2024 National Scholarship Council and Australian National University Cooperation Scholarship Program Guidelines

1. Introduction

According toChina Scholarship Council(hereinafter referred to asCSC) andAustralian National University(ANU) signed a Memorandum of Understanding, in 2024, both parties will continue to jointly fund outstanding Chinese youth to pursue doctoral degrees or joint doctoral training at ANU.

2. Funding Plan, Selection Categories and Funding Fields

1. 2024 Funding Quota: No more than 40 people/year

2. Selection Categories:

Degree-seeking Doctoral Students: 20 people/year

Joint Training Doctoral Students: 20 people/year

3. Duration of Study and Funding:

Degree-seeking Doctoral Students: Generally no more than 48 months, subject to the doctoral system of the university.

Joint Training Doctoral Students: 6-24 months

4. Disciplines and Professional Fields: No restrictions.

3. Funding Content

1. Degree-seeking Doctoral Students: CSC will provide scholarship living expenses (including overseas health insurance), one round-trip international travel fee, and visa application fee for up to 48 months according to the standards determined by the Chinese government; ANU will provide tuition funding for up to 48 months and, according to ANU's relevant regulations, will try to provide other financial support through positions such as teaching or research assistants.

2. Joint Training Doctoral Students: CSC will provide scholarship living expenses (including overseas health insurance), one round-trip international travel fee, and visa application fee for 6-24 months according to the standards determined by the Chinese government.

4. Application Conditions

(1) Meet the application conditions stipulated in the "Guidelines for the Selection of Personnel for Study Abroad Funded by the China Scholarship Council" for the current year.

(2) Have a solid professional foundation, strong learning, research and communication abilities, good comprehensive quality, excellent academic performance, outstanding work achievements, and strong development potential.

(3) Be no more than 35 years old at the time of application (born after January 1, 1988).

(4) Selection Targets:

Applicants for Doctoral Degree Study:

1. Outstanding current master's students, fresh master's graduates, and fresh undergraduate graduates from domestic universities or research institutions. Current master's students and fresh master's graduates should have certain research abilities and achievements, and fresh undergraduate graduates should meet the level of direct admission to graduate school without examination.

2. Staff from administrative agencies, research institutions, and domestic enterprises and institutions. Should have a bachelor's degree or above and have achieved relatively outstanding achievements in the corresponding job position, with strong research abilities.

3. Fresh master's graduates who are officially registered as national or self-funded students in foreign universities or research institutions (see the list of countries for selection of overseas students in the appendix), those who have obtained a master's degree from a foreign university and have left school for no more than one year (excluding those who have returned to China after leaving school), and self-funded first-year doctoral students at ANU. Self-funded first-year doctoral students at ANU must provide proof of enrollment at ANU and should submit a letter of consent from their supervisor. After admission, the duration of study and funding will be calculated from the second year of the doctoral program.

* Selection targets do not include those who have already obtained a doctoral degree.

Applicants for Joint Training Doctoral Students:

Full-time outstanding current doctoral students from domestic universities or research institutions. At the time of application, they should have obtained an official invitation letter from the intended study abroad institution or foreign supervisor and a joint training plan jointly formulated by domestic and foreign supervisors.

(5) At the time of application, must have obtained an admission notice for doctoral degree study or an invitation letter for joint doctoral training from ANU; must have obtained nomination eligibility for the CSC-ANU Cooperative Scholarship from ANU.

(6) Applicants must meet the relevant English proficiency requirements of ANU and must also meet one of the following English conditions stipulated by CSC:

1. Graduated with a bachelor's degree or above in English.

2. Have studied in an English-speaking country for one academic year (8-12 months) or worked continuously for one year or more in the past ten years.

3. Have taken the "National Foreign Language Proficiency Test" (WSK) and reached the passing standard.

4. Have taken the IELTS (Academic) or TOEFL test and achieved the following scores: IELTS 6.5, TOEFL (IBT) 95.

5. Have attended an advanced English training course at a designated overseas study training department of the Ministry of Education and obtained a certificate of completion.

6. Have passed an interview or test organized by ANU and met its language admission requirements, and ANU should issue a separate English qualification certificate; those who have met ANU's language admission requirements through other language tests (including TOEFL iBT Home Edition, IELTS Indicator) must submit score reports and proof of recognition of the language test issued by the university.

(7) This scholarship temporarily does not accept applications from the following personnel:

1. Those who have already received full scholarship funding from abroad.

2. Those who have already obtained national public study abroad qualifications and are within the validity period.

3. Those who have applied for national public study abroad projects and the admission results have not yet been announced.

