China Scholarship Council and University of St Andrews Scholarship

Value of award (per year)

Full tuition fees and local research costs will be covered by the University of St Andrews for the duration of the programme (in respect of any period covered by CSC funding).

The China Scholarship Council will cover the living costs to include accommodation and subsistence, return international airfare to the UK, together with passport and visa application fees.

Duration of award

Scholarships are awarded for up to 48 months (up to 4 years) for full-time study and up to 24 months for visiting PhD students.

Additional criteria

• You must meet the normal requirements for entry into a PhD programme at the University of St Andrews. This is usually a bachelor's degree from a prestigious university with a mark of 80% and above for a Chinese university or an upper second-class honours or better for a UK university, or a Master's degree. The degree of MD (Medicine) requires a medical qualification that is recognised by the UK General Council.
• You must be a national and ordinarily resident of mainland China (not including Hong Kong, Macau or Taiwan). You must also be intending to return to China once your course is completed.
• All applicants must meet the necessary English Language requirements before being made an unconditional offer. 
• The minimum requirements for any postgraduate research student can be found in Profile 7-D (Direct entry). However, individual Schools can reserve the right to request higher test scores than this, and will normally require the same English language test scores as those stated for their postgraduate taught programmes. 
• Candidates should also satisfy the selection criteria set out by CSC.

If you are applying as a new entrant, your PhD start date must be one of the following:

• August 2026
• September 2026
• October 2026
• January 2027

If you are already a PhD student or will be starting a PhD at St Andrews before August 2026, you must be due to enter the second year of your PhD on one of the above dates. If you are successful, your CSC scholarship will begin when your second year starts. 

How to apply

Stage one

Apply to the University of St Andrews.

New PhD students

If you are applying for a PhD programme that will be undertaken fully at the University of St Andrews:

1. Apply for your chosen course beginning in the 2026-2027 academic year by completing the research application form, by Tuesday 6 January 2026. Select the drop-down option "I have applied for or I will be receiving a bursary or scholarship" in the Fees and Funding section of the application form and specify "CSC St Andrews Scholarship". After applying, you must then allow at least three working days for processing and issue of your log in details before the next step.
2. Apply for scholarships and funding by logging into My Application where you can search and apply for the CSC/St Andrews Scholarship. 
• Click View the scholarships and funding catalogue to apply.
• Select 2026/7 as the Academic Year and click Refresh list.
• Locate China Scholarship Council - University of St Andrews Scholarships (PhD) in the list of scholarships (using the filter box if necessary), click Apply and complete the short application form.
• Application deadline: 23:59 (GMT) on Friday 9 January 2026. 
• You may also use the catalogue to search and apply for other scholarships for which you are eligible.
3. Successful candidates will be issued with an offer letter from the University of St Andrews (date to be confirmed).
   • The offer will clarify that the University of St Andrews will cover the candidate’s full tuition fees and local research costs, subject to their obtaining CSC’s support.

Current PhD students

If you are currently in the first year of a PhD programme at the University of St Andrews:

1. Apply for scholarships and funding by logging into MySaint where you can search and apply for the CSC/St Andrews Scholarship.
• Click View the scholarships and funding catalogue to apply.
• Select 2026/7 as the Academic Year and click Refresh list.
• Locate China Scholarship Council - University of St Andrews Scholarships (PhD) in the list of scholarships (using the filter box if necessary), click Apply and complete the short application form.
• Application deadline: 23:59 (GMT) on Friday 9 January 2026.
2. Successful candidates will be issued with a letter confirming to the CSC they are a current PhD student at the University of St Andrews, date to be confirmed.
   • The letter will clarify that if the student is successful in securing funding from China Scholarship Council (CSC) to cover maintenance for the remaining duration of their studies, the University of St Andrews will cover full tuition fees for that duration under the CSC-St Andrews joint Scholarship Scheme.

Visiting PhD students

If you intend to carry out a period of research at the University of St Andrews for between 6 and 24 months as part of a PhD with another institution:

Follow the same instructions as those for New PhD Students above, except you should specify "CSC St Andrews Scholarship - Visiting student" in the research application form.

Stage two

Apply to the China Scholarship Council (CSC).

After receiving the offer letter from the University of St Andrews candidates must then apply to CSC for funding by completing an application, including references, for funding - CSC online application system opening dates to be confirmed. Please apply to the China Scholarship Council online.

Terms and conditions

Please read the University of St Andrews scholarships terms and conditions (opens in new tab)

Scholars must also comply with the CSC's terms and conditions, available on the CSC website.

When will I know the outcome?

What happens next?

1. CSC will review candidates' eligibility according to CSC requirements and priorities.
2. The successful candidates will be informed in writing with further information about becoming an entrant at St Andrews.

CSC application timeline

• 6 January 2026: Stage 1: PhD application deadline. Applicants must submit an application for a PhD programme by 23:59 (GMT) on Tuesday 06 January 2026.
• 9 January 2026: Stage 1: Scholarship application deadline. Applicants must submit their scholarship application in the Scholarships and Funding Catalogue by 23:59 (GMT) on Friday 9 January 2026.
• Mid-March 2026: Nominated candidates will be issued with an offer letter confirming that the University of St Andrews will cover the candidate’s full tuition fees and local research costs, subject to their obtaining CSC’s support.
• March 2026 (dates TBC): Stage 2: Online CSC application system opens; nominated applicants will be expected to complete their submission before the deadline.
• June 2026: CSC will notify all applicants about the outcome of their application.