Sun Yat-sen University Silk Road Scholarship

The “Silk Road” Chinese government scholarship program is established by the Ministry of Education’s Department of International Cooperation and Exchanges and the China Scholarship Council, and it is guided by the Belt and Road initiative and related education action requirements. It aims to cultivate leaders and skilled personnel for countries along the Belt and Road, focusing on support for professional talent in areas including green development, digital economy, artificial intelligence, energy, taxation, finance, disaster mitigation, education, and other urgent needs.

As a designated university, Sun Yat-sen University welcomes international students to pursue bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral degrees under this program. Target applicants are from the 10 countries jointly building the Belt and Road: Vietnam, Pakistan, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, Indonesia, Yemen, Malaysia, and Kazakhstan.

The program follows the principles of individual application, institutional recommendation, expert evaluation, and merit-based admission. Final admission results depend on expert review by the China Scholarship Council.

• Applicants must be from one of the 10 listed Belt and Road countries: Vietnam, Pakistan, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, Indonesia, Yemen, Malaysia, or Kazakhstan.
• Applicants must maintain good health and meet the physical standards required for applying for a student visa or residence permit.
• Bachelor’s applicants must be academically excellent and hold a high school diploma (or equivalent) and be under age 25.
• Master’s applicants must be academically excellent and hold a bachelor’s degree (or equivalent) and be under age 35.
• Doctoral applicants must be academically excellent and hold a master’s degree (or equivalent) and be under age 40.
• Applicants must be friendly to China, hardworking and diligent in their studies, excellent in their academic performance, and law-abiding with a record of adherence to school regulations, without instances of rule violations, security penalties, or criminal records.
• Language proficiency (programs taught in Chinese): bachelor’s applicants must have HSK level III with a score of 180 or above.
• Language proficiency (programs taught in Chinese): master’s and doctoral applicants must have HSK level IV with a score of 180 or above.
• Entrance requirement: applicants must achieve HSK level V with a score of 180 or above prior to registration.
• If applicants have taken courses with Chinese as the instruction language, they must submit proof issued by their former university; upon SYSU verification, applicants may be exempted from providing HSK certificates.

• Tuition fees.
• On-campus accommodation.
• Living allowance.
• Comprehensive medical insurance.
• Coverage and standards are subject to an announcement by the China Scholarship Council in the same year.

1. Bachelor’s applicants must take the China Scholastic Competency Assessment for Undergraduate Admission (CSCA) and obtain a CSCA score report.
2. Apply through the Chinese Government Scholarship Information System: complete the Chinese Government Scholarship Application Form online as Program Category Type B and SYSU Enrollment Code 10558, then print the completed form and hand-sign it on the last page.
3. Register on the SYSU International Student Office website, select the Silk Road-Chinese Government Scholarship Program, and complete the online application.

• Valid passport.
• Personal profile photo.
• Passport and personal profile photo requirements include: applicants staying in China at the time of application must provide scanned copies of passport pages showing the Chinese visa or residence permit and the most recent entry stamp.
• For applicants with acquired foreign nationality who were previously residents of the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Macau Special Administrative Region, or Taiwan Region: a certificate of cancellation of household registration or a certificate of renunciation of Chinese nationality, or an official document issued by Chinese diplomatic representation and consular authorities certifying that they do not hold Chinese nationality.
• Diploma, certificates, and verification reports for bachelor’s: proof of high school graduation; if not yet graduated by the application deadline, a pre-graduation certificate issued by the high school.
• Diploma, certificates, and verification reports for master’s (Chinese mainland graduates): Record of Electronic Registration of Academic Certificates from the Ministry of Education and the Online Verification Report of Chinese Higher Education Degree from the Chinese Higher Education Student Information website.
• Diploma, certificates, and verification reports for master’s (non-mainland graduates): Verification of Foreign Academic Degrees for bachelor’s degrees issued by the Chinese Service Center for Scholarly Exchanges.
• For master’s applicants yet to graduate by the application deadline: a pre-graduation certificate issued by the university.
• Diploma, certificates, and verification reports for doctoral (Chinese mainland graduates): Record of Electronic Registration of Academic Certificates from the Ministry of Education and the Online Verification Report of Chinese Higher Education Degree for both master’s and bachelor’s degrees from the Chinese Higher Education Student Information website.
• Diploma, certificates, and verification reports for doctoral (non-mainland graduates): Verification of Foreign Academic Degrees for both master’s and bachelor’s degrees from the Chinese Service Center for Scholarly Exchanges.
• For doctoral applicants yet to graduate by the application deadline: a pre-graduation certificate issued by the university.
• Complete transcripts for bachelor’s: standard test transcripts including High School Graduation Examination transcripts, Matriculation Examination transcripts, and transcripts of international standard tests such as SAT/ACT/A-Level/IB in high school.
• For bachelor’s applicants yet to graduate: transcripts from high schools.
• Complete transcripts for master’s: undergraduate transcripts issued and stamped by the academic affairs department or relevant student administration department.
• For master’s applicants yet to graduate by the application deadline: the most recent transcript issued by the university.
• Complete transcripts for doctoral: transcripts issued and stamped by the academic affairs department or relevant student administration department, including academic performance of both undergraduate and graduate studies.