China Scholarship Council

Imperial College London and the China Scholarship Council (CSC) have created a scholarship programme to enable talented Chinese students to undertake a PhD programme at Imperial. The scholarships build on Imperial's existing relationship with China. Imperial has extensive research links with Chinese research institutions and Universities. The CSC Imperial Scholarships are supported jointly and equally by both Imperial and the CSC. There are 15 full scholarships per year available for students to start a PhD. Students can apply for a PhD in any subject area offered by Imperial.

CSC Scholar
'Throughout my PhD, I have developed many transferable skills such as teamwork, communication, negotiation, time management, planning and budget control - these are all valuable skills needed in the current job market.' - Cao Jun, PhD in Clinical Medical Research

Eligibility:

  • Chinese students with a strong academic background. 
  • Students must hold a PR Chinese passport (applicants from Hong Kong or Taiwan are not eligible). Applicants can either be resident in China at the time of application or studying overseas. 
  • Students with prior experience of studying overseas (including in the UK) are eligible to apply. Chinese Imperial graduates/Masters students are therefore eligible for the scheme. If Chinese Imperial graduates/Masters students stay overseas when applying for this scholarship, students need to apply within one year after obtaining their Master's degree from overseas universities.  Those who have graduated over a year can also apply if they are in their first year of PhD study at Imperial
  • Applicants can be either a new applicant or in their first year of PhD study at Imperial

Successful scholarship applicants are required to return to China for a period of two years after completing their PhD.


What the CSC Imperial Scholarship includes

Each scholarship covers:

  1. International tuition fees
  2. Maintenance allowance equal to Imperial’s minimum stipend allowance in any given year (£19,668 in 2022-23) per year
  3. One economy class return journey to China 

Scholarships will support either three years of study for a PhD or four years in certain cases where the student is required to undertake a one-year postgraduate degree prior to beginning their PhD.

How to Apply
Prospective scholars must follow all of the following steps in this order:

  1. Prospective PhD students approach individual Imperial departments and supervisors with details of their proposed project. It is essential that students make contact with departments/supervisors before submitting a PhD application. Guidance on finding a supervisor can be found in the 'Finding a supervisor' page.
  2. Students submit a PhD application by 31 January 2023.  You can apply online through Imperial Gateway at the 'Application process' webpage.  Imperial’s Registry processes the application and either reject it or issues a formal conditional/unconditional offer. Please note: It can take 6-8 weeks for PhD applications to be processed.
  3. Departments will nominate candidates for this scholarship. Each Department is required to submit the completed 'China Scholarship Council - Nomination Form'. The form is available via the Information for staff webpage and should be submitted by 11:59 pm on Friday 10 February 2023.   All applications and pre - scholarship nomination process are administered by departments. Department have their individual process therefore please contact them directly for further guidance on scholarship nomination.
  4. The CSC Imperial Scholarship Panel will then consider all the nomination forms and will produce a list of students to be recommended for a CSC Imperial Scholarship. Those recommended for a CSC Imperial Scholarship will be asked to complete the CSC application form (this will be early/mid March).  Applicants must complete the CSC application on the CSC website between 10 March 2023 - 31 March 2023. Applicants are required to attach the email confirming we have received your application which is sent upon successful completion of an application to study at Imperial College London. This deadline/timeframe is non-negotiable.  Instructions to complete this application are available via the CSC website.
  5. In order to be considered for this scholarship, students must have a formal offer of admission and have met the English language condition of the offer by the time CSC Imperial Scholarship Panel meets.   The CSC Imperial Scholarship Panel meeting will take place early/mid March.    Please see our 'English language requirements page' for details on our language requirements.

In some cases, students may not have received an offer by the College deadline. Therefore, if necessary, applications can be considered by the scholarship panel at the same time as being processed by Departments/Registry. However, applicants must still have approval from their supervisor and head of department.

SELECTION PROCESSChina Scholarship Council logo

  1. The CSC Imperial Scholarship Panel will produce a list of students to be recommended for a CSC Imperial Scholarship. Please note: The CSC will not accept any application that is conditional upon English
  2. Students will be informed of the progress of their scholarship application and whether they have been selected as a potential scholarship recipient
  3. Between April and June 2023, CSC will review and approve the scholarships
  4. After this, students will be informed of the final outcome of their application and issued with a formal CSC Imperial Scholarship letter
  5. Upon fulfilling any outstanding requirements for admission to a PhD programme (for example, provision of a satisfactory Masters qualification result if necessary, and arranging visas and travel), CSC Imperial scholars will commence their PhD programme in October 2023.

Useful Links

 If you have any questions about the scheme, please contact the Student Financial Support team.