Shanghai International Studies University CSC Scholarship 2027: Application Process
Your interest in international relations, languages or global communication could become a funded postgraduate degree in Shanghai. Shanghai International Studies University (SISU) has opened its Chinese Government Scholarship (CSC Type B) applications for September 2027, supporting international master’s and PhD students in eligible programmes.
This opportunity is particularly useful if you want to investigate how countries communicate, how languages shape societies or how China connects with the wider world. SISU’s funded choices extend beyond language degrees to areas including finance, education, journalism and political studies. English-taught options also make several routes accessible without choosing a Chinese-taught degree.
The application has an important turning point: passing SISU’s admission assessment does not automatically secure the scholarship. You complete two systems initially, sit the university’s online written test and interview, then return to CSC with your programme admission notice. Which degree matches your background, what language evidence will work, and when do you need a supervisor’s signature? This guide connects those decisions so you can prepare a complete application.
01 Which SISU degrees can you study with CSC funding?
Choose a programme marked “●” in the 2027 list’s Chinese Government Scholarship column. An available SISU degree is not automatically a funded choice: several rows carry “×”.
- English-taught master’s: Finance, International Relations, China Studies, Cross-Cultural Studies, Journalism, Global Communication, and Studies of Comparative Education. Each lasts two years.
- English-taught PhD: China Studies and Global Communication, both lasting four years.
- Chinese-taught choices: Eligible programmes span languages, translation and interpreting, political studies, education, law, finance and international business, among other fields.
The English-taught rows list IELTS 6.0 or TOEFL iBT 80 and above. SISU’s scholarship notice specifically names IELTS 6.0, while its linked programme table also names TOEFL. Neither establishes a blanket exemption based on an English-medium degree.
For Chinese-taught study, the usual SISU threshold is HSK 5 with at least 180 points. The doctoral International Chinese Education row is stricter: HSK 6 with at least 200 and advanced HSKK with at least 60. The generic CSC checklist’s HSK 4 minimum does not replace SISU’s requirements.
My recommendation is to shortlist the exact degree, teaching language and department together. That gives your study plan a specific academic destination and prevents you from preparing for an unfunded programme.
02 What does the SISU CSC Scholarship cover?
The full scholarship covers tuition, on-campus accommodation, living support and comprehensive medical insurance. Master’s recipients receive RMB 3,000 per month; doctoral recipients receive RMB 3,500 per month. Insurance coverage is valued at RMB 800 per person annually.
This removes major recurring study costs, but the published package does not list international airfare, visa expenses or the application fee as covered benefits. Budget separately for those initial costs. Continued funding also depends on the required annual scholarship review.
Return to the funding checklist
03 Who qualifies for SISU’s 2027 Type B route?
Non-Chinese citizens in good health can apply if their qualifications, age and language evidence fit the selected degree. Master’s applicants need a bachelor’s degree or equivalent; doctoral applicants need a master’s degree or equivalent, alongside the university’s academic admission requirements.
SISU gives precise birth-date cutoffs: master’s applicants must have been born on or after 1 September 1992; doctoral applicants on or after 1 September 1987. Use those published cutoffs when assessing your age eligibility.
The High-Level Graduate and Silk Road programmes share the initial Type B application. Silk Road consideration additionally depends on nationality from a Belt and Road partner country, designated majors and CSC approval of SISU’s project. It is not a guaranteed second scholarship opportunity.
For context on the wider routes, our CSC Scholarships 2027–2028 application guide explains the difference between university and dispatching-authority applications.