4. Those who have previously obtained national public study abroad qualifications, have given up without the approval of CSC within the past 5 years, or have given up with the approval of CSC within the past 2 years.

5. Those who have enjoyed national study abroad funding and have returned to China for less than two years.

6. Those who have already obtained a doctoral degree.

5. Application Process and Timeline

1. Applicants apply to ANU for admission notice/invitation letter and cooperative scholarship nomination

Doctoral program applicants should complete the ANU application process according to ANU's requirements before the deadline set by the university (see the university's official website link: https://study.anu.edu.au/scholarships/find-scholarship/anu-csc-scholarship), obtain the university's admission notice and nomination eligibility for the CSC-ANU Cooperative Scholarship.

2. Applicants complete the CSC online application

Before March 31, 2024, applicants who have obtained the ANU admission notice and cooperative scholarship nomination should prepare application materials according to CSC's requirements (see the appendix for the list of application materials and preparation instructions), and log in to the National Public Study Abroad Management Information Platform (https://sa.csc.edu.cn/student/) to complete the online application, upload relevant materials, select "International Cooperative Projects" for the application project, and select "Cooperative Scholarship with Australian National University" for the available cooperative channels.

CSC entrusts the following units (hereinafter referred to as receiving units) to be responsible for application acceptance: relevant universities are responsible for accepting applications from their own personnel (students and staff); applications from overseas students are entrusted to the education office (group) of the Chinese embassy (consulate) in the country where the current study institution or research institution is located; applications from other personnel are accepted by relevant national study abroad application acceptance units (see the appendix: list of acceptance units). CSC does not directly accept individual applications.

3. Applicants submit paper materials to the acceptance unit

After completing the CSC online application, applicants should send the paper materials to the acceptance unit according to the requirements of the acceptance unit. The submitted written materials should be consistent with the materials uploaded online.

Applicants should submit application materials according to the prescribed procedures, time, and requirements, and are responsible for the authenticity of the materials. The responsibility and consequences caused by the application materials shall be borne by the applicant.

The recommending unit should review the applicant's political ideology, moral character, academic integrity, physical and mental health, application qualifications, comprehensive quality, development potential, necessity of studying abroad, feasibility of the study plan, etc., and issue targeted unit recommendation opinions. After carefully reviewing the application materials, the recommending unit will submit the application materials to the relevant acceptance unit, which will then submit them to CSC. The recommending unit has the right to return applications that are not true, inconsistent, or do not meet the requirements.

4. Acceptance unit review and recommendation

The acceptance unit should review whether the applicant meets the application conditions stipulated in this project guide, whether the application materials are complete, and whether they meet the specific requirements of each material before April 12, 2024, and submit the official letter, preliminary selection list, and applicant's electronic materials to CSC through the information platform, without submitting written materials to CSC. The acceptance unit has the right to return applications that are not true, inconsistent, or do not meet the requirements.

5. CSC review

After receiving the application materials, CSC will organize material review and expert evaluation based on the nomination situation from the foreign side to determine the admission results. The expert evaluation mainly examines the following aspects:

- Applicant's comprehensive quality. Including the applicant's professional foundation, academic performance, experience and ability, comprehensive performance, international communication ability (including foreign language proficiency) and development potential, etc.;

- The research level and international recognition of the selected discipline and professional field;

- The academic background and influence in the field of the foreign supervisor. Applications from individuals with the same supervisor domestically and abroad are not supported.

- Whether the intended study abroad major is urgently needed by the country; whether it is an advantage or characteristic discipline of ANU, etc.;

- The necessity of studying abroad and the feasibility of the study plan;

- The recommendation opinion of the unit and the preparation of the application materials, etc.

If any of the material review and expert evaluation links are not passed, the applicant will not be admitted.

CSC will confirm the admission results with ANU and will announce them by the end of May 2024. Applicants can log in to the National Public Study Abroad Management Information Platform (https://sa.csc.edu.cn/student) to check the admission results and download and print the admission documents.

6. Dispatch and Management

From June 2024, admitted personnel will start the dispatch procedures according to the requirements of CSC and ANU. Specific matters regarding the dispatch and management of admitted personnel will be clarified in the admission notice.

