CSC Scholarship for PhDs — PhD Scholarship

The CSC Scholarship for PhDs is a joint funding route of Erasmus University Rotterdam and the China Scholarship Council for Chinese candidates seeking a PhD at EUR. It applies to four listed faculties and requires a PhD position, supervisor, and graduate-school admission before scholarship nomination.

Successful candidates relocate to Rotterdam for a 48-month PhD. EUR covers tuition and research fees, while CSC provides scholarship support and makes the final selection.

Benefits & funding

Erasmus University Rotterdam covers full tuition fees and research fees.
The scholarship page lists €2,000 per month for 48 months, covering living expenses, health insurance, and international airfare.
CSC also considers visa application fees and a return international flight to the Netherlands by the most economical route.

Eligibility

Applicants must be Chinese nationals.
Applicants need a PhD acceptance letter and conditional or full admission to the relevant EUR graduate school.
Completed bachelor’s and master’s degrees must be in the same field as the proposed research, with good results demonstrated in the application.
Applicants must be no older than 35 at the start of the new academic year in the Netherlands.
The study or research period must be at least 48 months, and applicants must meet English-language and CSC selection requirements.
Participating faculties are Erasmus School of Law, Erasmus School of History, Culture and Communication, Erasmus Medical Centre, and the Institute for Housing Studies.

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
Education required
PhD
Age requirement
≤ 35 yrs

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Application process

1
Find a PhD position and supervisor at Erasmus University Rotterdam.
2
Apply for admission to the relevant graduate-school PhD programme.
3
After admission, ask the supervisor to request and sign the prescribed acceptance letter on EUR or Erasmus MC letterhead.
4
The supervisor nominates the candidate by emailing the acceptance letter as one PDF to the EUR Scholarships Team.
5
After nomination is confirmed, apply through the CSC online portal during the CSC application period, usually in March.

Program timeline

Application deadline for the latest published cycle
1 March 2026
EUR Scholarships Team sends its nominated-candidate list to CSC
March 2026
CSC informs candidates and EUR of selection results
Around June 2026