Pre-admission letter for the Chinese Government Scholarship: what counts and who issues it
Sources checked · Unofficial summary
A pre-admission letter is a document from a Chinese university saying it is prepared to take you. You need one before you apply: the Application Guide for Chinese Government Scholarship lists "Pre-Admission Documents" as item 7 of the required documents and states that all applicants must provide a pre-admission document issued by the universities applying.
What the guide counts as a pre-admission document
The guide accepts more than one form. It says pre-admission documents include a pre-admission notice issued by the international students' admission department, or an invitation letter from the schools or professors, and closes the list with "etc." — so the list is open, and the guide does not go on to define what else qualifies.
Two things follow from that wording. The document comes from the university you are applying to, not from the China Scholarship Council and not from the agency that recommends you. And an invitation letter from a school or a professor is named alongside the formal admission notice, although the guide does not set out what such a letter has to contain.
The page carrying this text has no publication date and no academic year on it, so the guide as saved cannot be tied to one intake.
Where the letter fits in the application process
The guide's application process puts the university contact early:
- Identify the scholarship programme, designated university and major.
- Reach the designated university for admission documents.
- Reach an application receiving agency for a recommendation.
- Fill in and submit the online application form.
- The agency submits the recommended candidates list and documents.
- The CSC examines eligibility and academic performance and finalises the shortlist.
- The CSC notifies results to the agency, which informs the applicant.
So the pre-admission document is obtained at step 2, before the agency recommendation and before the online form is submitted. The guide does not describe what happens if a university issues one after the online submission, and it does not give a validity period for the document.
What the YES China notice requires the letter to contain
The Youth of Excellence Scheme of China notice is the only one of these three that specifies the letter's contents. Its requirement 3(4) sets both a positive and a negative rule.
| Requirement | What the notice says |
|---|---|
| Must contain | All of the necessary information of registration: personal information, the admission date, and major's information |
| Must not contain | Any information about having received or promised to receive Chinese government scholarships |
The same notice's application approach section says applicants should have received a pre-admission letter from one of the subprogrammes at least when they apply, and that when applying online they should choose "Type A" for scholarship type, with agency code 1563 and the programme "Youth of Excellence Scheme of China". The China Scholarship Council accepts individual applications directly for this programme and arranges expert review.
That notice covers the 2026 intake, with an online application deadline of 23:59 on 31 March 2026 (GMT+8). That date has passed; when the page was checked, no notice for the following intake had appeared on it.
What the China Link notice says
The China Link Short-term Scientific Exchange Scholarship Program (2026) notice frames the same step in different words. Its eligibility section requires applicants to have obtained admission qualification from the host Chinese university for the next intake, and its application process tells applicants to contact the host Chinese university in advance to obtain that admission qualification. It recommends consulting the host university's international student admission department as early as possible to confirm the deadline for university-level review, noting that requirements may vary by institution.
The notice does not use the term "pre-admission letter", and it does not list content requirements for whatever document the host university issues.
Two further points from that notice are worth knowing if you are applying through it: host Chinese universities process the applications and must submit the scholarship nomination list to the CSC at least two months before the students' arrival in China, and the CSC notifies host universities of award results monthly, with the host university then informing the applicant. The CSC application portal is open to applicants all year round for this programme, and study in China must start no later than 31 August 2027.
Questions people ask
Do I need a pre-admission letter before I apply?
Yes, on the wording used in the CSC documents. The application guide says all applicants must provide a pre-admission document issued by the universities applying, and the Youth of Excellence Scheme notice says applicants should have received a pre-admission letter at least when they apply. The China Link notice requires admission qualification from the host Chinese university and tells applicants to contact that university in advance.
Who issues it?
The university you are applying to. The guide names the international students' admission department as the issuer of a pre-admission notice, and lists an invitation letter from the schools or professors as an alternative form.
Can the letter mention the scholarship?
The Youth of Excellence Scheme notice says the pre-admission letter cannot contain any information about having received or promised to receive Chinese government scholarships. The application guide and the China Link notice say nothing on this point.
Does the guide say how long a pre-admission letter stays valid?
No. Neither the guide's document list nor its application process gives a validity period, and the two programme notices do not give one either.
Is an invitation letter from a professor enough?
The application guide lists an invitation letter from the schools or professors among the pre-admission documents, so it is a named form. The guide does not say what such a letter must contain, and the Youth of Excellence Scheme notice's content rules are written about the pre-admission letter given by the university without distinguishing between the two forms.
Sources
- Application Guide for Chinese Government Scholarship, China Scholarship Council (Campus China, campuschina.org)
- Youth of Excellence Scheme of China Program Chinese Government Scholarship, China Scholarship Council (Campus China, campuschina.org)
- China Link Short-term Scientific Exchange Scholarship Program (2026), China Scholarship Council (Campus China, campuschina.org)
Checked 10 October 2026. This page is an unofficial summary written by China Scholarships Index, is not published by the China Scholarship Council or any university, and if it differs from the official notice, the official notice prevails.