UCL Department of Economics - CSC Partially-Funded PhD studentships

What the CSC Partially-Funded PhD studentship covers

You will receive a monthly living allowance of approximately EUR 1,530 (paid in the equivalent Chinese currency). In addition, your international return travel to and from the country in which you are undertaking your PhD will be covered. The funding is available for a period of up to 48 months. The funds are provided by the China Scholarship Council (CSC), a Chinese government agency which awards around 6,000 of these partial scholarships for PhD programmes each year. This funding does not cover your tuition fees, so you will need to cover these from another source. If you are attending University College London (UCL), your supervisor may nominate you for UCL’s ‘Overseas Research Scholarships’, which can be used to cover tuition fees.

Who can apply

• Nationality: You are a citizen of, or have permanent resident status in, the People’s Republic of China.
• Level: You’re starting a PhD abroad, in this case at UCL.
• Field of study: This entry refers to the Economics degree programme at UCL, but the CSC PhD scholarships cover a wide range of subject areas.
• Admission: You have been offered a place to study at your chosen university abroad.
• One award only: You can apply for either a partially funded or a fully funded CSC scholarship, but not both.
• Tuition: You have a plan for how you intend to pay your tuition fees, as these are not covered by the scholarship.

How to apply

You should apply for the CSC scholarship directly via the CSC portal in China (apply.csc.edu.cn) and not via the overseas university. The application deadline is 17 January. Selection is based on your academic achievements and the CSC’s priorities.

How realistic are your chances?

With around 6,000 partial scholarships for PhD students per year, this is one of the larger CSC programmes, meaning there are plenty of places available. The real hurdle is not the CSC scholarship itself, but the lack of funds to cover tuition fees. You’ll need a sufficiently strong academic profile to gain admission to a top-tier university, as well as a separate scholarship to cover your tuition fees, such as the ORS at UCL. If you have excellent grades and can secure this funding for your tuition fees, your prospects here are very good.