Yenching Academy Scholars Program

All admitted students receive the Yenching Fellowship for the first academic year, which covers tuition, accommodation in the Yenching Academy House, a travel stipend for one round-trip journey between your base city and Beijing (the base city must be a city within the country of your nationality; cost of this round-trip will be estimated and calculated by YCA), basic medical insurance, a monthly stipend, and expenses related to research.

Students who maintained a good academic standing, and plan to stay in Beijing during their second academic year can apply for the second-year Yenching Fellowship. This will cover the tuition, accommodation in the Yenching Academy House, basic medical insurance, and a monthly stipend.

The Yenching Academy annually enrolls approximately 120 new students from both the Chinese Mainland and abroad, to study, live, and learn together. International students comprise roughly 80% of the student body.

Applicants should have:

• Minimum of a Bachelor’s degree in any field, or be currently enrolled in a Bachelor degree program and be on track to graduate no later than August 31 of the year in which they wish to enroll;
• An outstanding academic record;
• Strong interest in interdisciplinary study of China;
• A record of extracurricular achievement, community engagement, social responsibility, and leadership potential;
• English proficiency.

*Peking University does not allow students to be enrolled in other degree programs whilst studying at the university.

Successful candidates have outstanding academic backgrounds and broad curiosity. They demonstrate strong motivation and potential to become leaders in their chosen fields. Candidates’ personal statements should offer specific and persuasive explanations of how they could benefit from studying in our interdisciplinary China Studies program. Evaluation criteria include academic merit, leadership potential, international experience, and long-term aspirations.

The Yenching Academy Scholars Program requires institutional nomination. To apply as a 2026-2027 University of Wisconsin-Madison nominee, submit the following materials to awards@iris.wisc.edu by Monday, November 17, 2025.

• Completed campus application form (applicants should not submit the online application until after the UW-Madison nomination decision is finalized);
• Personal statement (750 words or less);
• Statement of Research Interest (maximum 1500 words, excluding citations):
  • Should include key research question(s), background to study and/or summary of literature, and study design that could reflect the applicant’s academic training. Please note that applicants are not committed to making this proposed project their Master’s thesis topic. The Admissions Committee wants to judge how they formulate and write about academic topics.
• Curriculum vitae (maximum 2 pages);
• Official transcript(s):
  • Yenching Academy only accepts official transcripts. All pre-admitted candidates must either arrange for their university to send official transcripts directly to the Yenching Academy (yca-submissions@pku.edu.cn), or provide university certified transcripts.
• Diploma(s) or Certificate(s) of Enrollment;
• An Overseas Credential Evaluation is required only for offer holders, and is only required for undergraduate degree programs.
  • Candidates who have graduated from a degree program outside of the Chinese Mainland need to provide a Credential Evaluation issued by the CSCSE (中国教育部留学服务中心). Candidates who have graduated from a degree program within the Chinese Mainland need to provide a Credential Evaluation issued by the CSSD (中国高等教育学生信息网).
  • Candidates who have already graduated from an undergraduate degree should submit the Credential Evaluation during the Peking University Office of International Relations (OIR) registration stage in April.
  • Candidates who have not yet graduated from an undergraduate degree need to submit the Credential Evaluation, as well as the original copy of the diploma(s), during enrollment in September.
• Two academic letters of recommendation (English or Chinese):
  • Recommenders should complete this form and email their letters directly to awards@iris.wisc.edu.
  • Peking University will only accept recommendation letters written by full professors or associate professors (or equivalent titles).
  • Letters of recommendation must be submitted by professors in the applicant’s intended field of study.
  • Recommendation letters should be written with official/institutional letterhead, signed, and uploaded in PDF format. For candidates from the Chinese regions of Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan (HMT), please use the “专家推荐信” letter template available here.
• English proficiency demonstrated through one of the following scores:
  • IELTS (Academic): Overall 7.0
  • TOEFL (iBT): Overall 100
  • Cambridge English Scale (Advanced): Overall 185
  • Submission of English scores: For IELTS, TOEFL, and Cambridge tests, we will only accept scores sent directly to us from these organizations. Please choose “Yenching Academy of Peking University” as the designated recipient of the scores. For TOEFL, use the institution code: C488.
  • TOEFL and IELTS English proficiency tests must be taken after September 1, 2024. Currently, we do not accept TOEFL MyBest Scores, TOEFL iBT Home Edition, IELTS Indicator test, IELTS Online, or IELTS One Skill Retake.