6. Contact Information

1. China Scholarship Council, Americas and Oceania Affairs Department

Contact Number: 010-66093952

Email: md6@csc.edu.cn

2. Australian National University

Email: HDR.candidature@anu.edu.au

Application Materials and Instructions for the 2024 CSC-ANU Cooperative Scholarship (for Domestic Applicants)

1. Application Materials to be Submitted

2. Instructions for Application Materials

1. China Scholarship Council Study Abroad Application Form (Graduate Category)
Applicants need to log in to the online application system and fill in the online application form truthfully according to the requirements; after completing the application form and confirming that it is correct, they can submit it online according to the system prompts. The relevant fields in the application form should be filled in according to the actual situation and project requirements, and if there is no relevant situation, it can be left blank (such as work experience). After submitting the application form, the applicant can withdraw and modify it before the acceptance unit receives it, but cannot withdraw the application form after the acceptance unit receives it. If it is indeed necessary to modify the content after the acceptance unit receives it, the applicant needs to contact the acceptance unit to return it and submit the application form again within the project opening period. Therefore, after completing the application form, please be sure to carefully check it before submitting it.

2. Unit Recommendation Form
The unit recommendation form is automatically generated by the online application system when the applicant completes the online application content and prints the application form (this form is not displayed during the online application stage). The recommendation opinion should be filled in by the applicant's department (college, department, institute, etc.) for each applicant. The superior approval opinion should be filled in by the department responsible for the selection work of the unit after carefully checking the information filled in by the applicant.
Applicants from relevant universities (same as last year), the electronic information of their "Unit Recommendation Form" is input into the online application system by the department responsible for the acceptance of national study abroad applications of each university; applicants from other units, the electronic information of their "Unit Recommendation Form" is input into the online application system by the national study abroad application acceptance unit.

3. Acceptance Unit Recommendation Official Letter and Recommendation List
After reviewing whether the applicant meets the application conditions stipulated in this project guide, whether the application materials are complete, and whether they meet the specific requirements of each material, the acceptance unit scans and uploads the recommendation official letter, recommendation list, and applicant's electronic materials to CSC through the information platform, without submitting written materials to CSC. The acceptance unit has the right to return applications that are not true, inconsistent, or do not meet the requirements.

4. Expert Recommendation Letter
Both doctoral students and joint training doctoral students must submit a supervisor recommendation letter, the main content includes: recommendation opinion for the applicant; focus on the applicant's study abroad goals, domestic supervisor or cooperation between the applicant and the foreign supervisor, and evaluation of the foreign institution and supervisor, etc. The domestic supervisor opinion is scanned and uploaded to the information platform by the applicant according to the requirements.

5. Official Admission Notice Scan from the Foreign Institution (Unit) or Official Invitation Letter Scan from the Foreign Supervisor
(1) The applicant should submit an official admission notice scan from the foreign institution (unit) or an official invitation letter scan from the foreign supervisor. The official admission notice or official invitation letter should use the special letterhead of the intended study abroad institution (unit), the admission notice is signed by the head of the relevant department of the foreign institution (unit), and the invitation letter is signed by the foreign supervisor.
For doctoral degree applicants, if the intended study abroad institution (unit) administrative procedures stipulate that an official admission notice cannot be issued before the application deadline, a clear intention admission notice printed on the special letterhead of the intended study abroad institution (unit) and signed by the head of the relevant department/supervisor must be issued.
(2) The admission notice submitted by doctoral degree applicants should be an unconditional admission notice (unconditional offer), except for the following conditions:
a. The admission notice will take effect after the applicant obtains national study abroad funding;
b. The admission notice will take effect after the applicant provides a bachelor's degree/master's degree certificate;
c. The admission notice clearly states that the applicant must complete the master's program at the intended study abroad institution/unit before continuing to pursue a doctoral degree (applicants for master-doctoral continuous study).
(3) The admission notice/invitation letter should include the following content:
a. Basic information of the applicant: applicant's name, date of birth, etc.;
b. Study abroad identity: doctoral degree student or joint training doctoral student;
c. Study abroad time: the study abroad duration and start and end year and month should be clearly stated, the admission time should not be earlier than June 2024, and should not be later than December 31, 2025;
d. Information of the foreign supervisor;
e. Study abroad major or the main study/research work the invitee intends to do abroad;
f. Information about the cooperative scholarship nomination from the university;
g. Signature and contact information of the foreign responsible person.

6. Study Plan (Foreign Language)
Joint training doctoral students should submit a foreign language joint training plan (more than 1000 words) when applying, and it should be signed by both Chinese and foreign supervisors. If the joint training plan is written in a language other than English, a Chinese translation reviewed by the domestic recommending unit (with the official seal of the review department) needs to be provided separately.
Doctoral degree applicants should submit a foreign language study plan (more than 1000 words) when applying, and it should be signed by the foreign supervisor. If the applicant intends to pursue a master-doctoral continuous study abroad and the supervisor has not been determined yet, only the domestic recommending unit needs to review and sign. If the study plan is written in a language other than English, a Chinese translation reviewed and officially sealed by the domestic recommending unit needs to be provided separately.

