There are a numerous scholarships foreigner students can apply for who come to study in China. The Chinese government have set up these scholarships in order to create a mutual understanding, collaborations and exchanges between other countries and China, as well as to help sponsor international students. Roughly around 280 Universities throughout China provide scholarships to recipients at all levels in various learning programmes, such as Engineering, Science, Agriculture, Medicine, Economics, Legal Studies, Management, History, Literature, Education, Philosophy and the Fine Arts.
These scholarships are categorized as:
· Chinese Government Scholarship:
1. Bilateral Program
This is a full-time or a partial scholarship depending on the agreement between the Chinese Government and the other intermediaries, namely international organizations and universities involved. It supports undergraduates, graduates, general and senior students.
2. Chinese University Program
This is a full-time scholarship allocated to certain Chinese universities and provincial education offices to recruit exceptional foreign students to pursue graduate studies in China. This programme is only for graduate pupils.
3. The Great Wall Program
This is a full-time scholarship for the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), that sponsors pupils from third world countries to study and research in China. It is only for general and senior students.
4. EU Program
This is a full-time scholarship offered to students from EU countries to purse their studies in China. This programme supports undergraduate, graduates, general and senior students.
5. AUN Program
This is a full-time scholarship for the ASEAN University Network which sponsors, scholars, students and teachers from the ASEAN nation to study in China and heighten the academic exchange between China and ASEAN nations. This programme is only for graduates.
6. PIF Program
This is a full-time scholarship that promotes students from the Pacific Islands to study in China. This scholarship supports undergraduates, graduates, and general and senior students.
7. WMO Program
This is a partial Scholarship for the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) which promotes international students to pursue their studies in meteorology, hydrology and water resource administration in China. This programme is for undergraduates and graduates.
Students who acquire Chinese scholarships need to be proficient in Chinese, if not; recipients need to take Chinese language courses for a year or so in order to meet the requirements of the institution before advancing in their studies. If the requirements are not met, the scholarship will be automatically terminated.