Enrollment Guidelines for the 2022 “Belt and Road” Scholarship Program for International Students (Bachelor's Degree) , Sun Yat-sen University

Founded by Dr. Sun Yat-sen, the famous Chinese revolutionist, Sun Yat-sen University (SYSU) has an educational tradition spanning over 100 years. As a university directly affiliated with the Ministry of Education of China and with the strong support of the Ministry of Education of China and Guangdong Province, SYSU has become a first-class modern comprehensive university, renowned both in China and in the world. Composed of five campuses located in the three cities of Guangzhou, Zhuhai and Shenzhen, and ten affiliated hospitals, SYSU is marching towards a world-class university and striving to become a global academic center.

SYSU encourages students to “study at SYSU and pursue excellence”. SYSU implements management and provides services for international students that are similar to those for Chinese students, including regular national conditions education lectures, visits, social practice activities, and exchange activities for international students in Guangdong to cultivate outstanding international talents with integrated knowledge. 

I. Country-specific Requirements

    Applicants should be excellent high school graduates recommended by designated institutions in the 10 ASEAN countries, which include Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

II. Admission Quotas

    15 quotas per country in principle, and no more than 150 in total. The number can be adjusted according to the source of students in different countries on the basis of competitive selection.

III. Eligibility

1. Applicants should be non-Chinese with a valid foreign passport, and meet the requirements stipulated in the Notice on the Regulations of Chinese Universities’ Acceptance of International Students ([2020] No.12):

    A person whose parents are both Chinese nationals and have both settled abroad, or one of whose parents is a Chinese national and has settled abroad, and who has acquired foreign nationality at birth shall not have Chinese nationality. Those who apply as international students should have held a valid foreign passport or proof of nationality for at least four years and had a record of actual residence in a foreign country for at least two years from April 30th, 2018 to April 30th, 2022. Actual residence in a foreign country for nine months out of a year can be counted as one year, based on entry and exit stamps.

    Residents of Chinese mainland, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan who apply as international students after immigrating and acquiring foreign nationality must have had acquired foreign nationality before April 30, 2018 and have had a record of actual residence in a foreign country for at least two years from April 30th, 2018 to April 30th, 2022. Actual residence in a foreign country for nine months out of a year may be counted as one year, based on entry and exit stamps.

2. Applicants should be in good health and meet the physical standards that are required for applying for a student visa or residence permit.

3. Applicants should be high school graduates or above.

4. Applicants should be friendly to China, hardworking and diligent in their studies with excellent academic performance, upstanding and law-abiding, without any records of violations of the rules and regulations of their school, or any other security penalties or criminal records.

5. Applicants should meet the recommendation standards set by SYSU in their home countries, and be officially recommended by the designated institution (see the attachment 1 for further information).

6. Language proficiency

(1) Applicants should hold an HSK (Level Ⅴ) certificate (with 180 points or above). Those who apply for a bachelor’s degree in Chinese Language should have obtained an HSK (Level Ⅳ) certificate (with 180 points or above). Applicants who have completed their last degree with Chinese as the language of instruction should submit certificates of Chinese language proficiency issued by their former school and can be exempted from providing HSK certificates after SYSU’s verification.

(2) Outstanding applicants with an HSK (Level Ⅲ) certificate (with 180 points or above) can also apply for this program. After pre-admission, they should study Chinese by themselves. Upon the satisfaction of the language requirements (HSK 5 with 180 points or above, except that HSK 4 with 180 points or above for Chinese Language), applicants can obtain the formal admission letter and the Visa Application Form for Foreigners to Study in China, and move on to their undergraduate studies. The pre-admission qualification will be canceled if the applicant fails to meet the deadline. In principle, the total number of applicants of this category should be limited within 30.

7. Applicants under the age of 18 before September 1^st, 2022 must provide a guardian’s guarantee.

IV.  Application Deadline

April 30th, 2022

V. Application Procedure

    Applicants should visit the website of the Office of International Students’ Affairs of Sun Yat-sen University (http://iso.sysu.edu.cn/), click “APPLICATION”, register and log in. Applicants should then select the project name – 2022 “Belt and Road” Scholarship Program for International Students (Bachelor’s Degree), and upload the following application documents accurately and completely as required:

1. Valid ordinary passport (Applicants staying in China at the time of application should provide the scanned copy of passport pages with the Chinese visa or residence permit page, and entry seal.)

