China Scholarship Council Scholarships
For PhD students supported through the CSC partnership, with tuition fees funded by Southampton and living costs funded by the CSC.
Key information
- Funding type
- Fully funded
- Total value
- Full tuition fees, a living allowance, travel costs and allowances
- Application deadline
- 31/12/2026
- Eligibility
- Chinese nationals with an academic average of 75% to 80% or above who want to study for a UK PhD
Overview
The China Scholarship Council (CSC) offers scholarships to Chinese students who wish to study a PhD programme outside of China.
The University of Southampton is recognised by the China Scholarship Council as a partner institute.
What you get
- Tuition fees
- A monthly living allowance
Deadline
31 December 2026, 4pm UK time
Eligibility
To get this scholarship you must:
- be a Chinese national over 18 years of age
- have an offer to study a PhD at the University of Southampton
- have an academic average of 75% to 80% or above in your current studies
- meet the University's English language requirements
You must also meet one of the following requirements:
- be studying for a bachelor's or master's degree at a leading Chinese university (such as 211 Group, 985 Group, or highly ranked by subject area)
- be studying for a master's degree at a university outside China
- have completed a master's degree at a university outside China within the 12 months before applying and not yet returned to China
- be in the first year of a PhD at a university outside China (CSC funding starts from the second year of study)
- have completed a bachelor's degree and be currently working in China
You cannot apply if you already have a PhD.
How to apply
- Apply to study a PhD
- Contact the Faculty admissions team
Contact the Faculty Postgraduate Research Admissions team or your proposed supervisor to find out about CSC scholarship opportunities.
- Apply to the CSC for the maintenance scholarship
If you get an offer to study and are nominated by the faculty for a CSC award, apply to the CSC for the maintenance scholarship.
Check the CSC website for full details of the application process.
How we award
We expect to select the final candidates by the end of February.
If you are successful, we will send you a fee waiver letter and tell the CSC that you have been nominated for the scholarship.
If you are nominated, you must apply to the CSC for living costs funding through the Southampton-CSC joint scholarship scheme in March.
The CSC will announce the final results in June.