7. Foreign Supervisor Resume
Mainly includes the education and academic background of the foreign supervisor; current research projects and research, paper publication in the past five years; positions in famous foreign academic institutions, etc., in principle, no more than one page. The foreign supervisor resume needs to be provided and signed by the supervisor himself. For special reasons, if the foreign supervisor cannot sign, it can be reviewed and signed by the domestic supervisor or relevant experts. If the master-doctoral continuous student has not determined the foreign supervisor yet, it can be temporarily not provided, but it needs to be explained in the "Foreign Supervisor" column of the "Application Form". If there are multiple supervisors, please submit the resume provided and signed by the actual instructor.

8. Transcript Scan (Starting from Undergraduate Stage)

The provided transcript scan should include undergraduate, master's (if any), doctoral (if any) study stages, up to the most recent semester's grades. The transcript should be issued and sealed by the academic affairs office, graduate school, or relevant student management department of the study institution. Overseas personnel can provide foreign language transcripts, if in a language other than English, an English translation needs to be provided separately. If the transcript scan cannot be provided, a certificate issued by the archives, academic affairs office, or other relevant departments can be used as a substitute.

9. Foreign Language Proficiency Certificate Scan
Applicants should submit the corresponding valid foreign language proficiency certificate scan according to the foreign language proficiency requirements in the "2024 CSC-ANU Cooperative Scholarship Project Guide".

10. Valid "People's Republic of China Resident ID Card" Scan
Please scan the front and back of the valid "People's Republic of China Resident ID Card" (personal information, certificate validity period, and issuing authority) in the same document, the provided ID card must be within the validity period.

11. Highest Degree/Diploma Certificate Scan
Applicants should provide a scan of the highest degree and diploma certificate they hold. Fresh undergraduate graduates do not need to provide. If the highest degree is obtained from a foreign university/educational institution, only the degree certificate scan needs to be submitted, and the highest diploma certificate scan does not need to be provided. If the highest degree/diploma certificate scan cannot be provided, the "Ministry of Education Academic Certificate Electronic Registration Record" from the China Higher Education Student Information and Career Center or a certificate issued by the archives department can be used as a substitute.

12. Other Materials Required by the Acceptance Unit
Generally, it includes the recommending unit official letter, original unit recommendation form, employment certificate (labor contract, social security payment certificate, personal tax certificate), etc., whether the applicant needs to submit the above application materials is subject to the requirements of the acceptance unit, and there is no need to upload to the information platform.

Application Materials and Instructions for the 2024 CSC-ANU Cooperative Scholarship (for Overseas Students)

1. Application Materials to be Submitted

2. Instructions for Application Materials

1. China Scholarship Council Study Abroad Application Form (Graduate Category)
Applicants need to log in to the online application system and fill in the online application form truthfully according to the requirements; after completing the application form and confirming that it is correct, they can submit it online according to the system prompts. The relevant fields in the application form should be filled in according to the actual situation and project requirements, and if there is no relevant situation, it can be left blank (such as work experience). After submitting the application form, the applicant can withdraw and modify it before the acceptance unit receives it, but cannot withdraw the application form after the acceptance unit receives it. If it is indeed necessary to modify the content after the acceptance unit receives it, the applicant needs to contact the acceptance unit to return it and submit the application form again within the project opening period. Therefore, after completing the application form, please be sure to carefully check it before submitting it.

2.Chinese Embassy(Consulate) Recommendation Form

The Chinese Embassy (Consulate) Recommendation Form is automatically generated by the system after the applicant completes the online application content (this form is not displayed in the system during the online application stage). The recommendation form should be filled in online by the Chinese Embassy (Consulate) to which the applicant belongs for each applicant.

3. Registration/Student Status Certificate Issued by the Current School
The applicant's registration/student status certificate should be issued by the relevant department of the applicant's current study institution, explaining the applicant's current student status, including: name, gender, date of birth, registration time, department and major, master's or doctoral grade, study duration, etc. The registration/student status certificate should be printed on letterhead with the unit's letterhead and sealed by the relevant department. Those who have obtained a master's degree from a foreign university and have left school for no more than one year (excluding those who have returned to China after leaving school) do not need to submit.

