What China's Order 42 says about scholarships for international students
Sources checked · Unofficial summary
Scholarships for international students in China rest on one national rule: 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 since 1 July 2017 (Article 48). Articles 32 to 34 are the parts about scholarships: the Chinese government sets up the Chinese Government Scholarship, the education ministry entrusts selected universities to train its recipients, those universities must give them priority in admission, and universities, organisations and individuals may set up their own scholarships — but without attaching unreasonable conditions.
What Order 42 is
Order 42 governs how schools enrol and educate international students. Article 9 lists what students may be enrolled as: for degree education, junior-college students, undergraduates, master's students and doctoral students; for non-degree education, preparatory students, advanced-study students and research scholars. Article 12 says the school examines an applicant's admission qualifications and proof of financial guarantee, gives an examination or assessment, and decides admission itself; it may not enrol anyone who does not meet its admission conditions.
Articles 32 to 34, in translation
The official text is in Chinese at the Ministry of Education site. The English below is my own unofficial rendering, not an official translation; the Chinese wording is the one that applies.
| Article | Unofficial English rendering |
|---|---|
| 32 | The Chinese government establishes the Chinese Government Scholarship for international students receiving higher education, and encourages local people's governments to establish international student scholarships. The administrative measures for the Chinese Government Scholarship are formulated by the relevant administrative department of the State Council. |
| 33 | The education administrative department of the State Council entrusts, on a selective basis, institutions of higher education with the training of Chinese Government Scholarship students. Institutions of higher education that undertake this training task shall give priority to admitting Chinese Government Scholarship students. |
| 34 | Institutions of higher education may establish scholarships for international students. Enterprises and public institutions, social organisations and other social organisations, and individuals are encouraged to establish international student scholarships, but may not attach unreasonable conditions. |
Who may set up a scholarship
Article 32 names two public sources: the Chinese government, which establishes the Chinese Government Scholarship for students in higher education, and local people's governments, which are encouraged to establish their own international student scholarships. Article 34 adds the rest: universities themselves may establish scholarships for international students, and enterprises and public institutions, social organisations, other social organisations and individuals are encouraged to do the same.
The Measure does not define what these other scholarships must cover, or how large they must be, and it does not name any of them.
The priority rule for universities
Article 33 works in two steps. First, the education administrative department of the State Council entrusts universities with training Chinese Government Scholarship students on a selective basis — the Measure does not say how that selection is made. Second, a university that has taken on that training task must give Chinese Government Scholarship students priority in admission.
That is a priority rule inside the admission process, not a separate admission decision: under Article 12, admission is still decided by the school, and a school may not enrol anyone who does not meet its admission conditions.
The "no unreasonable conditions" clause
The last clause of Article 34 applies to non-government scholarship founders: encouragement to set up scholarships comes with one limit, that no unreasonable conditions may be attached. The Measure does not list examples of conditions that count as unreasonable, and does not say who judges whether a condition is unreasonable.
What the CSC guide says about its own role
The Application Guide for Chinese Government Scholarship, published by the China Scholarship Council on Campus China, describes the purpose of the scholarship as strengthening mutual understanding and friendship between the Chinese people and people of other countries, and promoting China's exchange and cooperation with other countries across fields; the government sets up scholarships for talented students and scholars to pursue higher education or conduct research in Chinese universities.
On its own role, the guide states that the China Scholarship Council (CSC), entrusted by China's Ministry of Education, is responsible for the admission, enrolment and administration of Chinese Government Scholarship recipients. The page carries no publication date and no academic year, so it cannot be tied to a specific application cycle from its own text.
Practical steps for an application are covered separately on how to apply.
What these documents do not say
- Neither document states scholarship amounts, quotas, or how many scholarships exist.
- Order 42 does not state the terms, duration or coverage of the Chinese Government Scholarship; Article 32 assigns its administrative measures to the relevant State Council department.
- Order 42 does not say that holding or receiving a scholarship guarantees admission, a place, or funding.
- The CSC guide does not cite Order 42, and Order 42 does not mention the China Scholarship Council by name.
Questions people ask
Does Order 42 say how much the Chinese Government Scholarship pays?
No. Article 32 says the Chinese Government Scholarship exists for international students in higher education and that its administrative measures are formulated by the relevant administrative department of the State Council. Amounts are not given in the Measure.
Does a scholarship guarantee me a university place?
The Measure does not say that. Article 12 says admission is decided by the school, which examines qualifications and proof of financial guarantee and may not enrol anyone who fails to meet its conditions; Article 33 adds that universities entrusted to train Chinese Government Scholarship students give those students priority in admission.
Can a company or an individual set up a scholarship, and can they set conditions?
Article 34 encourages enterprises and public institutions, social organisations, other social organisations and individuals to establish international student scholarships, with the limit that no unreasonable conditions may be attached. The Measure does not give examples of what "unreasonable" covers.
Who handles the Chinese Government Scholarship day to day?
The CSC guide states that the China Scholarship Council, entrusted by China's Ministry of Education, is responsible for the admission, enrolment and administration of Chinese Government Scholarship recipients. Order 42 itself does not name the Council.
Sources
- 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)
- Application Guide for Chinese Government Scholarship — China Scholarship Council (Campus China, campuschina.org)
Checked 10 October 2026
This page is an unofficial summary written by this site: it is not published by the Ministry of Education, the China Scholarship Council or any university, and where the summary and the official notice differ, the official notice prevails.