China will fund 18,000 students to study abroad in 2013 through the government funded China Scholarship Council (CSC), an increase of 2,000 students from the 2012 offering. The scholarships will cover 6,000 students for graduate study and 12,000 for undergraduate degrees or to take roles as senior researchers or visiting scholars.
Currently, over 24,000 students are studying abroad in total under the CSC programme which says it provides financial assistance to Chinese citizens to study abroad and for foreign students to study in China “in order to develop the educational, scientific and technological, and cultural exchanges and economic and trade cooperation between China and other countries”.
Currently, over 24,000 students are studying abroad under the CSC programme
Available annual scholarships have more than doubled since the offering of 7,500 in 2006. The scholarship covers all fees and airfare. Students are expected to return home when they finish their studies.
The call for applicants opened last month and will close in December, final decisions will be made in May after an interview process.
According to the education ministry, some 1.27 million Chinese students are attending foreign universities. In 2010 alone more than 284,000 Chinese went abroad to study.
Despite high numbers of student mobility, in the past 30 years, more than 630,000 Western-trained students and scholars have returned home.
The CSC said more than 98% of sponsored students and scholars have returned to China on time over the past five years, after they finished their study abroad.
CSC manages a similar scholarship programme for foreign students to study in Chinese universities. The scholarships include mandatory Chinese language training of up to two years before beginning degree courses.