2. High school graduation certificate (Applicants in their last year of high school should submit a pre-graduation certificate provided by their schools.)

3. Recommendation letter issued by a designated institution in the country of origin (see attachment 1 for designated institutions.)

4. Two recommendation letters (issued respectively by the headmaster and a teacher of the applicant’s high school, with their signatures, title information, and contact information of the recommenders.)

5. Standardized tests transcripts and complete transcripts from the highest level of education (standardized test transcripts include unified high school graduation test transcripts, college entrance exam transcripts, high school transcripts of international standardized tests such as SAT/ ACT/ A-Level/ IB, etc.)

6. Chinese language proficiency certificate (valid HSK certificate issued no more than two years ago or proof of “Chinese language instruction” in the previous academic degree)

7. Physical examination and blood test results (see attachment 2 for templates. The results should be in English or Chinese, stamped with the hospital’s official seal and issued no more than 6 months ago: From Nov 1st 2021 to Apr 30th 2022.)

8. Personal statement (including a self-introduction, learning experience, interests and hobbies, learning purposes, career plans after graduation, and so on.)

9. Documents certifying the nationality of the applicant and his/her parents

9.1 Those who were originally Chinese citizens before acquiring foreign citizenship must submit (1) proof of cancellation of Chinese nationality or household registration; (2) proof of acquiring foreign citizenship; (3) entry and exit records from April 30th, 2018, to April 30th, 2022.

9.2 Applicants who acquired foreign citizenship at birth in a foreign country, whose both parents are or one of them is a Chinese citizen, need to provide (1) proof of acquisition of foreign citizenship at birth; (2) proof of permanent residence of the parent(s) with Chinese citizenship in the foreign country before the applicant's birth. (3) Entry and exit records from April 30th, 2018 to April 30th, 2022.

10. Certificate of Non-Criminal Record (please consult local relevant authorities for issuing a stamped version of official and valid documents)

11. Guardianship guarantee and notarized certificate (Required for applicants under 18 by September 1st, 2022. The guardian must be an adult residing in Guangdong province of China.)

12. Scholarship application form (high school transcripts with good grades or above in all courses are required. Applicants should fill in the “other scholarship application” form, print, sign and re-upload)

13. Supporting documents (award certificates or proof of experience)

14. Commitment letter (see attachment 3 for the template. Applicants should pledge that the application information is true, legal and valid. (Please print and sign before uploading)

15. Personal Information Form (automatically generated by the International Student Management System, and should be uploaded after printing and signing)

    Note: Application documents must be the original ones in Chinese or English. If the documents are in other languages, the original documents and notarized Chinese or English translation of the documents must be attached. Please make sure that the applicant's email address, WeChat number and contact phone number filled in on the system are accurate. We will send a notice of supplementary documents by email (emails will be sent by admissions@mail.sysu.edu.cn). Applicants are responsible for unsuccessful applications caused by failure to submit supplementary documents in time, notarized certificates not meeting the requirements or incorrect contact information.

VI. Majors and Divisions for International Students and Degree Awarding

1. Please refer to the table 1 for the divisions and majors for the “Belt and Road” Scholarship Program for International Students (Bachelor’s Degree) in 2022. When there are any changes in the names of divisions or fields of disciplines, please refer to the website of SYSU Office of International Students’ Affairs (http://iso.sysu.edu.cn) for the updates. The first-year education will be based on different disciplines. Students who choose to be enrolled in different specific majors in a discipline will have to participate in a major selection interview or test organized by the school or department before they can finally be enrolled in the major.

Table 1  2022 SYSU List of Majors for the “Belt and Road” Scholarship Program for International Students (Bachelor’s Degree)

Note: The column of major requirements * indicates that this major has higher requirements for mathematics.

2. Please visit https://www.sysu.edu.cn/cn/jgsz/yx for further information about divisions for international students.

3. Admitted students, with the formal student status of SYSU, who have completed the courses and received the required credits within the prescribed period of study and met the requirements for graduation, shall be granted a graduation certificate of SYSU. Those who meet the requirements for degree awarding should be awarded the bachelor’s degree of SYSU and granted the degree certificate.

