Skip to content

Scholarships for international students in Order No. 42: who may set them up

Sources checked · Unofficial summary

Articles 32 to 34 of China's Order No. 42 say who may set up scholarships for international students. The Chinese government sets up the Chinese Government Scholarship, universities may set up their own, and local governments, enterprises, social organisations and individuals are encouraged to set up international student scholarships, but enterprises and individuals may not attach unreasonable conditions.

The rule comes from the Measures for the Administration of Schools Recruiting and Educating International Students, Order No. 42, issued by the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Public Security of the People's Republic of China. It is a Chinese rule. It was promulgated to take effect on 1 July 2017. This page covers one topic from this register's section page, which covers admission, fees and study.

What Articles 32 to 34 say

The English below is this site's translation of the Chinese text. The Chinese text is the official one.

Provision Who it names What it says
Article 32 The Chinese government; local people's governments The Chinese government sets up the Chinese Government Scholarship for international students in higher education. Local people's governments are encouraged to set up international student scholarships.
Article 33 The education administrative department of the State Council; higher education institutions The department selects on a merit basis and entrusts higher education institutions to train Chinese Government Scholarship students. Those institutions shall give priority to admitting Chinese Government Scholarship students.
Article 34 Higher education institutions; enterprises, institutions, social organisations and individuals A higher education institution may set up scholarships for international students. Enterprises, institutions, social organisations and individuals are encouraged to set up international student scholarships, but may not attach unreasonable conditions.

Article 32 also says that the administrative measures for the Chinese Government Scholarship are formulated by the relevant administrative departments of the State Council.

Articles 32 to 34 name no programme, amount or subject. The articles do not give a scholarship amount. For the terms of any particular scholarship, check with the body that sets it up.

Section 2.4: scholarship assessment at admission

Section 2.4 comes from the Quality Standards for the Higher Education of International Students in China (Trial). The Ministry of Education issued the standards by notice 教外〔2018〕50号, dated 3 September 2018. The standards are addressed to higher education institutions and are marked as trial standards.

Section 2.4 is titled 招生录取中的奖学金评定, which this site translates as "scholarship assessment at admission." It says that a higher education institution implementing international student scholarship programmes shall set clear scholarship assessment standards and procedures, in line with national rules and scholarship funding policies. It says the assessment shall follow the principle of merit in study and conduct, be standardised, objective and fair, and that the results shall be published and open to supervision.

Section 2.4 names no scholarship amount or programme.

Questions people ask

Can a university set up its own scholarship for international students?

Article 34 says that a higher education institution may set up scholarships for international students. The same article encourages enterprises, institutions, social organisations and individuals to set up international student scholarships, but says they may not attach unreasonable conditions.

Who decides how the Chinese Government Scholarship is managed?

Article 32 says that the administrative measures for the Chinese Government Scholarship are formulated by the relevant administrative departments of the State Council. Article 33 says that the education administrative department of the State Council selects and entrusts higher education institutions to train Chinese Government Scholarship students.

Which provision covers how scholarships are assessed at admission?

Section 2.4 of the Quality Standards for the Higher Education of International Students in China (Trial), issued by Ministry of Education notice 教外〔2018〕50号 dated 3 September 2018, covers scholarship assessment at admission. It says higher education institutions implementing international student scholarship programmes shall set clear assessment standards and procedures and publish the results.

Sources

Checked 11 October 2026.

This page is an unofficial summary. It is not legal, medical or professional-licensing advice, it is not published by the bodies named, and it promises no admission, examination or registration outcome. The official text and the regulator's own instructions prevail if they differ.

MBBS Register Desk