UNESCO/People’s Republic of China (The Great Wall) Co-Sponsored Fellowships Programme

Benefits & funding

• Tuition waiver for the academic programme, provided by the Chinese Government.
• Monthly living allowance from the Chinese Government: CNY 3,000 for General Visiting Scholars and Master’s students, CNY 3,500 for Senior Visiting Scholars and Doctoral students.
• On-campus accommodation, or an accommodation subsidy.
• Comprehensive Medical Insurance and Protection Scheme for international students in China.
• International travel to and from China at the beginning and at the end of the fellowship, paid by UNESCO.
• Monthly pocket allowance of US$80, paid by UNESCO.
• A termination allowance from UNESCO to cover excess luggage charges.
• No financial support is available for spouses or dependants.
• Extension or repeated award is not permitted under the same UNESCO fellowships programme.

Eligibility

• Open to nationals of the 135 developing UNESCO Member States invited to the programme: 46 in Africa, 38 in Asia and the Pacific, 13 Arab States, 26 in Latin America and the Caribbean, and 12 in Europe.
• General Visiting Scholar: senior secondary school diploma or above, and not older than 45 at enrolment in September 2026.
• Senior Visiting Scholar: a master’s degree, or the rank of associate professor or above, and not older than 50 at enrolment.
• Master’s Degree: a bachelor’s degree, and not older than 35 at enrolment.
• Doctoral Degree: a master’s degree, and not older than 40 at enrolment.
• Language: proficiency in English for English-taught programmes. Chinese-taught visiting scholar programmes require HSK Level 3, and Chinese-taught degree programmes require HSK Level 4.
• Good health, both mental and physical, evidenced by the Foreign Physical Examination Form, which stays valid for six months.
• Candidates must meet the admission requirements of the Chinese university they apply to, and must hold a pre-admission document issued by it.
• Women candidates and candidates from Africa and Small Island Developing States are strongly encouraged to apply. This is a stated encouragement rather than a requirement.
• No minimum number of years of work experience is stated.

Application process

1. 1
   Read the Application Guidelines and the four annexes published on the programme page.
2. 2
   Contact the National Commission for UNESCO of your own country to confirm its internal procedure and its own cut-off date.
3. 3
   Obtain a pre-admission document from the Chinese university you intend to join. This may be a pre-admission notice from its international students’ admission department, or an invitation letter from the university or from a professor.
4. 4
   Complete the online application in the Chinese Government Scholarship Information System at campuschina.org.
5. 5
   Assemble the package: Chinese Government Scholarship application form, passport information page, notarised photocopy of the highest diploma, academic transcripts, language qualification certificates, the pre-admission document, a study plan or research proposal, recommendation letters, the Foreign Physical Examination Form and a non-criminal record report. Art applicants add an example of their work, and candidates under 18 add legal guardian documents.
6. 6
   Submit everything to your National Commission by its deadline, which was 23 January 2026 in the 2026-2027 edition.
7. 7
   The National Commission nominates candidates to UNESCO, by 10 February 2026 in that edition. Nominated candidates then email their application to the programme address given on the page.

Program timeline

1. 28 November 2025

   2026-2027 edition launched

2. Candidates submit to their National Commission

   23 January 2026

3. National Commissions nominate to UNESCO

   10 February 2026

4. UNESCO screening

   11 February to 2 March 2026

5. Evaluation by the Chinese authorities

   March to June 2026

6. Awards announced

   Late June to early July 2026

7. Latest date for notifying selected candidates

   15 August 2026

8. Fellowships begin

   Late August to early September 2026

9. 15 July 2027

   2026-2027 academic year ends