ACYLS timeline: from the January to March window to September registration
Sources checked · Unofficial summary
The Guidebook to the ASEAN-China Young Leaders Scholarship lays the cycle out month by month: applications generally open from January to March, nominations are settled in March and April, placement runs from May to July, results go out at the end of July, and recipients travel in August and register with their host university in September. The guidebook describes this calendar as recurring rather than tied to one year, and it does not state a deadline date for any year.
The month-by-month calendar
| Period | What the guidebook says happens | Who acts |
|---|---|---|
| January–March | Applications are submitted and the online application is completed in the CGSIS (Chinese Government Scholarship Information System) | Applicants |
| March–April | Applications are reviewed, suitable candidates are chosen, and a recommendation list is submitted | ACYLS national focal points of AMS and the AUN Secretariat |
| March–April | All recommendations are reviewed and a nomination list is submitted to the CSC | The Joint Committee, based in Jakarta |
| May–July | Engagement with the designated universities over placement | CSC |
| End of July | Final results are notified and admission documents are mailed | CSC and the host universities |
| August | Admission documents are received and the procedures for coming to China are completed | Recipients |
| September | Recipients arrive in China and register with their host universities | Recipients |
Who you apply through
There are two submission routes, and the guidebook separates them. Applicants in general submit their applications to the ACYLS national focal point of their own country. Faculty and staff from ASEAN universities who apply through the ASEAN University Network (AUN) and AUN Thematic Networks submit to the AUN Secretariat instead. Both routes are described as being subject to the same deadline, and both require the online application in CGSIS to be completed in the January–March window.
The page carries a list of focal points headed "As of 2026", but the guidebook does not give an application deadline date anywhere on it. For the deadline of a given year, the guidebook instructs applicants to consult the ACYLS national focal points or the AUN Secretariat directly. That is the only source of the date the guidebook points to, so the month-by-month calendar above should be read as a shape of the cycle rather than as a deadline.
What happens between nomination and placement
Once a nomination list reaches the CSC, the placement stage begins. The scholarship is carried out within 33 designated Chinese universities. Each applicant chooses one major and three preferred universities from that list, and the CSC places each applicant in one university based on those choices and the universities' requirements.
The guidebook also states that the CSC reserves the right to make necessary adjustments to a candidate's preferred university and field of study, taking into account scholarship funding requirements, the host university's teaching capacity, the length of study and the applicant's criteria. Placement results are confirmed by the universities. Applicants are told to provide accurate, detailed and valid contact information in the "Current Contact Information" field of CGSIS, which is where later notification will reach them.
Results, documents and arrival
Two parts of the guidebook describe the results stage. The timeline sets it at the end of July, with the CSC notifying recipients once the Joint Committee has confirmed, and host universities mailing the admission documents. The scholarship confirmation section states that winners receive the final results from the CSC by email before 31 July, and that the admission documents are the Admission Letter and the Confirmation Form for Study in China (JW201), issued by the host universities.
August is the month for receiving those documents and completing the procedures needed to come to China. September is when recipients arrive and register with their host universities. The guidebook warns that the scholarship will not be reserved for a recipient who cannot register before the registration deadline; it does not state what that deadline date is.
After arrival, recipients may not change the host university, field of study or duration of study shown on the Admission Letter.
Changes during the scholarship
The guidebook states that scholarship students are not allowed, in principle, to change their academic programme, host university or length of schooling while studying in China. Anyone who needs a change for special reasons must apply to the CSC through their host university, and the change can take effect only after approval from both the CSC and the ACYLS Joint Committee in Jakarta.
Questions people ask
Does the guidebook give an application deadline date?
No. The guidebook says the application generally opens from January to March every year and states no deadline date on the page. It tells applicants to consult the ACYLS national focal points or the AUN Secretariat directly for the deadline of the current year.
Where do I send my application?
To the ACYLS national focal point of your home country, before the deadline. If you are faculty or staff at an ASEAN university applying through the AUN or an AUN Thematic Network, you submit to the AUN Secretariat instead. Either way, the online application is completed in CGSIS.
When will I hear whether I have the scholarship?
The timeline puts the notification at the end of July, after the Joint Committee confirms. The confirmation section states that winners receive the final results from the CSC by email before 31 July, with the Admission Letter and JW201 form coming from the host university.
Can I change my host university or major after arriving in China?
No. Recipients may not change the host university, field of study or duration of study stated on the Admission Letter once they are in China. Later changes are not allowed in principle and, where special reasons apply, require approval from both the CSC and the ACYLS Joint Committee.
What happens if I cannot register in time?
The guidebook states that the scholarship will not be reserved if a recipient cannot register before the registration deadline. It does not state the date of that deadline.
Sources
- Guidebook to the ASEAN-China Young Leaders Scholarship — China Scholarship Council (Campus China, campuschina.org)
Checked 10 October 2026
This page is an unofficial summary and is not published by the China Scholarship Council, Campus China or any of the bodies named above; where this summary and the official guidebook differ, the official notice prevails.