The International Chinese Language Teachers Scholarship is funded by China’s Center for Language Education and Cooperation (CLEC) for Chinese teachers and learners outside China.
Recipients study Chinese language, Chinese language education or related subjects at a Chinese host university, on anything from a four-week course to a PhD. Applicants apply through a recommending institution such as a Confucius Institute.
Benefits & funding
- Tuition, accommodation, a living allowance and comprehensive medical insurance; four-week students get no living allowance
- Length by category: PhD 4 years, Master’s 2 years, Bachelor’s 4 years, one-year study 11 months, one-semester study up to 5 months, four-week study
- The guidelines read give no allowance amounts
Eligibility
- Non-Chinese citizens
- Aged 16–35 on 1 September 2026; up to 45 for in-service Chinese teachers; Bachelor’s applicants normally under 25
- Healthy, no criminal record, interested in Chinese language education work
- HSK and HSKK scores within their two-year validity, level set by category (e.g. one-semester: HSK 3, 180+; Master’s: HSK 5, 210+, and HSKK intermediate 60+)
- Master’s needs a bachelor’s degree; PhD needs a master’s in teaching Chinese as a foreign language, linguistics, international Chinese education or education
- Past one-year or one-semester awardees within three years are in principle not admitted to the same type
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
Afghanistan · Albania · Algeria · Andorra · Angola · Antigua and Barbuda · Argentina · Armenia · Australia · Austria · Azerbaijan · Bahamas
+ 182 more
Bahrain · Bangladesh · Barbados · Belarus · Belgium · Belize · Benin · Bhutan · Bolivia · Bosnia and Herzegovina · Botswana · Brazil · Brunei · Bulgaria · Burkina Faso · Burundi · Cabo Verde · Cambodia · Cameroon · Canada · Central African Republic · Chad · Chile · Colombia · Comoros · Republic of the Congo · DR Congo · Costa Rica · Côte d'Ivoire · Croatia · Cuba · Cyprus · Czechia · Denmark · Djibouti · Dominica · Dominican Republic · Ecuador · Egypt · El Salvador · Equatorial Guinea · Eritrea · Estonia · Eswatini · Ethiopia · Fiji · Finland · France · Gabon · Gambia · Georgia · Germany · Ghana · Greece · Grenada · Guatemala · Guinea · Guinea-Bissau · Guyana · Haiti · Honduras · Hungary · Iceland · India · Indonesia · Iran · Iraq · Ireland · Israel · Italy · Jamaica · Japan · Jordan · Kazakhstan · Kenya · Kiribati · Kuwait · Kyrgyzstan · Laos · Latvia · Lebanon · Lesotho · Liberia · Libya · Liechtenstein · Lithuania · Luxembourg · Madagascar · Malawi · Malaysia · Maldives · Mali · Malta · Marshall Islands · Mauritania · Mauritius · Mexico · Micronesia · Moldova · Monaco · Mongolia · Montenegro · Morocco · Mozambique · Myanmar · Namibia · Nauru · Nepal · Netherlands · New Zealand · Nicaragua · Niger · Nigeria · North Korea · North Macedonia · Norway · Oman · Pakistan · Palau · Palestine · Panama · Papua New Guinea · Paraguay · Peru · Philippines · Poland · Portugal · Qatar · Romania · Russia · Rwanda · Saint Kitts and Nevis · Saint Lucia · Saint Vincent and the Grenadines · Samoa · San Marino · São Tomé and Príncipe · Saudi Arabia · Senegal · Serbia · Seychelles · Sierra Leone · Singapore · Slovakia · Slovenia · Solomon Islands · Somalia · South Africa · South Korea · South Sudan · Spain · Sri Lanka · Sudan · Suriname · Sweden · Switzerland · Syria · Tajikistan · Tanzania · Thailand · Timor-Leste · Togo · Tonga · Trinidad and Tobago · Tunisia · Türkiye · Turkmenistan · Tuvalu · Uganda · Ukraine · UAE · UK · USA · Uruguay · Uzbekistan · Vanuatu · Vatican City · Venezuela · Vietnam · Yemen · Zambia · Zimbabwe
Age requirement
16–45 yrs
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Application process
- 1Get a reference letter from the head of a recommending institution (Confucius Institute, HSK test centre, foreign university Chinese department, Chinese embassy and others).
- 2In-service teachers add proof of employment and an employer reference.
- 3Register on chinese.cn, choose a host institution and submit online by the deadline for your intake.
- 4Results come out about three months before the programme starts.
Program timeline
15 May 2026
deadline for September 2026 start (passed)
15 September 2026
deadline for December 2026 start (passed)
31 October 2026
deadline for March 2027 one-semester start
About three months before start
results