China Scholarship Council Opportunities

The China Scholarship Council will provide successful candidates with a living stipend and support as prescribed from time to time by the Chinese Government.  Please refer to the CSC website for detailed information.

The University of Adelaide will provide a 100% Tuition Fee Waiver (Adelaide University China Fee Scholarship) for up to 48 months (subject to satisfactory academic progress). The duration of this award will correspond to the duration of support provided to an individual student by the CSC. The University of Adelaide may also offer a top up scholarship to exceptional candidates under certain circumstances.

Please note: The Adelaide University China Fee Scholarship is only available to applicants the University of Adelaide nominates to the CSC. If an applicant successfully applies to the CSC without an offer for an Adelaide University China Fee Scholarship, they will be permitted to hold the stipend support from the CSC but will be personally responsible for covering 100% of their tuition fees.

Adelaide University China Fee Scholarships (AUCFS) will only be available to those applicants who satisfy the selection criteria set out by CSC, which is available online: http://apply.csc.edu.cn/. This includes requiring that eligible applicants:

• Are citizens and permanent residents of the People's Republic of China at the time of application;
• Are aged 18 to 40 years at the time of application;
• Are a university student completing a master's degree, or enrolled as a first year PhD student, or new graduates from their university at the time of application;
• Agree to return to China upon completion of their studies and/or research.

To be eligible for an Adelaide University China Fee Scholarship, the University of Adelaide requires that applicants hold an unconditional offer of enrolment at the University of Adelaide, which is subject to the applicant also being successful in applying for a CSC award

University of Adelaide applications for students commencing studies in Semester 2, 2025 or Semester 1, 2026 will be open from 1 October 2024 to 2 February 2025.

Before applying to the China Scholarship Council, applicants must first have received:

• An offer of admission from the University of Adelaide, AND
• An “Adelaide University China Fee Scholarship” offer letter.

1. Check Eligibility for Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

To gain admission into a Doctor of Philosophy at the University of Adelaide, you’ll need one of the following:

• a relevant University of Adelaide Honours degree (or equivalent), with at least a second-class Honours (upper division)
• a postgraduate coursework degree which contains a significant research component and meets the minimum GPA requirements
• a relevant University of Adelaide Master of Philosophy (or equivalent)

English language proficiency requirements also apply for both degree types.

For more detailed information regarding eligibility criteria, including specific GPA requirements, program structure and a direct link to the Academic Program Rules, search for your desired degree on Degree Finder.

2. Review Scholarship Eligibility

Please check the eligibility criteria provided on the CSC website (http://apply.csc.edu.cn/) to ensure that you are eligible to apply for CSC Scholarships.

The University of Adelaide requires that applicants for an Adelaide University China Fee Scholarship hold an unconditional offer of enrolment at the University of Adelaide, which is subject to the applicant also being successful in applying for a CSC award.

3. Find a Supervisor

Before applying for admission and/or scholarship, you will need to find a supervisor for your PhD Program. When you apply you must provide written confirmation (such as a letter or email) from an eligible principal supervisor that they are willing to supervise your PhD.

If you need assistance to find a supervisor, please email research_degrees@adelaide.edu.au and request assistance.  Our team will provide further information about our pre-application process.

If you do not have confirmation of supervisory support from an eligible supervisor, you are not ready to submit an application.

4. University of Adelaide Application

To apply for admission and an Adelaide University China Fee Scholarship, you need to submit an application via the University of Adelaide’s online application system. 

You will need to provide a number of documents to complete your application. Information about what these documents are can be found on the home page for our online application system.

As an Adelaide University China Fee Scholarship applicant, when you reach the ‘Financial Support’ section of the application, you need to select ‘Seeking sponsorship from China Scholarship Council’ as your source of financial support. This will ensure your application is considered for the Adelaide University China Fee Scholarship.

As your application moves through the assessment process, you will receive an automated email with the subject line "Your University of Adelaide HDR Application “Declaration of Interest” question". All HDR candidates are required to respond to the "Declaration of Interest" question to ensure that the University meets Australian government legislation and expectations. A prompt response will be required to finalise the outcome of your application.

5. China Scholarship Council Application

Once you have received an offer of admission and an Adelaide University China Fee Scholarship, you can then submit an application to the China Scholarship Council for stipend and living support.