The Chinese Government is offering scholarships for South African students to study at Chinese institutions starting in the 2023/24 academic year. The Department of Higher Education and Training (the Department) is responsible for nominations. For more information about the Chinese Government scholarship please visit the China Scholarship Council website.
289 Chinese universities are eligible to host scholarship recipients. The Department has identified possible universities for you to apply to, click here http://www.campuschina.org/universities/index.html to get list of universities. Applicants are also allowed to apply to other eligible universities outside this list.
The scholarship is offered for undergraduate (Bachelors) studies in the identified fields skills, postgraduate (Masters or PhD) or non-degree Chinese language studies. Bachelor’s degree scholarships are taught in Chinese and will only be awarded to applicants who already have the required level of Chinese proficiency (HSK 4 or above).
30 January 2023
|
STUDY PROGRAM |
EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS |
AGE (AS OF SEPTEMBER 2023) |
|
Chinese language studies (non-degree) |
National Senior Certificate (or equivalent) with a university entrance pass (a minimum of 70% average is recommended). Applicants with a post school qualification will be given priority. |
Under 35 |
|
Bachelor’s degree |
National Senior Certificate (or equivalent) with a university entrance pass (a minimum of 70% average is recommended) HSK 4 (or higher ) certificate |
Under 25 |
|
Master’s degree |
Bachelor’s degree (honours) or NQF 8 qualification (a minimum of 65% average is recommended) |
Under 35 |
|
Doctoral degree |
Master’s degree (a minimum of 65% average is recommended) |
Under 40 |
Important: The scholarship does not support any medical degrees and preference will be given to applications for postgraduate studies.
Preference will be given to postgraduate applicants, previously disadvantaged applicants and applications in the following fields:
According to the regulations of the Chinese Ministry of Education, all undergraduate programmes for scholarship students are taught in the Chinese language. Bachelor’s degree applicants interested in pursuing a Bachelor’s degree must have at least an HSK Level 4 or higher.
At Master’s and PhD level, programmes taught in both English and Chinese are eligible for the scholarship. Check the language of instruction available for the identified programme, as not all courses are available in English.
Scholarship applicants are required to apply directly to the institution of their choice prior to applying for the scholarship. Evidence of the submitted application must be provided.
NB: Applicants are advised to submit applications for admission to at least three universities to increase their chances of admission, the scholarship will not be awarded without proof of a university application having been submitted.
It is the responsibility of each candidate to do research into available programmes, institutions, language of instruction and programme-specific entrance criteria. PhD applicants must engage with the university of choice and secure potential supervisors.
Please refer to the list of programmes and participating universities.
|
STUDY PROGRAMME |
DURATION OF PROGRAMME |
DURATION OF PREPARATORY CHINESE LANGUAGE COURSE |
DURATION OF SCHOLARSHIP |
|
Chinese language studies |
1 |
None |
Up to 2 |
|
Bachelor’s degree |
4-5 |
1-2 |
4-7 |
|
Master’s degree |
2-3 |
1-2 |
2-5 |
|
Doctoral degree |
3-4 |
1-2 |
3-6 |
Studies must be completed within the duration of the scholarship, as specified in the Admission Notice.
The Chinese Government provides the following:
|
STUDY PROGRAM |
Tuition (RMB per year)* |
Accommodation (RMB per year) |
Stipend (RMB per year) |
Medical Insurance (RMB per year) |
|
Chinese language studies |
20000-27000 |
8400 |
30000 |
800 |
|
Bachelor’s degree |
20000-27000 |
8400 |
30000 |
800 |
|
Master’s degree |
25000-34000 |
8400 |
36000 |
800 |
|
Doctoral degree |
33000-45000 |
12000 |
42000 |
800 |
*Should tuition fees for the identified programme exceed the above stated amounts, the Scholarship Recipient will be responsible for paying the difference.
The South African Government provides the following (subject to the availability of funds):
Successful scholarship applicants will be required to sign a contract and return to South Africa upon completion of studies.
Note: Travel to China will be subject to imposed travel restrictions and the Department will only book flights for students when safety and seamless travel of students can be assured.
Use the subject line: Chinese Scholarship Application, [Your surname]
All applications received by the DHET will be acknowledged by email within 2 working days except for applications received between 15 December 2022 and 2 January 2023. Please follow up if you do not receive an email acknowledgement. Applications received on or after 15 December will be acknowledged after 5 January 2020 due closure of the Department. The DHET is unable to consider any applications that are not received by 23 January 2023 or are incomplete.
All queries should be forwarded to internationalscholarships@dhet.gov.za alternatively refer to Frequently Asked Questions.
China Scholarship Council website
List of programmes and participating universities
Instructions for Chinese Government Scholarship Information System (CGSIS)
Supporting Documents Checklist
Please note this scholarship 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 regarding the scholarship, 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 other than stated above.