CSC and UCL jointly fund prospective first-year PhD researchers at UCL in London to strengthen UK–China academic cooperation. Up to 10 places are prioritised for Mathematical & Physical Sciences, up to five are open across subject areas aligned with CSC priorities, and one is allocated to IOE.
Applicants enter through a UCL fee-funding route and, if provisionally selected, submit a separate CSC co-funding application. Other fields remain eligible even though priority areas guide selection.
Benefits & funding
- UCL covers full tuition fees for the standard full-time MPhil/PhD research period, normally three years subject to satisfactory academic progress.
- UCL extends the fee award to a fourth research year for an integrated doctoral programme whose standard research period is four years.
- CSC provides economy return air travel, visa application fees and a living allowance currently set at £1,350 per month.
Eligibility
- Applicants must be citizens and permanent residents of China when they apply.
- Applicants must be prospective first-year PhD students starting no earlier than UCL’s first permitted 2026/27 MPhil/PhD start date of 1 October 2026; anyone who began at UCL before that date is ineligible.
- Applicants must hold an unconditional UCL offer, meet the relevant academic and English-language entry requirements, and have secured or applied for UCL fee funding.
- Under the 2026 CSC doctoral guidance, applicants must be no older than 35 and fall within an eligible study or employment category; eligible routes include final-year Bachelor’s students, current or graduating Master’s students, degree-holding employees, and specified recent overseas graduates.
- Applicants must satisfy CSC language and selection requirements and return to China after completing the funded study or research.
- UCL and CSC priority areas receive preference, but applicants in other research fields may also be considered.
Can you apply?
Here's who can apply
Decoded from the official rules. A free account checks them against your passport, degree and age in seconds.
Eligible nationalities
China
Residence required
China
Education required
Bachelor Enrolled · Bachelor · Master Enrolled · Master
Age requirement
≤ 35 yrs
Circlebreaker is a free database of global fellowships, scholarships and programs — every one decoded like this.
We only check the criteria we have data for. Always confirm full eligibility on the official page before applying.
Application process
- 1Submit a complete application for an eligible UCL research degree; an unconditional UCL offer is required for the joint scholarship, although the RES route allows the scholarship file to be submitted before the offer arrives.
- 2Apply through the relevant UCL fee-funding route: the MAPS Dean’s Prize by 14 January 2026, IOE submission to its international office by 14 January 2026, or UCL-RES for other subject areas by 9 January 2026.
- 3If UCL grants provisional fee funding, submit a separate CSC co-funding application through the Collaborative channel identified by UCL, not the personal channel.
- 4Check the CSC application portal for the final decision.
Program timeline
UCL-RES deadline for the five cross-UCL awards.
9 January 2026
MAPS Dean’s Prize and IOE submission deadlines.
14 January 2026
The joint scheme page says provisional UCL fee-funding recipients will be notified.
Early March 2026
The MAPS Dean’s Prize page gives its provisional CSC fee-award notification timing.
April 2026
CSC plans to publish final joint-scholarship results in its portal.
June 2026
First permitted UCL MPhil/PhD start date for this cycle.
1 October 2026