4. Official Admission Notice Scan from the Intended Study Abroad Institution (Unit) or Official Invitation Letter Scan from the Foreign Supervisor
(1) The applicant should submit an official admission notice scan from the intended study abroad institution (unit) or an official invitation letter scan from the foreign supervisor. The official admission notice or official invitation letter should use the special letterhead of the intended study abroad institution (unit), the admission notice is signed by the head of the relevant department of the intended study abroad institution (unit), and the invitation letter is signed by the foreign supervisor.
(2) The admission notice or invitation letter submitted by the applicant should be an unconditional admission notice (unconditional offer), except for the following conditions:
a. The admission notice will take effect after the applicant obtains national study abroad funding;
b. The admission notice will take effect after the applicant provides a master's degree certificate;
(3) The admission notice/invitation letter should include the following content:
a. Basic information of the applicant: applicant's name, date of birth, etc.;
b. Study abroad identity: doctoral degree student;
c. Study abroad time: the study abroad duration and start and end year and month should be clearly stated (the admission time for doctoral students who have not yet enrolled should not be earlier than June 2024, and should not be later than December 31, 2025);
d. Relevant information of the supervisor;
e. Study abroad major or the main study/research work the invitee intends to do abroad;
f. Information about the cooperative scholarship nomination from the university;
g. Signature and contact information of the foreign responsible person.
     

※ First-year doctoral students without an invitation letter or admission notice need to submit a statement material containing the above corresponding content issued by the current supervisor.

5. Expert Recommendation Letter
Main content includes: recommendation opinion for the applicant, whether to agree to recommend; focus on evaluating the applicant's study abroad goals, research level, development potential, etc. For first-year doctoral students abroad, it must be provided by the current supervisor.

6. Study Plan (Foreign Language)
A foreign language study plan (more than 1000 words) should be submitted when applying, and it should be signed by the foreign supervisor. If the study plan is written in a language other than English, a Chinese translation needs to be provided separately.

7. Foreign Supervisor Resume
Mainly includes the education and academic background of the foreign supervisor (doctoral stage supervisor); current research projects and research, paper publication in the past five years; positions in famous foreign academic institutions, etc., in principle, no more than one page. The supervisor resume needs to be provided and signed by the supervisor himself. For special reasons, if the foreign supervisor cannot provide, it needs to be explained in the "Foreign Supervisor" column of the "Application Form". If there are multiple supervisors, please submit the resume provided and signed by the actual instructor.

8. Transcript Scan (Starting from Undergraduate Stage)
The provided transcript should include undergraduate, master's, doctoral (if any) study stages, up to the most recent semester's grades. The transcript should be issued by the relevant management department of the study institution. Overseas personnel can provide foreign language transcripts, if in a language other than English, an English translation needs to be provided separately. If the transcript scan cannot be provided, a certificate issued by the archives, academic affairs office, or other relevant departments can be used as a substitute.

9. Valid Passport and ID Card Scan
Applicants should provide a scan of the valid passport personal information page and ID card, where the front and back of the ID card (personal information, certificate validity period, and issuing authority) are scanned in the same document.

10. Highest Degree/Diploma Certificate Scan
Applicants should provide a scan of the highest degree and diploma certificate they hold. If the highest degree is obtained from a foreign university/educational institution, only the highest degree certificate scan needs to be submitted, and the highest diploma certificate scan does not need to be provided. If the highest degree/diploma certificate scan cannot be provided, the "Ministry of Education Academic Certificate Electronic Registration Record" from the China Higher Education Student Information and Career Center or a certificate issued by the archives department can be used as a substitute.

11. Domestic and Study Abroad Country Entry and Exit Records
Domestic entry and exit records should be queried through the National Immigration Administration Government Service Platform or the "Immigration Bureau" mini-program, download the query results and upload (the entry and exit records of the most recent year should be uploaded, if there are no entry and exit records, upload the query result page screenshot).
Study abroad country entry and exit records should provide a scan of the personal passport entry and exit information page of the study abroad country or a certificate scan issued by the relevant department of the study abroad country.

12. Other Materials Required by the Acceptance Unit
Whether the applicant needs to submit this application material is subject to the requirements of the Chinese Embassy (Consulate) in the local area, and there is no need to upload to the information platform.

The article content is excerpted from the "Shenzhou Scholar" public account and the China Scholarship Council website, for reference only. Specific project information and application methods are subject to the information published by the China Scholarship Council, click "Read the original text" to learn more:View the China Scholarship Council website——2024 CSC-ANU Cooperative Scholarship Project Guide

At the same time, ANU will welcomeANU Research Higher Degree(HDR)Orientation Week Activities,During the morning session of this orientation week, the Researcher Development department will host a series ofseminarsandinformation sharing sessions, to help students understand the most basic information. Colleagues from various service departments of the university will also participate in the sharing on site, and students will have the opportunity to fully understand what kind of services ANU will provide to everyone. The college where the students are located will host information sharing sessions and other colorful activities in the afternoon session. 

For more information, please clickhere.