Return to your eligibility decisions
04 Which documents need your attention first?
Prioritise academic records, recommendations and the study plan because these require preparation beyond filling in a form. SISU links a CSC checklist; use the following sequence to organise its core requirements.
| Document or stage | What to prepare |
|---|---|
| Identity and qualifications | Passport valid beyond September 2027; notarised highest diploma, or official student/expected-graduation evidence; stamped transcripts from undergraduate study onward. Supply the required notarised translations. |
| Language and recommendations | Programme-appropriate language certificate and two recommendations from professors or associate professors, written in Chinese or English. Our China scholarship recommendation-letter guide and templates can help you brief your referees with relevant academic evidence. |
| Study plan proposal | More than 1,000 Chinese characters or English words. Doctoral proposals require the applicant’s Chinese supervisor’s signature. Develop the research question within this plan rather than assuming two separate compulsory essays. Use our CSC research-proposal writing guide to shape the question, methods and feasible scope within SISU’s required plan. |
| Health and police records | Complete the English Foreigner Physical Examination Form, including signatures, hospital stamp and sealed photograph; results last six months. Provide a valid non-criminal record, normally issued within six months before submission. The Foreigner Physical Examination Form guide for China scholarships explains the medical paperwork and common completion errors. |
| Application and later admission evidence | Upload the initial CSC application form to SISU. After programme admission, upload SISU’s admission notice to CSC and resubmit as instructed. |
I would prioritise doctoral supervisor contact early: the required signature makes academic engagement a practical preparation task. The programme spreadsheet includes supervisor contacts. Our guide to matching Chinese professors and drafting supervision emails can help you explain your proposed work and its academic fit. A positive email alone is not the university’s admission notice.
Use our China scholarship study-plan guide to connect your preparation, intended work and future contribution. Keep the final file specific to SISU. Except for the photograph, SISU requires uploads in PDF format.
Return to your document preparation
05 How do you submit the SISU CSC application correctly?
Start in CSC, submit the complete SISU file, then return to CSC after programme admission. These are connected stages of the same scholarship application.
- Set your academic target. Open SISU’s official 2027 scholarship notice and download its programme spreadsheet and materials checklist. Match your degree to a funded row.
- Create the initial CSC application. Register in the CSC application system, select Type B and SISU’s agency number 10271, submit and download the application form.
- Submit to SISU OISA. Use the SISU International Student Online Application System, upload your documents and CSC form, pay the displayed application fee and submit. A saved draft is insufficient.
- Resolve returned materials and attend assessment. Monitor the SISU portal and email. Correct incomplete files before the deadline and attend both the online written examination and interview.
- Complete CSC resubmission. Following programme admission, SISU returns the original CSC form for updating. Upload its admission notice and resubmit when instructed. Scholarship nomination and CSC’s final review follow.
I recommend submitting early enough to correct a returned file. SISU uses the successful university-system submission time to determine acceptance of your application.
Return to the SISU submission route
06 What can SISU’s application status actually tell you?
Portal messages describe different stages, so interpret them alongside SISU’s instructions. These distinctions help you decide whether to wait, correct a document or complete another submission.
Does “Admitted” in SISU’s portal guarantee the scholarship?
No. Programme admission enables the next funding stages; final scholarship selection still depends on CSC approval. Wait for the formal scholarship result before treating your funding as secured.
Is an unchanged “Received” status a rejection?
No. SISU says this means processing and entry into the examination queue. “Returned due to incomplete materials” requires corrections and resubmission before the closing time.
Does a returned CSC form after admission mean failure?
Not when SISU returns it for the scheduled admission-notice update. Follow that notification, add the notice and resubmit; leaving the returned form unfinished would leave this required stage incomplete.
Can you receive CSC and another Chinese scholarship together?
Concurrent funding from other Chinese government or admitting-university scholarships is prohibited, except one-time awards. This concerns receiving overlapping funding; it should not be confused with a blanket statement about submitting applications.
Return to your application checkpoints
07 When is the SISU CSC Scholarship deadline?
The last date to apply for the 2027 Chinese Government Scholarship (Type B) at Shanghai International Studies University is 22 November 2026 at 24:00 Beijing time (UTC+8). Complete the initial CSC submission and the complete SISU application by that cutoff.
SISU schedules online examinations for 1–11 December 2026 and programme admission notices for 15–16 December 2026, when applicants must follow the CSC update instructions. Final scholarship results are scheduled for June–August 2027, followed by registration in late August–early September. The award cannot be deferred.
Give yourself three concrete tasks now: select one funded programme and teaching language, request your slowest document or doctoral signature, and draft the academic case you will defend in the entrance assessment.