China/UNESCO - the Great Wall Fellowship scheme is a full scholarship scheme set up by the Ministry of Education of China (hereinafter referred to as MOE) for candidates recommended by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). MOE entrusts China Scholarship Council (hereinafter referred to as CSC) to handle the enrollment of international students and carry out the routine management of this scholarship program.

25 scholarships are available for the academic year 2009/2010.

Categories of Applicants and Duration of Scholarship

This scheme sponsors general scholars and senior scholars, and in principle the courses will be taught in English with duration of at most one year. Candidates who will be taught in Chinese are required to get the confirmation from both CSC and UNESCO before starting their study, and the total scholarship duration will be one-year Chinese language training plus one-year major study.

Application

Applicants shall apply to the National Commission for UNESCO in their home countries between January and April every year.

Eligibility

1.     Applicants must be non-Chinese citizens in good health.
2.     Educational background and age limit:
-         Applicants for general scholars must have completed at least two years of undergraduate studies and be under the age of 45.
-         Applicants for senior scholars must have master or higher degree or hold academic title of associate professor or higher and be under the age of 50.

Details of the Scholarship

-         Exempt from registration fee, tuition fee, fee for laboratory experiment, fee for internship, fee for basic learning materials and accommodation on campus;
-         Living allowance;
-         One-off settlement subsidy after registration;
-         Fee for outpatient medical service, Comprehensive Medical Insurance and Benefit Plan for International Students in China;
-         One-off inter-city travel subsidy.
 
Note: 1)     Costs of the laboratory experiment or internship that beyond the university's arrangements should be afforded by the student himself.

          2)    Fee for basic learning materials covers the necessary learning materials prescribed by the host institution, and other materials shall be self afforded.

          3)    Monthly living allowance is paid to the students by the host institution at the following rates (CNY Yuan per month):
-        General scholars: CNY 1,700 Yuan
-        Senior scholars: CNY 2,000 Yuan

Scholarship students shall get their monthly living allowance from the date of registration. New students who register before 15th (15th included) of the registration month will get the full amount of living allowance of that month, and those who register after 15th will get half amount of that month. The graduates will be given a living allowance for another 15 days after the graduation time set by the university. The allowance will be terminated from the next month after students suspend their studies, drop school or complete schooling from the university. Monthly living allowance covers school holidays. Scholarship students who do not get the monthly living allowance during holidays can get that on return. The allowance will be suspended for one month if students do not register on time without permission from the university in advance, leave for non-health reasons or are absent from the university over a month.

Students who have to suspend their studies because of serious diseases should go back to the home country and pay for the international trip by themselves. With the university's approval, the scholarship status can be reserved for at most one year, and their living allowances will be suspended at the same time. The scholarship will be terminated for those who suspend their studies for other reasons.
 
4)    New students will get one-off settlement subsidy upon arrival in China.

-        CNY 1,000 Yuan for new students who will study in China up to six months
-        CNY 1,500 Yuan for new students who will study in China for one academic year or more
 
5)    Fee for outpatient medical service refers to the outpatient expense in the institution's hospital or the hospitals appointed by the institution. The students should pay for a certain percentage of expense in accordance with the institution's relevant regulations.
 
6)    Comprehensive Medical Insurance and Benefit Plan for International Students in China is provided by MOE for the scholarship students in China against hospitalizing for serious diseases and accidental injuries. The institutions or the appointed medical assistance agency provide advancement service for insurance expenses, and claim for compensation with relevant payment receipts from the insurance company according to the stipulated insurance articles. The claim of individual government scholarship student will not be accepted by the insurance company.
 
7)    One-off inter-city travel ticket (each for coming-in and leaving China)

Scholarship students are supposed to choose the nearest port to their admitting institutions for inter-city travel and a hard-seat train ticket (hard-berth train ticket for overnight trip) will be provided for new scholarship students transferring from the port of entry upon registration to the city where the admitting institution or Chinese language training institution, preparatory education institution is located, students transferring from the Chinese language training institution or the preparatory education institution to the city where the university for major study is located, and students transferring from the city where the institution is located to the nearest port for departure upon graduation. Expenses for food during the trip and excess of baggage should be self-afforded. 
 
8)    International travel expenses: self-afforded

Application Materials

The applicants must fill in and provide the following materials truly and correctly (in duplicate).

1.      Application Form for Chinese Government Scholarship (printed by CSC), filled in Chinese or in English. It can be downloaded from CSC website (www.csc.edu.cn).

2.      Highest diploma (notarized photocopy). If applicants are university students or already employed, they shall also provide studying certificates or employment documents. Documents in languages other than Chinese or English must be attached with notarized translations in Chinese or English.

3.     Transcripts (notarized photocopy); transcripts in languages other than Chinese or English must be attached with translations in Chinese or English.

4.     Applicants for senior scholars must submit two letters of recommendation in Chinese or English by professors or associate professors.

5.     Applicants for music are requested to submit one CD recording of the applicants' own work. Applicants for fine arts must submit one CD recording of the applicants' own work (including two sketches, two color paintings and two other works).

6.     A study or research plan in Chinese or in English (no less than 400 words).

7.    Photocopy of Foreigner Physical Examination Form (printed by Chinese quarantine authority and only for those whose period of studies in China lasts up to six months) filled in English. The medical examinations must cover all the items listed in the Foreigner Physical Examination Form. Incomplete records or those without the signature of the attending physician, the official stamp of the hospital or a sealed photograph of the applicants are invalid. The medical examination results are valid for 6 months. All applicants are kindly requested to take this factor into consideration while determining the time to take the medical examination.
 
The above materials should reach CSC by April 30th 2008 via the National Commission for UNESCO in the applicant's home country. Individual applications will not be accepted by CSC. Application materials will not be returned regardless of the result of application. 

Selection of Institutions and Specialty

Applicants may choose one academic program and three institutions as personal preferences from the Chinese institutions of higher education designated by MOE. Please check the Directory of Chinese Higher Institutions Admitting International Students under Chinese Government Scholarship Program & Academic Programs or the website of CSC (http://www.csc.edu.cn/Lianhua) for details. Applicants are required to fill in their preferences of institutions and specialties strictly according to those listed in the Directory.

Approval and Notification

1.       CSC will review all the application materials from the appointed authorities and CSC is authorized to make necessary adjustments on the applied institutions, specialties and duration of study. The qualified applications will be forwarded to institutions and the final decision whether to admit the applicants or not will be made by them. The applications will be regarded as invalid and will not be processed if they fail to meet the enrollment requirements or the application materials are incomplete.

2.       Applicants are encouraged to contact the institutions (139 institutions specified by MOE listed in the Directory) and tutors prior to application and enclose the relevant admission or recommendation letter in the application materials.

3.       Scholarship applicants accepted by Chinese institutions of higher education will be officially awarded the Chinese Government Scholarship with the approval from CSC and submitted to MOE for the record.

4.       Students are not permitted, in principle, to change their specialties, institutions, or the duration of study specified in the Admission Notice after registration. 

5.       CSC will send the List of Accepted Students, Admission Notice and Visa Application Form for Study In China (JW201) to the relevant dispatching authorities by July 31, who will forward the documents to the students.

Contact China Scholarship Council
Tel: 0086-10-66093925  66093918
E-mail: xmsun@csc.edu.cn   lchen@csc.edu.cn
Fax: 0086-10-66093915
Web: http:// www.csc.edu.cn
Address: Level 13, Building A3, No.9 Chegongzhuang Avenue, Beijing 100044, P. R. China