The Ministry of Commerce of the People's Republic of China (MOFCOM) is inviting high-level officials, managers and professional personnel to apply for academic education programmes under the MOFCOM Scholarship-CSC Programme. MOFCOM established the MOFCOM Scholarship-CSC Programme to strengthen communication and cooperation between China and other countries and to develop talent for recipient countries.

MOFCOM offers one-year and two-year master’s programmes as well as three-year doctoral programmes for the purpose of educating high-end and inter-disciplinary talent working in the applied fields of government, trade, foreign affairs, agriculture, technology, education, culture and health, building intellectual capacity and facilitating the economic and social development of the recipient countries.

These programmes are fully conducted in English and target governmental officials, senior managerial personnel and research fellows.

For more information on the various programmes offered, visit the MOFCOM website: https://www.china-aibo.cn/en/info/1005/1283.htm

The Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) is the Nominating Agency for South Africans who wish to apply for the MOFCOM Scholarship. The information below is for South African citizens only. Applicants from other eligible developing countries should contact their Government or local representative for information on how to apply. 

Degree level

Master’s and PhD

Deadlines

09 May 2022

Note: Please note that the above deadline differs from what is contained in the guidelines below due to the processing of applications and selection processes that need to be completed by the DHET as the nominating agency. Failure to submit applications and supporting documents by the above due date will result in your application not being considered. 

Who can apply?

Applicants must:

       -  be a citizen of a developing country other than the People’s Republic of China;

       -  not be over 45 years old;

       -  be physically and mentally healthy (must be willing to provide a health certificate from a medical institution);

       -  must not have severe high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, cerebrovascular disease, diabetes, cancer and other serious chronic diseases, mental or infectious conditions that can affect the public's health adversely, major surgery recovery period, acute disease attack, or severe limb disabilities;

       -  not be pregnant;

       -  have three years working experience;

       -  for master’s programme have a Bachelor’s degree;

       -  for a doctoral programme have a Master’s degree;

       -  have the potential for career development in the chosen field, and intend to promote friendly exchanges and cooperation between South Africa and China;

       -  priority will be given to applicants with prior relevant work/learning experience;

       -  be a government official at middle or senior level, or researcher or administrator of academic institutions at middle or senior level;

       -  be proficient in English;

       -  students who are studying in China or who have been accepted to other Chinese scholarship programmes cannot apply for this programme.

Additional requirements may apply based on the admission requirements at different universities.

Due to current uncertainties regarding China's immigration policies for international students due to the global pandemic, successful applicants will be informed about registration, course arrangement and other important information upon admission at host institutions.

Fields of Study

Listed below are MOFCOM Academic Education Programmes. For more information, click on each programme:

What the scholarship offers

       -  tuition waiver;

       -  teaching material fee waiver;

       -  research and survey fee(for group field trips, not for dissertation) waiver;

       -  dissertation guidance fee waiver;

       -  one-off resettlement fee:

          3000RMB (R7 288) per master student

          3000RMB (R7 288) per PhD student

       -  campus accommodation fee waiver;

       -  stipend:

          3600RMB (R8 745) per month per master student

          4200RMB (R10 200) per month per PhD student

       -  medical insurance;

       -  one-time round-trip international airfare for all the students.

Please note: Successful scholarship applicants will have to make provision for costs and all other related expenses not covered by the scholarship.

Application process

The Department of Higher Education and Training is the nominating authority for South African citizens who wish to apply for the MOFCOM Scholarship.

University application (refer to admission requirements for each university)

Scholarship application: 

STEP 1:    Please visit the online application system of Chinese Scholarship Council at http://campuschina.org/ click “Scholarship Application for Students” and register for an account. Select the programme “Chinese Government Scholarship”, fill in all the required information, and an application form will be generated. For more application instructions, please check Instructions of the CSC Online Application System for MOFCOM Scholarship;

STEP 2: :  Input Personal Details click “Edit Personal Details”. Fill in the Online Application Form, verifying and saving the information.

STEP 3:    Select the correct “Programme Category”. (Your ‘Programme Category’ is : Type A)

STEP 4:    Input the correct Agency Number. (Your ‘Agency Number’ is :00010. Once the correct ‘Agency Number’ is entered, the name of the agency will automatically emerge)

STEP 5:    Input Application Information. Upload Supporting Documents as requested, then click “Submit” to complete the application. 

STEP 6:   Check each part of your Application carefully before submitting it. Please make sure that all the information and uploaded documents are valid and accurate. Click Submit to submit your Application. Once submitted, amendment cannot be made on “Personal Details” and “Application Information”. 

STEP 7:    You can make changes to your application by clicking Withdraw. But make sure to submit it again by clicking Submit after finishing all the changes. Otherwise, the retrieved application will become invalid and your new application will not be received either.

STEP 8:    You can download and print the completed Application Form by clicking Print the Application Form. 

STEP 9:   Send the printed application form and other supporting documents to the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET). Applicants MUST submit a signed letter of recommendation from your department/employer with the scholarship application documents to the DHET via email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Applicants without the employer recommendation/endorsement letter will not be considered. 

Supporting documents to include:

       1.  Application form with a 2-inch photo and the applicant’s signature; ensure you have both submitted it online and printed the hard copy;

       2.  Copies of bachelor’s degree certificate(s) and academic transcript(s);

       3.  A Study Plan or Research Proposal, plus a CV including the educational background and working experience after high school;

       4.  Two recommendation letters from the applicant’s employers and/or professors. Telephone numbers and email addresses of the referees must be included in the letters;

       5.  Copy of the Foreigner Physical Examination Form;

       6.  English proficiency certificates;

       7.  Copy of the passport page of personal information (ordinary passport for private affairs only);

       8.  Copy of valid passport: a photocopy of the photo of the passport, clearly showing the name, passport number and other information;

       9.  A non-criminal record. Should the non-criminal record report be delayed, applicants should submit an affidavit assuring they have not committed criminal acts while they wait for the official report to be issued

All documents should be scanned in the order above as one document, in PDF format, and must be clear (no photographs of documents will be accepted).

Contact

For enquiries please contact the Embassy of the People's Republic of China in South Africa (Mrs Zhang Qing, First Secretary Economic & Commercial’s Office email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or telephone: +27-0-12 431 3070. 

For course specific questions, contact the university of choice directly.

Contact information is listed in each programme brochure.

Documents and links

MOFCOM Academic Education Programme Guideline

MOFCOM SCHOLARSHIP Enrolment Guide

Chinese Scholarship Council online application system

Physical Examination Record for Foreigner

Application form 

Available majors of each university

Note

Please note that this opportunity is not offered by the Department of Higher Education and Training. Applicants are required to undertake their own research into programmes and institutions and are responsible for ensuring that the qualifications will be recognised in South Africa. If there are any discrepancies in the details provided, the information given by the sponsor supersedes the details provided above. No additional financial support will be provided by the Department of Higher Education and Training.

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