China Scholarship Council – Surrey Awards

About the project

Up to 20 fully funded PhD studentships for outstanding Chinese students.

Start date

• Start date: 1 October 2027

Duration

• Duration: Up to 48 months

Application deadline

• Application deadline: 11 January 2027

Funding information

Successful applicants will have their full international tuition and Bench fees waived by the University.

CSC provides an annual living allowance, overseas student health cover, return airfare, and visa application fees.

About

The University of Surrey is pleased to announce 20 fully funded PhD studentships for outstanding Chinese students.

We encourage applications from all research areas at the University of Surrey however applications with the following research themes will have a priority focus:

These studentships offer you the opportunity to work with world-class academics on exciting research projects that tackle global challenges.

• Computer science
• Electronic engineering, and space engineering
• Sustainability, with relevance to net-zero, environment, and the water-energy-food nexus
• Manufacturing
• Healthcare technologies and biomedical engineering
• Psychology, mental health, and psychiatry
• Food science
• Veterinary medicine
• Translation studies.

Eligibility criteria

Candidates applying for this award should:

• Be citizens of the People’s Republic of China. Overseas Chinese students may be eligible for application subject to the China Scholarship Council policy at the time
• Hold an unconditional offer letter from the University of Surrey. Therefore, they should fulfill the relevant academic entry requirements set by University of Surrey, including a high level of English language proficiency
• Acknowledge that they should return to China upon completion of their studies through the programme
• Satisfy other application criteria set out by the China Scholarship Council
• Directly apply for admission to the University of Surrey before the application deadline.

How to apply

You will need to complete the following steps to apply for this studentship.

1. Identify and contact a prospective supervisor

Find a suitable PhD programme where you can explore your research interests, identify a prospective supervisor, and contact them to discuss a potential research project.

2. Apply for a place on a postgraduate research programme

Once you have discussed your proposed project with a prospective supervisor, you will need to apply for a place on your chosen postgraduate research programme through the relevant course page .

Please make sure you indicate on your application that you are applying for the China Scholarship Council – Surrey award .

The deadline to apply for a place on a doctoral programme for this studentship award is 23:59 GMT on 11 January 2027 .

3. Complete the China Scholarship Council – Surrey studentship application form

In addition to applying for a place on a postgraduate research programme, you will need to work with your prospective supervisor to complete the funding application form (docx) . This form will be used to assess and select candidates for funding.

Please also refer to the guidance notes (PDF) when completing the application form.

Once completed, submit your funding application form to doctoralcollege@surrey.ac.uk by 23:59 GMT on 11 January 2027 .

Incomplete or late funding applications will not be accepted. Your funding application must include your Surrey URN; applications submitted without a Surrey URN will be considered incomplete.

4. Submit your supporting admissions documentation

You must submit all documentation required to support your University of Surrey admissions application, including evidence that you meet the English language requirements for your chosen research programme, by 8 February 2027 .

5. Application review and selection

Applications will be independently reviewed and ranked by academic staff at the University of Surrey.

If your application is selected to be put forward for funding under this scheme, you will receive a bespoke funding offer and academic offer from the University of Surrey.

Applicants will be informed of the outcome by 8 March 2027 .

Only applicants holding an Unconditional offer from the University of Surrey can be put forward to the China Scholarship Council for consideration.

6. Apply to the China Scholarship Council

If you are selected to be put forward, you will also need to prepare and submit a separate application directly to the China Scholarship Council (CSC) .

Details of the application process and relevant deadline can be found on the China Scholarship website .

Key deadlines

• 11 January 2027, 23:59 GMT: Apply for your doctoral programme and submit your China Scholarship Council–Surrey funding application. Your funding application must include your Surrey URN.
• 8 February 2027: Submit all required documentation for your Surrey admissions application, including evidence that you meet the English language requirements for your chosen research programme.
• 8 March 2027: Applicants will be informed of the Surrey selection outcome.
• China Scholarship Council application: Selected applicants must subsequently apply directly to the China Scholarship Council in accordance with their published requirements and deadline.

Application form

(127.0 KB .DOCX)

Guidance notes

(314.7 KB .PDF)

Studentship FAQs

Read our studentship FAQs to find out more about applying and funding.

Application deadline

11 January 2027

Contact details

Doctoral College: doctoralcollege@surrey.ac.uk .

Studentships at Surrey

• Studentships at Surrey: We have a wide range of studentship opportunities available. See our full list

Research areas