北京市政府奖学金与北京高校的校级奖学金

The municipal scheme

The Beijing Government Scholarship provides a monthly stipend of CNY 1,400–2,000 plus full or partial tuition depending on the level of study and the award category. It is administered through each university rather than through a central portal, so you apply by ticking the relevant box in the university application.

Competition is high because the host institutions include Tsinghua, Peking University, Beihang, Beijing Normal University, Renmin University and Beijing Institute of Technology.

University-level awards

Tsinghua runs a competitive university scholarship for outstanding international students and the fully funded Schwarzman Scholars programme. Peking University offers the Presidential Scholarship for outstanding international students and the Yenching Academy fellowship. Beihang, BIT, Renmin and Beijing Normal all have president's scholarships.

These internal awards are often less well publicised than CSC and consequently less competitive — worth targeting if your academic record is strong.

Application order that works

Apply to the university first and indicate every scholarship you are eligible for in the same form. Then, separately, submit an embassy-route CSC Type A application if your country's embassy deadline has not passed. Finally, check whether your home country or a charitable foundation offers a top-up grant, which is often the difference between a comfortable and a tight budget.