The preparatory Chinese year under the Chinese Government Scholarship: what the guide says about language study
Sources checked · Unofficial summary
Yes — the Application Guide for Chinese Government Scholarship states that the scholarship covers Chinese language (preparatory) study as well as major study, and that the language courses last one year. What the guide does not say is who is placed into that year: it sets out the duration of preparatory language study, but it does not describe a rule that sends applicants without Chinese into it.
What the guide says about duration
Under "II. Supporting Categories, Duration, Institutions, and Majors", the guide's duration clause reads:
The Chinese Government Scholarship covers both major study and Chinese language (preparatory) study. The language courses last one year, whereas the duration of the scholarship for major study conforms to that as required.
So the funding description covers two kinds of study, and the preparatory language component is stated as one year. The guide page carries no publication date and no academic year, so this clause should be read as the wording of the guide as checked, not as a statement about a particular application cycle.
For everything else in this section — who receives the preparatory year, whether it is added before the major programme, whether it is conditional on a test score, and whether it extends the total award — the guide is silent. Those points are not stated in it, and they should not be assumed from the rules of another programme.
The HSK levels applicants must already hold
The guide's eligibility section lists HSK requirements by category. These are thresholds for applying, stated separately from the duration clause:
| Programme applied for | Language requirement stated in the guide |
|---|---|
| Chinese-taught master's or doctoral programme | HSK (Level 4) |
| Chinese-taught general scholar programme (excluding Chinese language majors) | HSK (Level 3) |
| Chinese-taught senior scholar programme | HSK (Level 3) |
| Programme taught in a language other than Chinese | Meet the admission requirements of the university of preference in terms of language proficiency and academic ability, among others |
The guide lists no HSK level for undergraduate programmes; for bachelor's programmes it requires the "China Scholastic Competency Assessment (CSCA)" and a valid score report instead. The eligibility section also sets age limits — under 25 for undergraduate, under 35 for Master's, under 40 for doctoral, under 45 for general scholars and under 50 for senior scholars — and requires applicants to be non-PRC citizens in good mental and physical health.
Note the direction of these requirements: they state what an applicant must already hold at the point of applying for a Chinese-taught programme. They do not state that an applicant below the threshold is moved into the one-year language course.
What Order 42 says about preparatory students
Order No. 42 of the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Public Security — the Administrative Measures for the Enrolment and Education of International Students by Schools, in force from 1 July 2017 under its Article 48 — recognises preparatory students as a formal enrolment category. Article 9, in a reader's translation rather than an official English text:
When institutions of higher education enrol international students, the categories for degree education are: junior college student, undergraduate student, master's student and doctoral student; the categories for non-degree education are: preparatory student, advanced student and research scholar.
Preparatory student therefore sits under non-degree education, alongside advanced students and research scholars, and separately from the degree categories.
What Order 42 says about teaching in a foreign language
Article 19 of the same Order, again in a reader's translation:
Institutions of higher education that meet the conditions may offer international students academic programmes taught in a foreign language. International students receiving higher degree education in a foreign language may write their degree thesis in the corresponding foreign language, with the abstract in Chinese; whether the thesis defence is conducted in a foreign language is determined by the institution.
This matters for the reader's question because it means Chinese is not the only language of instruction available in the system the Order regulates: qualified institutions may teach in a foreign language, and the choice about the defence language rests with the institution. The Order does not connect this provision to the Chinese Government Scholarship's preparatory year, and the guide does not say how its one-year language course relates to programmes taught in another language.
Where the two documents stop
Between them, the two official documents establish: that the scholarship's duration clause covers Chinese language (preparatory) study of one year; that certain Chinese-taught programmes require HSK Level 3 or Level 4 from applicants; that preparatory student is a non-degree enrolment category; and that degree study may be delivered in a foreign language under conditions set by the institution.
Neither document states who is assigned to a preparatory year, whether an applicant without Chinese is offered one, whether the year is funded in addition to the major-study period, or how long the whole award then lasts. Those questions are not answered in the material used here.
Questions people ask
Does the Chinese Government Scholarship pay for a language year?
The guide states that the scholarship covers both major study and Chinese language (preparatory) study, and that the language courses last one year. It does not state which applicants receive that year.
Do I need an HSK certificate to apply?
It depends on the programme. The guide requires HSK (Level 4) for Chinese-taught master's and doctoral programmes, HSK (Level 3) for Chinese-taught general scholar programmes other than Chinese language majors, and HSK (Level 3) for Chinese-taught senior scholar programmes. No HSK level is listed for undergraduate programmes.
Is a preparatory student a recognised enrolment category?
Yes. Article 9 of Order No. 42 of the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Public Security lists preparatory student among the non-degree categories, together with advanced student and research scholar.
Can I study in English instead of Chinese?
Order 42's Article 19 says institutions that meet the conditions may offer programmes taught in a foreign language, that the thesis may be written in that language with a Chinese abstract, and that the institution decides whether the defence is held in a foreign language. The scholarship guide separately requires applicants to a programme taught in a language other than Chinese to meet the university's own admission requirements on language proficiency and academic ability.
Where can I find the list of universities and majors?
The guide directs readers to the Campus China website for information about designated universities and the majors they offer, rather than listing them in the text.
Sources
- Application Guide for Chinese Government Scholarship — China Scholarship Council (Campus China, campuschina.org)
- 《学校招收和培养国际学生管理办法》(Administrative Measures for the Enrolment and Education of International Students by Schools), Order No. 42 — Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China (moe.gov.cn)
Checked 10 October 2026.
This page is an unofficial summary and is not published by the China Scholarship Council, Campus China or the Ministry of Education; where the wording above differs from the official notice, the official notice prevails.