*Candidates whose official university documents are in languages other than English or Chinese must submit copies of both the original documents and certified English translations. This requirement also applies to diplomas issued in Latin. Please ensure that the translation indicates the degree type (e.g. Bachelor’s or Master’s degree).

**International applicants whose native language is English, or have graduated from an English-taught degree program (undergraduate or above), are not required to provide an English proficiency test report. However, for those who wish to apply for an English test report waiver, evidence from the university (such as a letter issued by the Registrar indicating the language of instruction) should be provided.

***Applicants from the HMT regions are required to provide an English proficiency test report, even if they have attended or graduated from an English-taught degree program. Without providing an English proficiency test report, candidates from these regions will need to take English as a Second Language after enrollment at Peking University.

Applicants holding the below identity documents issued to residence from these regions must apply as an HMT applicant:

• For residents from the HKSAR and Macao SAR: ①香港或澳门永久性居民身份证 和 ②《港澳居民来往内地通行证》或《港澳居民居住证》

Note: Applicants with a Mainland Travel Permit for Hong Kong and Macao Residents (issued to non-Chinese citizens) are not eligible to apply as an HMT applicant.

• For residents from the Taiwan region: ①在台湾居住的有效身份证明 和 ②《台湾居民来往大陆通行证》或《台湾居民居住证》

Candidates from the Chinese regions of Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan must apply through the Yenching Academy application portal, as well as complete a supplementary application through the Peking University Graduate Admissions website. More information will be available here.

Applicant who intends to apply as an international candidate must be a non-Chinese citizen with a valid passport. Former citizens of the Chinese Mainland or HMT regions, who have emigrated to other countries and are applying to Peking University as an international student, must present valid passport or citizenship documents dating from before April 30 in 2020, along with proof of nullification of Chinese nationality.

Additionally, applicants who were born in the Chinese Mainland and later renounced their Chinese citizenships will also need to provide the following documents to yca-submissions@pku.edu.cn before December 1, 2025:

1. A non-PRC passport and/or a naturalization document valid before April 30 in 2020, as well as a PRC passport with a “cancellation” stamp;
2. A document that proves the cancellation of their record of household registration (户籍) within the Chinese Mainland. This is issued by the police station in which they had their household registration in China.
3. Applicants may provide the items outlined in no. 1 above (non-PRC passport, naturalization document, and invalid PRC passport) during the application stage, and submit the household registration cancellation document during the pre-admission stage.
4. Without providing the above documentations, applicants born in the Chinese Mainland will not be recognized as an international student by Peking University, which will lead to ineligibility for admission.
5. The National Immigration Administration of the Public Security Bureau in the P.R.C. is responsible of the determination of Chinese citizenship for foreign nationals applying as international students. In circumstances where the Chinese citizenship has been identified by the relevant authorities, candidates’ application, admission offer, registration and/or enrollment status will be nullified by Peking University.

Chinese language proficiency is not a requirement but is highly valued for the Master’s program in China Studies. Applicants who meet the following conditions can be eligible to take China-related courses taught in Chinese offered in other departments at Peking University for academic credit:

• HSK 6 test taken after September 1, 2024 and with a test report of: 1) a total score of 210 or higher; and 2) a score no less than 65 for writing;
• Completed a full-time degree program of which the Chinese language was the only language of instruction. Note that applicants will need to provide documentation from the university to certify the language of instruction.

The Yenching Academy Master’s program in China Studies is two years in duration. All admitted students receive the Yenching Fellowship for the first academic year, which covers tuition, accommodation in the Yenching Academy House, a travel stipend for one round-trip journey between your base city and Beijing (the base city must be a city within the country of your nationality; cost of this round-trip will be estimated and calculated by the Yenching Academy), basic medical insurance, a monthly stipend, and expenses related to research.

