A look at Chinese language programs in Chinese universities and scholarship application process (2024)
I’ve been researching scholarship programs in Chinese universities in recent days (for a friend who just started learning Chinese).
For a student coming to China to study Chinese language, one of their options is to apply for language study at a Chinese university. These "language programs" are often called “汉语进修” in Chinese, and language students are called “语言生”.
Unlike studying for a bachelor or master degree, beginner level language programs are usually called "non-degree programs". Even though it's not a degree program, once admitted by the school, students will be granted student visa in China.
How much does it cost?
- Tuition: usually about 10,000 RMB per semester.
- Application fee: usually under 1000 RMB, ranging from 350 RMB to 800 RMB.
- Accommodation fee: usually several thousands (can be 4000+ RMB per month for a single room).
Some impressions:
- Poor web design: Most Chinese schools are poor at making their information globally accessible on their website. Foreign students are interested in the admission / enrollment information and how to apply for scholarship, but these information are either not available in English on their website, or are outdated/difficult to find. The school that has overall the most user-friendly website is definitely ECNU (华东师范大学).
- Contact/inquiry: most universities have contact info (E-mail & Tel) on their website, but lots of them don't reply promptly to inquiry emails, or just no response at all. Their telephone numbers are easier to get through, but it's unclear if they offer English service (I spoke to them in Chinese).
What scholarship projects are there for non-degree projects?
You may have heard that China offers scholarships to foreign students.
Usually for language programs, only CIS (Confucius Institute Scholarship) and CSC Type A (Chinese Government Scholarships Type A) apply to these non-degree projects.
CIS - 国际中文教师奖学金
Confucius Institute Scholarship (孔子学院奖学金, and has since been renamed as 国际中文教师奖学金, or International Chinese Language Teachers Scholarship).
As for funding period, they usually have:
- One-Academic-Year Program (with a funding period of 11 months)
- One-Semester Program (with a funding period of 5 months)
Criteria to apply as a non-degree language student usually includes:
- HSK-3 >= 180 (some asks for 210, for a full year) & HSKK (valid for 2 years)
- Have NOT received a similar scholarship within the past 3 years
- Some universities exclude students already with a student visa (just Google "国际中文教师奖学金 + 不录取护照上有X1、X2签证者"). Others don't have this limitation.
An incomplete list of Shanghai universities that exclude students already with a student visa (x1 or x2 visa), according to their website:
To apply for CIS, you will need recommendation letter from any of these institutes (via):
- Confucius Institutes
- independently established Confucius Classrooms
- some HSK (Hanyu Shuiping Kaoshi - Chinese Proficiency Test) test centers
- relevant foreign educational institutions
- Chinese language teacher training majors/departments in universities
- relevant overseas Chinese teaching professional organizations
- Chinese embassies/consulates abroad.
How to apply?
- Apply through the International Chinese Language Teachers Scholarship website https://cis.chinese.cn.
- Deadline: The deadline for the Spring semester (starting in March) is usually October 31 of the previous year. While for fall semester (starting in September) the deadline is usually around May 15th.
- Review process: The university will review your application and make a decision. If they approve, the application will then go to Center for Language Education and Cooperation (chinese.cn). Results will be announced approximately three months before the start of the semester. You will view the results on chinese.cn, or they will call you to notify the result.
What does the scholarship cover?
Each university's CIS program is slightly different, but most cover these items.
- Tuition Fees: waived.
- Accommodation Fees: Most universities provides free dormitory (single room or double room). Another option is school offers monthly accommodation subsidy for student to live off-campus, usually around ¥700 - ¥1000 per month.
- Living Expenses: around 2,500 RMB per month.
- Medical Insurance: 400 RMB per semester.
Contact info:
Center for Language Education and Cooperation, Scholarship Department:
Phone: +86-10-58595743
Email: scholarships@chinese.cn
CSC Type A - 国别双边计划
“国别双边计划” is part of Chinese Government Scholarships Type A. CSC Type A is usually for non-degree programs and bachelor degree while CSC Type B is for master degree or Ph.D.
This program requires a recommendation from the Chinese embassy or consulate in the applicant's country. In most cases, it needs your presence there.
For non-degree programs, it usually asks for HSK-3 as well. And the scholarship coverage is similar to CIS.
How to apply:
- Apply for pre-admission on school website. You will obtain a pre-admission notice.
- Apply online through the Chinese Government Scholarship Information System (http://www.campuschina.org) and complete the application form.
Here's an incomplete list of Shanghai universities along with their Chinese language project links, their scholarship info and contact info.
City | School Name | Language Project | CIS? | CSC Type A? | Contact |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Shanghai | SJTU - 上海交通大学 | Admission Guide | ✔️ | ✔️ | Confucius Institute Office: Phone: +86-021-34205103 Email: cisjtu@sjtu.edu.cn |
Shanghai | SHU - 上海大学 | Admission Guide | ✔️ | ✔️ | Confucius Institute Office: Phone:+86-21-66136672 (8005、8006) Email:kzxy@oa.shu.edu.cn |
Shanghai | Fudan - 复旦大学 | Admission Guide | ✔️ | ❌ | Telephone: +86-21-55664859 Email: yuyansheng@fudan.edu.cn Confucius Institute Office: Email: confucius@fudan.edu.cn Tel: +86-021-65643793 |
Shanghai | Tongji - 同济大学 | Admission Guide | ✔️ | ✔️ | Confucius Institute Office Tel: 0086-21-65981978 E-mail:iss@tongji.edu.cn; 16065@tongji.edu.cn |
Shanghai | ECUST - 华东理工大学 | Admission Guide | ✔️ | ✔️ | Tel:0086-21-64253277,64253279 E-mail: cie@ecust.edu.cn |
Shanghai | SUFE - 上海财经大学 | Admission Guide | ✔️ | ❌ | Admission Office: E: ices@sufe.edu.cn T: +86-21-65361944 |
Shanghai | ECNU - 华东师范大学 | Admission Guide | ✔️ | ❌ | +86-21-62232013/62238353 E-mail: lxs@ecnu.edu.cn |