China opens 20 scholarships for Maldivians,11 PhDs included

China has announced 20 scholarship opportunities for Maldivian students under the Chinese Scholarship Council (CSC) program, including 11 slots for PhD studies.

According to the Ministry of Higher Education, the scholarships, available from 2026 to 2027, will be facilitated through the Maldivian Embassy in China. Both new applicants and students already pursuing higher education in China are eligible to apply.

Of the 20 scholarships, five are allocated for new students and 15 for existing students. New applicants can apply for two bachelor’s degrees, two master’s degrees, and one PhD. For current students in China, five master’s and ten PhD scholarships are available.

Eligibility criteria include:

• Bachelor’s degree applicants must be under 25 years of age by February and have at least five ‘C’ passes in secondary exams or three ‘E’ passes in higher secondary exams.

• Master’s applicants must hold a relevant bachelor’s degree and be under 35 years of age.

• PhD applicants must hold a relevant master’s degree and be under 40 years of age.

Applicants must also meet English language proficiency standards, either a C-1 Advanced or C-2 level with a ‘C’ pass or higher, a TOEFL score of 550+, or an IELTS score of 6.5+. Alternatively, they must meet the English requirements of the university they are applying to. Those applying for Chinese language programs must pass a Chinese proficiency test.

Students who have taken out study loans and are repaying them regularly are also eligible.

Required documents include educational certificates, full transcripts, passport and ID copies, KOICA form, work experience records, medical report, and ranking documents.

Online applications close at 14:00 on January 14, and hard copies must be submitted by 13:00 hours on January 15.