The “Belt and Road” Scholarship is Southwestern University of Finance and Economics’ own award for international degree students, administered by its College of International Education in Chengdu, Sichuan. SWUFE is a public university built around finance, economics and management. The scholarship supports bachelor’s and master’s study across every programme the university teaches in Chinese and in English; doctoral study is funded through other schemes.
Two levels are offered: a full award covering tuition, on-campus accommodation and a living allowance, and a partial award that waives tuition only. Awards are reviewed once a year, and continued funding depends on academic results and conduct. Despite the programme name, the published eligibility rules set no country list — any non-Chinese citizen may apply.
Benefits & funding
- Full scholarship: tuition, on-campus accommodation and a living allowance. The university does not publish the allowance amount.
- Partial scholarship: tuition waiver only.
- Tuition covered, for scale: 16,000 RMB a year for a Chinese-taught bachelor’s programme and 20,000 RMB for an English-taught one; 20,000 RMB a year for a Chinese-taught master’s and 25,000 RMB for an English-taught master’s.
- Medical insurance (500 RMB per semester) is not listed among what the award covers.
- Recipients complete a Scholarship Annual Review Form each year. SWUFE may suspend, downgrade or terminate an award that fails the review.
- Applicants may not receive any other Chinese scholarship for the same study programme at SWUFE.
Eligibility
- Non-Chinese citizens holding a valid foreign passport, in good health, with a strong academic record.
- No nationality or country list applies, and no residency condition is published.
- Bachelor’s applicants: aged 18 to 30 as of 1 September 2026, holding a high school diploma; current-year graduates must obtain the diploma before enrolment.
- Master’s applicants: aged 18 to 35 as of 1 September 2026, holding a bachelor’s degree; current-year graduates must obtain the degree before enrolment.
- Chinese-taught programmes: HSK level 5 with at least 60 points in each section, or more than two years of study in a Chinese-taught degree programme.
- English-taught bachelor’s programmes: IELTS 6.0, TOEFL 80 or Duolingo 105 and above.
- English-taught master’s programmes: IELTS 6.5, TOEFL 95 or Duolingo 120 and above.
- Applicants whose native language is English, or who can document more than two years in an English-taught degree programme, do not need to provide an English-language certificate.
- Bachelor’s applicants also take the CSCA Chinese scholastic assessment.
- Applicants must abide by Chinese law and by SWUFE regulations.
- Applicants may not receive any other Chinese scholarship for the same study programme at SWUFE.
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.
Education required
High School · Bachelor
Age requirement
≥ 18 yrs
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Application process
- 1Register on the SWUFE international student application system at swufe.17gz.org and select the degree programme.
- 2Bachelor’s applicants register for and sit the CSCA test at csca.cn.
- 3Pay the 600 RMB application fee. It is non-refundable, and applications without it are not processed.
- 4Upload the required documents: a passport copy valid beyond 1 March 2027, a passport photo taken within the last six months, a notarised highest diploma, academic transcripts, a study plan of 500 words or more for bachelor’s applicants or a research proposal of 1,000 words or more for master’s applicants, a language certificate, the CSCA score for bachelor’s applicants, two recommendation letters from professors, associate professors, or experts with equivalent professional titles for master’s applicants, a medical examination record, a non-criminal record certificate and a financial guarantee letter.
- 5Sit any interview or written assessment the college requests.
- 6Track the result in the online system. Admitted students receive an admission letter carrying the campus registration dates.
Program timeline
2026 scholarship application window opens
Jan 1, 2026
Scholarship application deadline, Beijing time
Apr 30, 2026
Wider bachelor’s admission deadline for applicants not seeking this scholarship
Jun 30, 2026
Date by which current-year graduates must obtain their diploma
Aug 31, 2026
Campus registration; the exact date is given in the admission letter
September 2026
The 2027 round has not been published yet; the university has run the same January to April window in recent years.