After the award: the three-year rule, annual assessment and how the CLEC scholarship is lost
Sources checked · Unofficial summary
Once you hold the International Chinese Language Teachers Scholarship, four things decide whether you keep it: registering within the period stated in your Letter of Admission, not staying outside China for more than 15 days during term, passing the annual assessment if you are a degree student, and not withdrawing, suspending or being disciplined. Failing any of these can stop the living allowance or end the award altogether.
The rules below come from the Application Guidelines for International Chinese Language Teachers Scholarship 2025, published by the Center for Language Education and Cooperation (CLEC). They are the rules for programmes starting between July 2025 and March 2026, so the dates in them belong to that cycle and have now passed. For a later cycle, read the current edition on chinese.cn.
The three-year rule on repeat awards
The guidelines state one repeat-award limit, in Section VI: in principle, applicants who have received a similar scholarship within three years are not eligible for the One-Semester Study Program or the One-Year Study Program.
Two things the text does not say: it does not define "similar scholarship", and it does not state whether the same three-year limit applies to the bachelor's, master's or doctoral programmes. The rule as written covers the two short programmes only.
Registration: the deadline, and what it does to your allowance
Appendix 1 sets the registration condition directly: scholarship recipients must register with the university within the period stipulated in the Letter of Admission. Otherwise, the scholarship will be revoked. Section VI repeats the consequence from another direction — students who fail to register at the university without prior permission are disqualified.
Registration date also sets your first month's money:
- Registered on or before the 15th of the month: full allowance for that month.
- Registered after the 15th: half of that month's allowance.
The living allowance is paid by the host institution on a monthly basis.
Annual assessment for degree students
Section VI says degree students are subject to the annual assessment according to the Annual Assessment Procedures of the International Chinese Language Teachers Scholarship. That procedures document is a separate text; the 2025 guidelines themselves only refer to it. They do not list the assessment criteria, the schedule, or what happens to a student who does not pass, so none of that can be stated from this document.
Non-degree students on the one-semester, one-year and four-week programmes are not covered by this line.
How the scholarship is lost
Section VI lists the cases that disqualify a student. All four are actions or outcomes, not grades.
| Case | What the guideline says |
|---|---|
| Failing the pre-enrollment medical examination | Disqualifies the student. |
| Withdrawing from school before completing the program | Disqualifies the student. |
| Failing to register at the university without prior permission | Disqualifies the student. |
| Suspending studies | Disqualifies the student. |
The guidelines do not describe an appeal route, a warning step, or any reinstatement after disqualification, and they do not say who decides each case beyond the host institution's role in enrollment. The granting of prior permission for late registration is not spelled out either — the text only recognises that prior permission changes the outcome.
Absence from China, suspension and the end of the allowance
Appendix 1 treats money and enrollment separately. Three rules matter in practice.
Leaving China for more than 15 days for personal reasons during the study period suspends the living allowance for the period of absence. Summer and winter vacations are excluded from that count. The text does not define the vacation dates; those follow the host institution's calendar.
Suspension, withdrawal for personal reasons, or disciplinary action by the host institution stops the living allowance from the date of suspension, withdrawal, or notification of the disciplinary action.
Graduating students receive the living allowance until half a month after the graduation date set by the host institution.
What the award covers
The scholarship supports tuition, accommodation, a living allowance and comprehensive medical insurance. The living allowance excludes four-week study program students. Online programmes receive tuition support only.
| Item | Standard in Appendix 1 |
|---|---|
| Living allowance per month | RMB 2,500 for undergraduates, one-year and one-semester students; RMB 3,000 for master's students in International Chinese Language Education; RMB 3,500 for doctoral students in International Chinese Language Education |
| Accommodation | Free on-campus accommodation, typically a double room; off-campus living allowed on application and approval, with an accommodation allowance of RMB 1,000 per person/month for doctoral students and RMB 700 per person/month for other students, paid monthly or quarterly |
| Medical insurance | Bought by the host institution under Ministry of Education regulations on overseas students; premium RMB 100 per person for four-week students, RMB 400 per person for one-semester students, RMB 800 per person/year for students studying more than one year |
| Tuition | Used by the host institution for education and management of recipients, cultural programming and HSK tests |
Host institutions handle curriculum and course listings, admission criteria and application deadlines, and enrollment matters, so the practical detail of each of these rules runs through them.
Questions people ask
Does the three-year rule apply to degree programmes?
The 2025 guidelines state the three-year limit only for the One-Semester Study Program and the One-Year Study Program. They do not say whether it applies to bachelor's, master's or doctoral study, and they do not define what counts as a similar scholarship.
What happens if I register on 20 September instead of early September?
Registering after the 15th of the month entitles you to half of that month's allowance. Registering outside the period stated in the Letter of Admission, without prior permission, disqualifies you from the scholarship.
Is the living allowance stopped if I go home for the summer?
Not under this rule. The suspension applies to absences of more than 15 days during the study period, and summer and winter vacations are excluded from it.
Does failing the annual assessment end the scholarship?
The guidelines say degree students are subject to the annual assessment under the separate Annual Assessment Procedures, but they do not state what failing it leads to. Disqualification is listed for the four cases in Section VI, and failing the annual assessment is not one of them.
Can I live off campus and still keep the accommodation benefit?
Yes, on application and approval from the host institution, and you then receive an accommodation allowance instead of the room: RMB 1,000 per month for doctoral students and RMB 700 per month for other students.
Who pays the allowance and the insurance?
The host institution pays the living allowance monthly and buys the comprehensive medical insurance under the Ministry of Education's regulations on overseas students.
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 and is not published by CLEC or any host institution; if it differs from the official notice, the official notice prevails.