Enrollment Guidelines for the 2023 “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 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 develop 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 30, 2019 to April 30, 2023. 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 Special Administrative Region, Macau Special Administrative Region and Taiwan Region who apply as international students after immigrating and acquiring foreign nationality must have had acquired foreign nationality before April 30, 2019 and have had a record of actual residence in a foreign country for at least two years from April 30, 2018 to April 30, 2023. 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 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

     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.

      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, 2023 must provide a guardian's letter of assurance. Applicants for scholarship programs should meet the age requirements of each program.

IV.  Application Deadline

      April 30th, 2023

V. Application Procedure

      Applicants please visit the website of the Office of International Students' Affairs of Sun Yat-sen University (http://iso.sysu.edu.cn), click “APPLY ONLINE” to enter the “International Student Management System”, then click “Account Registration” to register one's own account. Afterwards, applicants may click “Account Login” to reenter the “International Student Management System”. Applicants should then select the correct project, and upload the following application documents accurately and completely as required:

      1. Valid ordinary passport and personal profile photo

      Passports should be valid later than 1st December 2023. If you do not meet the requirements, please renew your passport promptly with a new one. 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 during the application process and resubmit their high school graduation certificate when they receive one. Failing to submit a high school graduation certificate before coming to SYSU will have their admission qualifications canceled. .

      3. Standardized test transcripts and complete transcripts from the highest level of education

      Standardized test transcripts include standard high school graduation test transcripts, college entrance exam transcripts, and high school transcripts of international standardized tests such as SAT/ ACT/ A-Level/ IB, etc. Students in the last year of their high school can submit their latest transcript issued by their high school and resubmit a complete high school transcript after they graduate from high school. Those who do not submit a complete high school transcript before coming to SYSU will have their admission canceled.

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

5. Recommendation letters

      The recommendation letters should be provided respectively by the headmaster and a teacher of the applicant's high school (see Attachment 2 for template). Applicants for the “Belt and Road” Scholarship should also provide a recommendation letter issued by a designated institution in their own country.

6. Chinese language proficiency certificate

      Applicants should submit a valid certificate of Chinese language proficiency (HSK) or any proof of having taken any courses with Chinese as the instruction language.

7. Plan of study in China

       The plan of study in China includes self-introduction, study experience, interests, study goals, reasons for application and career plans after graduation (see Attachment 3 for template).

8. Physical examination and blood test results

      The physical examination results should be stamped by the hospital and issued within six months prior to the date of submission (see Attachment 4 for template). Those who are over 18 years old and are living in the Chinese mainland with a valid foreign residency permit or permanent foreign permanent resident ID card can use the permit or the ID card as a document to replace Foreigner Physical Examination Form.

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

      9.1 Those who were originally a resident of Mainland China (Mainland), Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Macau Special Administrative Region and Taiwan Region before acquiring foreign citizenship must submit (1) Proof of cancellation of household registration or withdrawal of Chinese nationality, or submission of an official document certifying absence of Chinese nationality issued by the Chinese diplomatic representation and consular authorities; (2) Proof of acquiring foreign citizenship; (3) Entry and exit records from April 30, 2019, to April 30, 2023.

      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) Birth certificate or family register, proving kinship; (2) Proof of acquisition of foreign citizenship at birth; (3) Proof of permanent residence of the parent(s) with Chinese citizenship in the foreign country before the applicant's birth. (4) Entry and exit records from April 30, 2019 to April 30, 2023.

      10. Certificate of Non-Criminal Record

      The applicant should submit a valid non-criminal record issued by local authorities; the document should be issued within six months before the date of application submission.

      11. Guardianship guarantee and notarized certificate

      Guardian's guarantee and notarized certificate are required for applicants under 18 by September 1, 2023. The guardian must be an adult residing in Guangdong, China.

      12. Scholarship application form

      Applicants will be eligible to fill in the “other scholarship application” form after they have been formally accepted with a minimum of good grades in all their high school courses.

      13. Supporting documents

      The applicant can submit award certificates or proof of experience.

      14. Commitment letter

      The application information should be true, legal and valid. Please print and sign the document before uploading it to the system. (see Attachment 5 for the template)

      15. Personal Information Form

      The Personal Information Form is automatically generated by the International Student Management System and should be uploaded back to the system after printing and signing.

      Note: Application documents must be either in Chinese or English. If the documents are in other languages, the original documents and their 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 via admissions@mail.sysu.edu.cn). Failing to submit supplementary documents in time, providing notarized certificates that do not meet the requirements, or providing incorrect information will cause unsuccessful applications.

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 2023. If there is any change in the names of majors (Categories) in the Admissions Catalogue, please refer to the latest announcement on the website of the Office of Foreign Students of Sun Yat-sen University. Students will be trained intensively in their first year, and those who are admitted to a category will choose a specific direction or field as their final major.

            Table 1  2023 SYSU List of Majors for Undergraduate International Students

Note: “*” in major requirement means that the major has a high demand for mathematic capabilities. 

      2. Please visit https://www.sysu.edu.cn/yxsz.htm 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 have met the requirements for degree-awarding should be awarded the bachelor's degree of SYSU and granted a 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 applicant's foreign status, highest academic qualifications, recommendations, academic performance, Chinese language proficiency and other supporting documents to determine the assessment list. 

2. Assessment

      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) SYSU will select applicants based on their qualifications and interview assessment results. Outstanding new students will be recommended for applications for scholarships, and the list of scholarship winners will be announced by the scholarship administration.

      (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 Admission Letter and the Foreign Student Visa Application Form are expected to be sent out in August to the address the applicants have provided in the online application system. Please make sure the address is valid.

      (3) Admitted applicants should apply for an 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 paperwork 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 deemed 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 the applicants' fabrication.

      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 admission or student status. Scholarship recipients will be disqualified.

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

X. Supplementary Provisions

       1. This guide is applicable to the enrollment work for SYSU 2023 “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 the SYSU Office of International Students' Affairs authorized by the 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 of the Office of International Students' Affairs: http://iso.sysu.edu.cn

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

Email: admissions@mail.sysu.edu.cn

Inquiry Tel: 0086（20）84110819

Supervision Department Tel: 0086（20）84115582

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

Zip code: 510275