VII. Scholarship

1. Granting Amount 

    Scholarship recipients are exempted from paying tuition fees, and the school will provide a subsidy of RMB 30,000 per student per academic year for living expenses, which will be paid to the student’s personal bank account on a monthly basis. The above scholarships and financial support are not available for students who are studying Chinese on their own.

2. Granting Period

(1) In principle, the scholarship will cover the normal study period of the undergraduate program.

(2) Scholarship recipients are required to participate in the annual review. After passing the review, they will be able to continue to enjoy the scholarship for the next academic year; otherwise, the scholarship will be suspended or canceled.

(3) SYSU encourages excellent students to further their studies. Undergraduate students who apply for a master’s degree at SYSU will be eligible for various scholarships.

VIII. Selection Procedures

1. Qualification Review 

    SYSU will review the applicants' foreign status, highest academic qualifications, recommendations, academic performance, Chinese language proficiency and other supporting documents to determine the assessment list.

2. Interview

    SYSU will issue a notice of assessment after the application deadline, and those who have passed the qualification examination must attend an interview as required in the notice. Please refer to the email notification for the interview arrangement.

3. Admission

(1) Applicants will be admitted on the basis of their qualification review and interview results.

(2) Pre-admission results will be published on our application website. The electronic Admission Letter and the Foreign Student Visa Application Form will be sent via email. Depending on the actual situation, paper copies of the Acceptance Letter and Visa Application Form for Foreign Students are expected to be sent out in August to the address the applicants have filled out in the online application system. Please make sure the address is valid.

(3) Admitted applicants should apply for X1 visa at the Chinese embassy or consulate with the Admission Letter and the Foreign Student Visa Application Form. The X1 visa holders must go through residential formalities in the local public security departments within thirty days of entry into China. Otherwise, the admitted applicants will face expulsion. SYSU will not accept the registration of students without a valid student visa, and international students whose visas or residence permits have expired are not allowed to stay or conduct activities on campus.

(4) SYSU will recommend other types of scholarships for outstanding new students. Please await further notice from the university regarding the details of the application.

IX. Supervision

1. Admitted students must complete registration procedures according to the registration date and location required in the Admission Letter. They are not allowed to register in advance. Those who have failed to register within the time limit without approval will be regarded as having given up their admission qualifications. Scholarship recipients will be disqualified.

2. Applicants should be responsible for the materials submitted. In accordance with relevant regulations of China and SYSU, applicants who have fabricated materials to obtain admissions will have their admission qualifications and student status canceled by SYSU. After verification, relevant administrative departments will be informed of the facts of fabrication of the applicants.

3. In accordance with relevant regulations and requirements of the Ministry of Education, SYSU will conduct a physical examination and review of admission eligibility for all admitted applicants after enrollment. Applicants who have not met the admission requirements or provided fabricated materials will be disqualified from admissions or student status. Scholarship recipients will be disqualified.

4. SYSU Office of International Students’ Affairs, Admissions Office, Academic Affairs Department, performs the supervisory duties of the admissions. The Discipline Inspection and Supervision Department performs the specific supervisory duties.

X. Supplementary Provisions

1. This guide is applicable to the enrollment work for SYSU 2022 “Belt and Road” Scholarship Program for International Students (Bachelor’s Degree), and shall be implemented as of the date of publication.

2. This guide will be explained by SYSU Office of International Students’ Affairs, Admissions Office, Academic Affairs Department, authorized by SYSU Undergraduate Admission Leading Group.

3. If the policies of the Ministry of Education and relevant departments are adjusted, the new regulations shall be implemented accordingly.

Website: http://iso.sysu.edu.cn

Online Application Website: https://apply.sysu.edu.cn/login

Email: admissions@mail.sysu.edu.cn

Enquiry Tel: 0086（20）84110819

Supervision Department Tel: 0086（20）84115582

Fax: 0086（20）84115621

Address: Office of International Students’ Affairs, Admissions Office, Academic Affairs Department, Sun Yat-sen University, 135 Xingangxi Road, Guangzhou, P.R.China

Zip code: 510275