China Scholarship Council – University of Birmingham PhD Scholarships

Level of study: Doctoral research
Subject area: Engineering and Physical Sciences, Life and Environmental Sciences, Medicine and Health, Social Sciences
Nationality: China
Type of Award: External, University
Deadline for applying: Closed 07/02/2025 (Note: competition closed for this year)

Award Description

The University of Birmingham is proud of its long history of engagement with China. We welcomed our first students from China in 1907 and since then we have provided education for a large number of Chinese scholars including Li Siguang, one of the University of Birmingham’s most famous Chinese graduates and a pioneer in the field of geology. There are currently over 400 PhD students from China studying at Birmingham in a wide variety of fields.

We are pleased to offer up to 10 joint-funded PhD scholarships in collaboration with the China Scholarship Council (the ‘CSC’). These scholarships are competitive and will be awarded to candidates seeking entry to a PhD programme in Autumn 2025.

Value of Award

Up to 10 full PhD scholarships covering full payment of tuition fees (at the 'overseas' fee rate) and any associated bench fees, paid for by the University of Birmingham, and a maintenance stipend and return international airfare between the UK and China, paid for by the China Scholarship Council.

Eligibility Criteria

In order to be eligible, candidates must:

Meet the eligibility criteria set out by the CSC (https://www.csc.edu.cn/). Note that the CSC requires candidates to return to China after completing their PhD.
Hold a People's Republic of China Passport (applicants from Hong Kong, Macau or Taiwan are not eligible) and either be permanently resident in China or studying overseas. Those working overseas are not eligible.
Where students have prior experience of studying overseas (including the UK) it is important to check eligibility rules on the China Scholarship Council website.
Hold an Unconditional Offer of admission to a full-time PhD programme at the University of Birmingham commencing in October 2025. A conditional offer may be accepted if the only outstanding conditions are the completion of the applicant’s current degree program and/or the approval of the Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) certificate. The applicant must have already met the English language requirement of their offer prior to applying to the CSC (i.e., fulfilment of the English language requirement as a remaining condition of an offer is not deemed an acceptable outstanding condition).

Priority will be given to PhD students in the following fields; however, the scholarship is not confined solely to these areas of research:

Rail decarbonisation, sustainable future of plastics, water science, sustainable cities, quantum technologies, air pollution.
Liver transplantation, cancer immunology, microbiology and infection, healthcare technologies, health data, ageing, youth mental health.
African studies, responsible business, inclusive education, global ethics, ancient texts, superdiversity.

How to Apply

To apply for this scholarship candidates must:

Apply for admission to a full time PhD programme at the University of Birmingham and secure an unconditional offer of admission to the University PhD programme, or a conditional offer with the acceptable conditions only (i.e. the completion of the applicant’s current degree program and/or the approval of the ATAS certificate).
Contact your proposed primary supervisor at Birmingham before the deadline of 7/2/2025 to express your interest in being nominated for this scholarship. Each College within the University will collate these expressions of interest and will shortlist them and arrive at a selection of nominated candidates. Candidates will be asked by your college to complete a nomination form providing your Chinese ID number/passport number and a declaration allowing us to share your details with the CSC if nominated. The details of the nominated candidates will then be sent to the CSC for their review and selection of the 10 successful awardees of this joint scholarship. For any queries, you are invited to contact your proposed primary supervisor in the College who should keep you updated as to the progress of your expression of interest.
Ensure that you also submit a separate application directly to the China Scholarship Council for a PhD scholarship by their deadline in March 2025.

Only students who were shortlisted/nominated for a CSC scholarship by the University AND who received an offer of funding from CSC will be awarded a scholarship. Final decisions are made by the CSC. CSC will inform applicants of the outcome of their funding application in June.

If you require further information please contact china@contacts.bham.ac.uk