What Confucius Institute Scholarship for International Students (China) actually covers.
The Confucius Institute Scholarship, administered by Hanban/Chinese International Chinese Education Foundation (CIEF), is one of China's most widely available scholarship programmes for international students from Africa and other regions, providing funding for Chinese language studies, undergraduate studies, master's programmes, and doctoral degrees at universities across China. Confucius Institute Scholarships are specifically accessible through local Confucius Institutes established at African universities, making them an especially practical option for African applicants who may already have a connection to Chinese language and culture programmes at their home institutions.
There are currently Confucius Institutes operating at universities in South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana, Ethiopia, Cameroon, Botswana, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Uganda, Senegal, Côte d'Ivoire, Rwanda, and many other African countries. Applicants affiliated with these local institutions typically receive preferential consideration and institutional support during the application process, as their host Confucius Institute submits a formal recommendation on their behalf.
The scholarship supports full-time study in China, covering tuition and registration fees, on-campus accommodation or housing allowances, a monthly living stipend ranging from CNY 1,400 (for one-year language programmes) to CNY 3,500 (for doctoral degree programmes), and comprehensive medical insurance. Scholarships for degree programmes typically fund the complete duration of studies — four years for undergraduate, two to three years for master's, and three to four years for doctoral.
For African students seeking to develop Chinese language skills alongside academic qualifications, the Confucius Institute Scholarship represents a unique gateway to studying in China. Many African governments increasingly value graduates with Chinese language proficiency given China's growing economic footprint across the continent.
Who can apply.
Open to undergraduate, masters, phd applicants seeking to study in China. Eligible nationalities are listed below.
46 more eligible countries — full list available on the official application page.
Every academic discipline is accepted.
This programme does not restrict by field. Research proposals across humanities, sciences, engineering, agriculture, and medicine are all accepted.
Four steps to a complete application.
Scholar Africa is a discovery and tracking platform — the application itself is submitted directly through the official provider site. The steps below mirror our HowTo schema.
Check eligibility
Confirm your nationality, academic level, and field of study match the criteria above.
Eligibility checklist
Prepare documents
Transcripts, recommendation letters, personal statement, and a valid passport.
Document checklist
Submit the application
Submit before March 15, 2027 via the official portal.
Submission checklist
Track your application
Use your Scholar Africa dashboard to monitor status and deadline reminders.
Post-submission checklist
What we checked, when we checked it.
Every scholarship on Scholar Africa goes through six checks (link, contact, organisation, winners, third-party, manual review). Confucius Institute Scholarship for International Students (China) currently scores 0.0/10.
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Other scholarships worth a parallel application.
Same eligibility window or destination. Many strong applicants apply to three or four programmes per cycle.