Annual review of a China scholarship: what the official notices say happens each year
Sources checked · Unofficial summary
No. In the official notices read for this page, a scholarship is not described as renewed automatically: each one makes continuation conditional on an annual review or annual assessment. The MOFCOM Scholarship–CSC Program enrollment guide calls the annual review compulsory for all students and says those who pass may continue to enjoy full scholarships in the next year. Only one of the three notices, the guidebook to the ASEAN-China Young Leaders Scholarship, states a consequence for failing: expulsion from the university and cancellation of the scholarship.
What each notice says, side by side
| Notice | Who is reviewed | What it says | Consequence it states |
|---|---|---|---|
| MOFCOM SCHOLARSHIP-CSC Program (Enrollment Guide) | All students | "The annual review is compulsory for all students. Those who pass the review may continue to enjoy full scholarships in the next year." | Passing: full scholarship continues into the next year. Failing: the notice does not say. |
| Guidebook to the ASEAN-China Young Leaders Scholarship | Enrolled students | "Enrolled students' performance is subject to annual review by the China Scholarship Council and the host universities." | "Failure to pass the review may result in expulsion from university and cancellation of his/her scholarship." |
| Application Guidelines for International Chinese Language Teachers Scholarship 2025 | Degree students | "Degree students are subject to the annual assessment according to the Annual Assessment Procedures of the International Chinese Language Teachers Scholarship." | The guideline does not state a consequence for failing the assessment. |
The three notices use different words — "annual review" in two of them, "annual assessment" in the third — and the wording of each belongs to that document alone. Nothing here transfers one programme's terms to another.
What none of these notices say
None of the three describes what the review measures, when in the academic year it takes place, what form or evidence a student submits, or how a student is told the outcome. They state that a review exists and, in two cases, what follows from it; the procedure itself is not set out in the texts quoted here.
The reviewers are not named in all three. The ASEAN-China Young Leaders Scholarship guidebook names the China Scholarship Council and the host universities. The MOFCOM guide names no reviewer. The ICLT guideline points to a separate document, the Annual Assessment Procedures of the International Chinese Language Teachers Scholarship, but does not reproduce it, so this page cannot say what that document contains or requires.
Which students the ICLT assessment clause covers
The ICLT clause is written for degree students. The guideline does not apply it to the One-Semester Study Program or the One-Year Study Program and does not describe an annual assessment for those. It separately lists grounds on which a student is disqualified from the scholarship: failing the pre-enrollment medical examination, withdrawing before completing the programme, failing to register at the university without prior permission, and suspending studies.
Other things that stop the funding
Continuation is not governed by the review alone. Under the MOFCOM guide, the Ministry of Commerce provides financial assistance only within a student's enrolled academic duration, and students who postpone their graduation will not receive continuing sponsorship. Under the ASEAN-China Young Leaders Scholarship guidebook, cancellation of the scholarship is tied to the review outcome, and is described as something that "may" result from failure rather than as an automatic step.
What is dated
The ICLT guideline is dated January 2025 and was written for programmes starting between July 2025 and March 2026; those dates belong to that cycle and have passed, and it was the most recent edition found on chinese.cn when checked. The MOFCOM page gives no academic year and no deadline, and tells applicants to consult the application receiving authority for the deadline of each year. The ASEAN-China Young Leaders Scholarship page carries a focal point list headed "As of 2026" and gives no application deadline date.
Scope of the notices used
This page draws only on the three documents listed under Sources. The Application Guide for Chinese Government Scholarship is not among them, and nothing here is attributed to it. Where a review is mentioned for a programme not covered by these three notices, that has to be read in that programme's own official text.
Questions people ask
Is the scholarship renewed automatically every year?
No. None of the three notices describes renewal as automatic. The MOFCOM guide makes the annual review compulsory and ties the next year's full scholarship to passing it; the ASEAN-China Young Leaders Scholarship guidebook makes enrolled students' performance subject to annual review; the ICLT guideline makes degree students subject to an annual assessment.
Who carries out the review?
Only the ASEAN-China Young Leaders Scholarship guidebook says: the China Scholarship Council and the host universities. The MOFCOM guide does not name a reviewer, and the ICLT guideline refers to a separate document, the Annual Assessment Procedures of the International Chinese Language Teachers Scholarship, without reproducing it.
What happens if a student fails?
Only the ASEAN-China Young Leaders Scholarship guidebook answers this, and it uses qualified language: failure to pass "may result in expulsion from university and cancellation of his/her scholarship". The MOFCOM guide states the consequence of passing but not of failing, and the ICLT guideline states neither.
Do the notices explain the review criteria?
No. None of the three sets out the criteria, the timing, the forms or the evidence involved. They state that a review or assessment exists and, in part, what follows from the result.
Does the review decide everything about continued funding?
No. The MOFCOM guide also limits assistance to the enrolled academic duration and states that students who postpone graduation will not receive continuing sponsorship, and the ICLT guideline lists separate grounds for disqualification, including withdrawal, suspension of studies and failing to register without prior permission.
Sources
- MOFCOM SCHOLARSHIP-CSC Program (Enrollment Guide) — China Scholarship Council (Campus China, campuschina.org)
- Guidebook to the ASEAN-China Young Leaders Scholarship — China Scholarship Council (Campus China, campuschina.org)
- Application Guidelines for International Chinese Language Teachers Scholarship 2025 — Center for Language Education and Cooperation (CLEC, chinese.cn)
Checked 10 October 2026
This page is an unofficial summary; it is not published by the China Scholarship Council, Campus China, CLEC or any university, and the official notice prevails if they differ.