Who can recommend you for the International Chinese Language Teachers Scholarship
Sources checked · Unofficial summary
You cannot apply on your own: the International Chinese Language Teachers Scholarship is applied for through a Recommending Institution, and the 2025 Application Guidelines list a reference letter by the head of that institution among the materials every applicant must submit. Recommending Institutions are Confucius Institutes, independent Confucius Classrooms, selected HSK test centers, foreign educational institutions, Chinese language teacher training programs or Chinese departments at foreign universities, professional associations for Chinese language teaching, and Chinese embassies and consulates abroad. Everything below comes from the Application Guidelines for International Chinese Language Teachers Scholarship 2025, published by the Center for Language Education and Cooperation (CLEC) and written for programmes starting between July 2025 and March 2026.
Who the guidelines call a Recommending Institution
The preamble names seven kinds of body that may recommend outstanding students and in-service Chinese language teachers for study at universities in China:
- Confucius Institutes
- independent Confucius Classrooms
- selected HSK test centers
- foreign educational institutions
- Chinese language teacher training programs, or Chinese departments at foreign universities
- professional associations for Chinese language teaching
- Chinese embassies (consulates) abroad
The guidelines say these bodies "may recommend" — they do not say that every one of them does so in every country, and they do not set out a procedure for asking a body to recommend you. What they do provide is a search function: online registration opened on 20 February 2025 on the International Chinese Language Teachers Scholarship website (chinese.cn), where applicants may search for Recommending Institutions and Host Institutions, submit application materials online, and track the application process.
What a Recommending Institution does, and what a Host Institution does
Section V of the guidelines is short. Recommending and Host Institutions "shall, pursuant to the Guidelines, provide consulting, recommendation and enrollment services." That is the whole of the stated role: it covers the recommendation itself, advice to applicants, and enrolment, split between the two sides.
The Host Institution is the university in China where you would study. The guidelines put several practical matters in its hands: applicants should contact the Host Institution for curriculum and course listings and for enrolment matters, must be familiar with its admission criteria and application deadlines, and must provide any additional documents it requires. If you are admitted, you confirm the procedures for studying in China with the Host Institution and register there on the date given in the Letter of Admission.
The reference letter, and the other letters
Appendix 2 lists the application materials. Three items apply to everyone: a scanned copy of the passport photo page; scanned copies of HSK and HSKK score reports within the two-year validity; and a reference letter by the head of the Recommending Institution.
Two further letter requirements apply to specific groups:
- Applicants to the Scholarship for a Master's Degree in International Chinese Language Education must provide two reference letters from professors or associate professors.
- Applicants to the Scholarship for a Doctor's Degree in International Chinese Language Education must provide two reference letters from professors, associate professors, or experts with equivalent professional titles in relevant fields, plus a 3,000-word personal statement written in Chinese covering knowledge of the intended area of study and a research proposal. The guidelines add that priority will be given to applicants who can provide an employment contract with a teaching institution upon completing their studies in China, or proof to the same effect; the same priority wording appears for the master's degree.
- In-service Chinese language teachers must provide proof of employment and a reference letter from the employer.
- Applicants under 18 must provide certified documents of designation signed by their entrusted legal guardians in China.
The guidelines do not give a template for the head's reference letter, do not say what it must contain, and do not say how many letters a Recommending Institution may write.
Deadlines the Recommending Institution had to meet
The 2025 guidelines set four start dates, and for each one a deadline for applicants and a later deadline for the institutions. These are the dates of that cycle; they have passed, and the current edition on chinese.cn may set different ones.
| Programme start | Applicant completes application by | Recommending Institutions and Host Institutions complete review by |
|---|---|---|
| July 2025 | 15 April | 25 April |
| September 2025 | 15 May | 25 May |
| December 2025 | 15 September | 25 September |
| March 2026 | 31 October | 10 November |
All times are Beijing Time. In each case the institutions had ten days after the applicant deadline to finish their review.
What happens after the institutions review your file
CLEC entrusts an expert panel to review the applications. The guidelines state that decisions will be based on HSK and HSKK levels and scores, geographical distribution, and other factors; they do not describe how those factors are weighted. Results are announced about three months before the programme starts.
The guidelines also list ways a scholarship can be lost after the fact: failing the pre-enrollment medical examination, withdrawing before completing the programme, failing to register at the university without prior permission, and suspending studies all lead to disqualification.
What the official text does not say
It does not say how to approach a Recommending Institution if you have no connection to one, whether an applicant may change Recommending Institutions, or what a Recommending Institution should do if it declines to recommend someone. It does not name any fee connected with a recommendation, and it does not describe any review or ranking of Recommending Institutions.
Questions people ask
Can I apply directly to CLEC without a Recommending Institution?
The guidelines describe the scholarship as one that Recommending Institutions recommend candidates for, and they list a reference letter by the head of the Recommending Institution as a required material for all applicants. They do not describe any route that bypasses a Recommending Institution.
Is my Recommending Institution the same as the university I will study at?
No. The Recommending Institution recommends you; the Host Institution is the university in China that enrols you. Both had to complete their review by the same deadline, and the Host Institution handles curriculum questions, extra documents required of you, and enrolment.
Do I need the head's letter if I am also submitting professor reference letters?
Yes, for degree programmes both apply. The reference letter by the head of the Recommending Institution is listed under materials for all applicants; the two professor or associate professor letters are listed separately for master's and doctoral applicants in international Chinese language education.
When would I have heard back in the 2025 cycle?
About three months before the programme started, according to the guidelines. The expert panel review follows the institution review deadlines, which for that cycle fell on 25 April, 25 May, 25 September and 10 November.
Where do I find the current rules?
The guidelines name chinese.cn as the application website. The edition described here is dated January 2025 and covers programmes starting between July 2025 and March 2026; check chinese.cn for the edition now in force, since its dates will differ.
Other programmes on this site work differently: see the Chinese Government Scholarship and the International Chinese Language Teachers Scholarship overview for how their routes compare.
Sources
- 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 written for applicants, is not published by CLEC or any university named in it, and the official notice prevails wherever the two differ.