Students who maintained a good academic standing, and plan to stay in Beijing during their second academic year can apply for the second-year Yenching Fellowship. This will cover the tuition, accommodation support (on-campus housing or off-campus housing stipend), basic medical insurance and a monthly stipend.

Yenching Fellowships are funded by Yenching Academy’s endowment, as well as donations from both governmental and non-governmental sources. At present, our major sponsors include the China Scholarship Council, the Beijing Municipal Education Commission, the Bai Xian Asia Institute, and the International Confucian Association. Students admitted into the program are strongly encouraged to consider applying for one of these external fellowships discussed below.

China Scholarship Council (CSC)

The CSC is entrusted by the P.R.C. Ministry of Education, which provides funding for international students and scholars to study and conduct research at universities within the Chinese Mainland. Two major types of scholarships provided by the CSC are available for Yenching Scholars to apply, namely the Chinese Government Scholarship (CGS), and the “Youth of Excellence Scheme of China Program Chinese Government Scholarship” (thereafter regarded as the Zhuoyue Scholarship program), both awarded on a competitive basis.

Award procedures for the CGS and the Zhuoyue Scholarship program are slightly different: application for the CGS should only be submitted by admitted Yenching Scholars around April in the enrollment year, whereas candidacy for the Yenching Academy for applicants of the Zhuoyue Scholarship will remain conditional until they receive acceptance from the CSC and the Office of International Relations (OIR) of Peking University around July in the enrollment year.

In regards to the Zhuoyue Scholarship program, Yenching Academy is among a handful of high-ranking university programs in China offering this scholarship. The Zhuoyue Scholarship is unique in two ways: it seeks applicants with more professional experience before applying to the Master’s program and it only funds one year in Beijing. Like other Yenching Scholars, the Zhuoyue Scholarship recipients must complete all required credits during the first academic year on campus. Upon completing the preparation work of a Master’s thesis, they are obliged to fulfil the requirements of a Master’s thesis and thesis defense outside of the Chinese Mainland during the second academic year. It is worth noting that although all Yenching Scholars receive the same amount of scholarship during their entire course of study, due to the nature of its design, the Zhuoyue Scholarship recipients will receive the full amount of scholarship within one year.

Application for the Zhuoyue Scholarship is open around January until March each year, which is unfortunately, not aligned with the typical Yenching Academy application timeline. Interested candidates should first submit their online application via the Yenching Academy admissions portal before the designated application deadlines, and eligible candidates will be contacted directly by the Yenching Academy to proceed with their Zhuoyue Scholarship application later in time. For more information, please refer to the 2025 Zhuoyue Scholarship instructions webpage. Details and guidelines for the Zhuoyue Scholarship (September 2026 intake) will become available on our official website around late January in 2026.

Beijing Municipal Education Commission

The Beijing Government Scholarship is designed to fund outstanding international students for academic studies or scientific research at higher education institutions and research institutes in Beijing.

Bai Xian Asia Institute (BXAI)

BXAI believes that cross-cultural education is the key to a harmonious world built on mutual understanding, respect, and equality. The “Asian Future Leaders Scholarship Program” (AFLSP) provides scholarships for students from Asia to study away from their home country or region at any of BXAI’s Partner Universities. Bai Xian Scholars are invited to participate in various activities, including a three-week summer enrichment program (mandatory with full attendance), as well as other activities exclusively designed for Bai Xian Scholars studying at Peking University.

International Confucian Association (ICA)

The ICA scholarship program provides funding for international students enrolled in Master’s programs in China, specifically supporting research in the fields of history, archaeology, philosophy, or religious studies. ICA advocates for the practical application of Confucianism for self-cultivation and the improvement of morality and spirituality, for fostering sound family and social virtues, for building stronger state governance, for promoting national and social harmony, and for building a strong platform of exchanges in international affairs for the common development of all countries. ICA Scholars are offered opportunities for site visits, as well as events exclusively designed for the scholarship awardees.