Great Britain China Centre - Great Britain China Centre

Chinese Student Awards: what you get

You will receive a grant of one-off payment of up to about 3,480 EUR (up to £3,000) towards your tuition fees and living costs. Most scholarships range from approximately 1,740 to 2,320 euros (£1,500 to £2,000). This is a one-off payment that cannot be renewed. It supports Chinese PhD students at UK universities in the later stages of their doctoral studies. The funding comes from the ‘Great Britain-China Educational Trust’, a UK charity.

Who can apply

• Nationality: You are a Chinese national from mainland China or Hong Kong.
• Degree level: You are studying for a PhD at a British university. Undergraduates and students on Master’s programmes (MA, MSc) are not eligible to apply.
• Timing: At the time of application, you must already be in the third year of your PhD programme. The first two years will not be taken into account.
• Field of study: Any topic is fine.
• Prior education: You have studied at a university or higher education institution in China at least once.
• What it pays for: Tuition fees and living costs only. Funding is not available for conference travel, fieldwork, research trips or materials such as books, laboratory equipment or software.
• Re-applying: You may apply no more than twice, with a one-year interval between applications. If you win, you cannot apply again.

How to apply

Please complete the current application form and sign it together with your supervisor and your head of department. You must also submit a CV of no more than four pages, along with your supervisor’s assessment form. The Foundation Board makes its decisions twice a year. The autumn deadline is 11 October; the spring deadline is 11 April. Applications without a recommendation from your supervisor will be rejected.

How realistic are your chances?

This funding is highly targeted: only Chinese nationals who are in their third year of doctoral study or beyond at a British university are eligible, which means the pool of applicants remains small. If you clearly meet these criteria and include a clear financial plan with your doctoral thesis, setting out your funding requirements until you complete your PhD, your prospects are good. A well-written, easy-to-understand summary and a letter of recommendation from your supervisor, submitted by the deadline, will set promising applications apart from the rest.