China Scholarship Council (CSC) Information for Professors

The China Scholarship Council (CSC) provides scholarships to Chinese citizens for PhD programs, Visiting PhD students, and Post-Doctoral Fellows.

Please note, visiting PhD students are students who are registered in PhD programs at Chinese universities, who come to the U of A to do research with a professor here for 6-24 months, and then return to China to complete their PhD programs.

Funding

PhD

As per the CSC-UAlberta agreement, students who are admitted to a PhD program at UAlberta and receive the CSC scholarship will have their tuition and fees covered through the UAlberta Provost’s Office and the Faculty of Graduate & Postdoctoral Studies (GPS). CSC will provide students with a monthly living allowance ($2200 CAD/month). This scholarship will be for up to four years of a PhD program. The expectation is that if a PhD student requires more than 4 years to complete their PhD, the department/supervising professor can provide funding once the CSC scholarship ends to allow the student to complete the program. Please note, the UAlberta tuition payment will NOT cover the cost of some undergraduate courses, auditing some courses, and no Spring/Summer courses other than THES registration.

Visiting PhD students

These students will only receive funds for their monthly living expenses ($2200 CAD/month); there are no funds to cover any tuition or research expenses. The expectation is that they will have “academic visitor” status, and will not have formal registration as visiting students, thereby avoiding tuition fees.

Postdoctoral Fellows

Postdoctoral Fellows will only receive funds for their monthly living expenses ($2200 CAD/month); there are no funds to cover any research expenses. Please note, UAlberta requires that all postdoctoral fellows are paid a minimum stipend rate (confirm current rates here ) in addition to supplemental benefits, CPP, EI, and WCB. So supervising professors will be required to top up the stipend and cover those additional costs for CSC postdoctoral fellows.

Restrictions

  • There are no CSC scholarships available for students admitted to a Masters program.
  • Students who are already studying at UAlberta can apply to the CSC PhD scholarship, but only if they are in their last year of their Masters or in their first year of a PhD program.
  • CSC discourages professors from supporting more than two CSC applications.

 

Application Deadlines/Evaluation Timelines

Applicant Type

CSC Deadline

CSC Evaluation

Final Results

PhD

March 31, 2024*

April – May

Late May/Early June

Visiting PhD

March 31, 2024

April – May

Late May/Early June

Postdoctoral Fellow

April 30, 2024

May – June

Late June

*It is recommended that students submit their UofA online application well before March, to ensure there is enough time for departments to review, and to ensure GPS can issue an official admission letter prior to the CSC deadline. 


Application Procedures

Potential CSC applicants will typically begin communication with a department and/or potential supervising professor directly, or will go through the Sponsored Student Program office, University of Alberta International. If a professor and department are interested in a potential CSC applicant, the following will need to be provided to the student to enable them to submit their CSC application online via the CSC website or through their home university:

PhD applicants must provide:

  1. A standard admission offer from the GPS. This letter must include a statement that explains that if the student receives a CSC scholarship, the U of A will provide scholarship funding to cover his/her tuition fees for the first four years of the PhD program (GPS will automatically include this in the letter if the department informs them it’s a CSC applicant).
  2. A letter from the applicant's supervisor at the U of A, containing the following: The applicant's name, date of birth, and home university in China
    1. The name of the supervisor at the U of A
    2. The proposed start and end dates (month/year) for the PhD program. For the end date, providing an average length of time for completion of the degree will be sufficient.
    3. The signature of the supervisor
  3. A study plan, in English, minimum 1000 words, signed by the supervisor at the U of A (the applicant may write the study plan).
  4. A 1-2 page CV from the supervisor at the U of A, summarizing education, employment history, current research, and publications (last five years). The supervisor must sign it.
  5. If the student is approved for CSC, they can then apply for their student visa to come to Canada.

PhD Visitors and Postdoctoral Fellows must provide:

  1. A letter from the applicant's supervisor at the U of A, containing the following:
    1. The applicant's name, date of birth, and home university in China
    2. The name of the supervisor at the U of A
    3. The proposed start and end dates (month/year)
    4. The research area.
    5. Confirmation that the supervisor is satisfied with the applicant’s level of English.
    6. The signature of the supervisor
  2. A study/research plan, in English, minimum 1000 words, signed by the supervisor at the U of A (the applicant may write the study plan).
  3. A 1-2 page CV from the supervisor at the U of A, summarizing education, employment history, current research, and publications (last five years). The supervisor must sign it.

If the visitor/postdoc is approved for CSC, the UAlberta professor will then need to formally invite them by completing a Foreign Visitor Category Assessment (FVCA). Please note, a $230 payment is required to proceed with the invitation process.

For further information, please contact:

Nicole Dewart - Senior Coordinator, Sponsored Student Program
University of Alberta International
uaissp@ualberta.ca
780-492-1579