Melisa from Turkey: winning a master's scholarship by finding the right supervisor

Two universities, two outcomes

Melisa applied for an English-taught master's in psychology and was interviewed by two Chinese universities. At the first, she performed well across two interview rounds but the department's recruitment priorities did not align with her profile, and it could not recommend her for CSC funding — offering only self-funded admission.

At the second, a professor responded positively to her academic background and research ideas and expressed willingness to recommend her for the CSC scholarship. She then went through a formal interview with that supervisor, discussing her understanding of the field and her previous academic and practical experience, and answering technical questions. According to the published account, the supervisor was impressed by the seriousness and rigour of her approach.

What went wrong and right — not a smooth path

The account is candid about the difficulties. The university confirmed its recommendation in March 2025 and then went quiet. A message that appeared to offer a different scholarship turned out to have been sent in error. Weeks passed with no clarity on the CSC outcome.

The eventual resolution was through escalation and persistence: repeated weekly contact with the university's departments, clarification with the supervisor and admissions staff through multiple channels, and, in parallel, preparation of backup options at other universities offering the same field with remaining scholarship capacity. The application ultimately concluded with a full New Silk Road scholarship.

The transferable lesson

Two points stand out from this case. First, the supervisor relationship is often decisive for graduate funding in China — a professor who wants you can change which scholarship route is available. Second, applications can stall administratively after a verbal commitment, and following up systematically, while building a parallel option, is not paranoia but planning.