issues before formal admission and what it needs from you. Where the programme is supervised research, also write to potential supervisors. Each university handles this in its own way under its own brochure, as Order No. 42 provides: universities publish an admissions brochure and admit by the conditions and procedure in it (Article 11).

Frequently asked questions

Does a self-funded applicant need the same three documents?

The three items above come from the scholarship guide. For a self-funded place, the university's own brochure states what it asks for; many ask for similar papers, but the brochure is what counts.

Can the study plan be in a language other than Chinese or English?

The guide names only Chinese and English.

How recent must the other documents be?

Two items in the same guide are time-limited: physical examination results are valid for six months, and the certificate of no criminal record is usually one issued within six months before the application is submitted.

Sources (all read on 11 October 2026)

This page is an unofficial summary. It does not promise admission or an award.

Turn this into dates

The timeline tool counts back from your start month and shows where each step falls. Or see all guides.

Graduate Desk