2026 Guidelines of the Application of Scholarship for International Students at Sun Yat-sen University

　　Sun Yat-sen University (hereinafter referred to as “SYSU”) was founded in 1924 by Dr. Sun Yat-sen, a great national hero, patriot, and pioneer of China's democratic revolution. It is a comprehensive, research-driven, and internationally-oriented university. Rooted in the three core cities of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area, i.e., Guangzhou, Zhuhai, and Shenzhen, the University has developed a coordinated structure of three campuses across five cities and operates ten well-established affiliated hospitals.

　　SYSU offers a comprehensive range of disciplines and majors, and has developed an integrated academic structure covering humanities, sciences, medicine, engineering, agriculture, and the arts. Eleven disciplines of SYSU have been selected for China's second round of the “Double First-Class” initiative, twenty-one disciplines rank among the global top 1% in the Essential Science Indicators (ESI), and thirteen are listed in the global top 0.1%.

　　The University currently hosts 43 national-level research and innovation platforms and 270 provincial or ministerial-level platforms. It is home to 23 academicians of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Engineering, as well as over 600 national-level high-caliber talents, placing it among China's leading universities in terms of talent strength.

　　

I. Scholarship

　　1. Funding Amount

　　The scholarship is divided into three tiers: First-Class, Second-Class, and Third-Class. The funding coverage is as follows:

Tier	Coverage	Notes
First-Class	Tuition waiver, living allowance provided	The living allowance for First-Class Scholarship varies by academic level:  1. Undergraduate level: RMB 30,000 per person, per academic year;  2. Master's level: RMB 36,000 per person, per academic year;  3. Doctoral level: RMB 42,000 per person, per academic year.
Second-Class	Tuition waiver
Third-Class	50% tuition waiver

　　Students are responsible for covering the following expenses: accommodation, utilities, insurance, visa fees, round-trip airfare, and physical examination fees. 

　　2. Funding Period

　　(1) The funding period in principle covers the standard academic duration of the student's enrolled program.

　　(2) Scholarship recipients are required to undergo an annual review. Students who pass the review will continue receiving the scholarship into the following academic year. Those who fail the review will have their scholarship suspended or even revoked.

　　3. Funding Quota

　　The scholarship funding quota will be dynamically adjusted and awarded based on merit, subject to the actual circumstances of applications and admissions.

　　4. Eligible Programs

　　The scholarship covers all programs outlined in the catalog of programs for international students at Sun Yat-sen University in 2026, excluding the Master of Public Administration (MPA) and Master of Business Administration (MBA) programs.

　　

II. Eligibility

　　1. Applicants of scholarship must meet the requirements as outlined in the 2026 Enrollment Guidelines for International Students at Sun Yat-sen University.

　　2. Applicants must have outstanding academic performance.

　　3. Applicants must meet the following academic qualifications and age requirements:

　　Undergraduate applicants for the scholarship must be high school graduates and under 25 years of age; master's degree applicants must have obtained a bachelor's degree and be under 35 years of age; doctoral degree applicants must have obtained a master's degree and possess a certain level of academic performance, and be under 40 years of age.

　　4. Applicants must obtain a recommendation from an agency or an international students recruitment ambassador in their home country recognized by Sun Yat-sen University (see relevant details on the website of the Office of International Students' Affairs, Sun Yat-sen University).

　　5. Recipients of the following scholarships are not eligible for the SYSU scholarship for international students: (1) Chinese Government Scholarship, (2) scholarship from Center for Language Education and Cooperation (CLEC) under the Ministry of Education, (3) Ministry of Commerce Scholarship for the Master of Public Administration (Chinese Governance) Program.

　　

III. Application Date

　　1. Application for undergraduate scholarship

　　First Round: January 1-February 28, 2026

　　​Second Round: March 1-April 30, 2026

　　2. Application for Master's and Doctoral Scholarships

　　First Round: January 1-February 15, 2026

　　Second Round: February 16-April 30, 2026

　　

IV. Application Application and Admission Procedures

　　Step 1:Submit the Online Application

　　Applicants will follow the requirements of the 2026 Enrollment Guidelines for International Students at Sun Yat-sen University to submit the application and fill in the information of “Sun Yat-sen University Scholarship for International Students” in the International Student Application System at the following link: http://apply.sysu.edu.cn.

　　Step 2:Qualification Review and Interview

　　Applicants must undergo qualification review and interview assessments in accordance with the requirements specified in the 2026 Enrollment Guidelines for International Students at Sun Yat-sen University.

　　Step 3: Selection of Scholarship Recipients

　　SYSU will determine the list of recipients of the 2026 SYSU Scholarship for International Students at Sun Yat-sen University based on a comprehensive evaluation.

　　Step 4: Announcement of Scholarship Review Results

　　SYSU will announce both the scholarship evaluation results and pre-admission results simultaneously. Applicants may log into the Application System to check the results 15 days after the interview assessment concludes.

　　

V. Application Materials

　　1. Applicants for undergraduate scholarships must submit, in addition to the application materials required by the 2026 Enrollment Guidelines for International Undergraduate Students at Sun Yat-sen University, the following documents:

　　(1) Recommendation letter from an agency or an international student recruitment ambassador in the applicant's home country recognized by Sun Yat-sen University.

　　(2) Two recommendation letters: In principle, one should be provided by the principal of the high school and the other by a course teacher (see template in Attachment 1).

　　(3) Plan of Study and Research in China: The content includes self-introduction, academic background, hobbies, learning objectives, reasons for application, and career plans after graduation (see template in  Attachment 2).

　　2. Applicants for the Master's and Doctoral scholarships must submit, in addition to the application materials required by the 2026 Enrollment Guidelines for International Students at Sun Yat-sen University (Master's Degree and Doctoral Degree), a Letter of Recommendation from an agency or an international student recruitment ambassador in the applicant's home country recognized by Sun Yat-sen University.

　　Note: All application materials must be original documents in Chinese or English. For documents in other languages, a notarized Chinese or English translation must be provided.

　　

VI. Supervision

　　1. Responsibility for Submitted Materials. Applicants are responsible for the authenticity of all materials they submit. In accordance with Chinese national regulations and SYSU's rules, any applicant found to have submitted falsified materials will have their scholarship eligibility revoked, and the matter will be reported to the relevant authorities.

　　2. Registration: Admitted students must complete registration on the date and at the location specified in the Admission Letter. Early registration is not permitted. Failure to register on time without prior approval will have the scholarship eligibility revoked. Scholarship recipients are exempted from tuition fees and will receive a living stipend of RMB 30,000 per student per academic year, disbursed monthly into the student's personal bank account.

　　3. The Office of International Students, under the Office of International Cooperation of Sun Yat-sen University, is responsible for overseeing the execution of admissions work, while the university's Discipline Inspection and Supervision Department performs dedicated supervisory duties.　

　　

VII. Supplementary Provisions

　　1. These Enrollment Guidelines apply to the 2026 Guidelines of the Application of Scholarship for International Students at Sun Yat-sen University and take effect from the date of its publication.

　　2. The Office of International Students' Affairs, under the authorization of the SYSU Undergraduate Admissions Leading Group and Graduate Admissions Committee, is responsible for the interpretation of these Guidelines.

　　3. In case of any adjustments to the policies of the Ministry of Education or other relevant authorities, the new regulations shall prevail.　　

　　

　　Office of International Students' Affairs, Sun Yat-sen University 

      Website: 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