China Scholarship Council

In partnership with the China Scholarship Council (CSC), we had up to 40 scholarships available for Chinese nationals to study for a PhD at Cardiff University.

Applications for 2026 entry are now closed.

How to apply

This cycle of applications relates to start dates in the academic year 2026-2027. Applications should be made following CSC guidance.

There are four steps to applying.

1. Apply for your PhD

Apply to Cardiff University by 12 November 2025 to study for your chosen PhD, ideally for an October 2026 start.

You may apply to a pre-defined project or propose your own research project.  You can search for options on the Cardiff University website, and browse research programmes by School, subject or A-Z. Students can also search our large variety of PhDs on offer via the PhD studentship and projects part of our website. Our People Finder tool is a useful way to find relevant academics who are available for postgraduate supervision.

Clinical programmes are not eligible for the scheme.

Please complete the standard online Cardiff University PhD application process, noting the additional requirements listed below. We advise you to apply in advance of the deadline.

Please check our Terms and Conditions of Offer before submitting your application

In addition to the standard application form, applicants should also:

• attach an academic CV. Further guidance on academic CVs can be found on the Vitae website
• ensure the personal statement (part of the university application form) provides a clear explanation of the research interest, preparation undertaken, and an understanding of the significance of the research. Further guidance can be found on the FindAPhD website
• select ‘No, I am not self-funding my research’ when prompted on the university application form
• enter the ‘Cardiff University China Scholarship Council’ when asked to give the name of the funding you are applying for
• ensure any programme-specific requirements have been completed - these can be found in the  ‘Entry Requirement’ and ‘How to Apply’ tabs on the individual research programme pages

2. Shortlisting

Your school will shortlist applicants to nominate to the university panel. Schools can only nominate candidates who hold an offer to study, which is unconditional or conditional on academic award qualifications only. You must have met the English Language requirements to be nominated.

Schools will need to make their nominations by 19 January 2026.

3. Scholarship application

If you are nominated for a tuition-fee-only scholarship by the university panel, you will be issued a tuition-fee-only scholarship letter. If you accept the nomination, you then need to apply to the China Scholarship Council (CSC) via the Cardiff University partnership portal. This will open in March. Please note if you apply via the independent route and are successful, we may not be able to honour your tuition-fee only scholarship.

4. Scholarship award

Cardiff University will send a list of those who have been nominated for the tuition-only scholarships to the CSC, which will match this with applications received via the partnership portal. The CSC panel will then award scholarships. The tuition fee-only scholarship from Cardiff University is only valid if you also receive the CSC scholarship.

If you are not nominated or not successful with the China Scholarship Council, you may still take up your offer for study at the University, but this will be on a self-funded basis.