At a glance

• Value: tuition fees, research fees and living allowance
• You must be applying for a PhD programme in UCC to be eligible for this scholarship
• Questions about this scholarship can be directed to e.connolly@ucc.ie

September 2026 entry

University College Cork supports applications for the UCC CSC Scholarship Scheme 4 year PhD student scholarships

The primary focus of this programme is for selected Chinese students to take 4-year PhD study at UCC to benefit from studying in one of Europe’s leading research-driven universities.

CSC and UCC will support the following areas of study with priority: Arts & Humanities, Science, Engineering & Technology, Food Science, Business, Law, Health Sciences, Medicine and Dentistry. Students will be eligible to study disciplines in any of the above fields at UCC.

Candidates should be intending to pursue study/research in one of the priority academic areas identified by UCC and CSC. However, applicants to other study/research areas will also be considered subject to the availability of relevant programmes of study at UCC.

Eligibility Criteria

• Candidates will be citizens and permanent residents of the People's Republic of China at the time of application; Overseas Chinese students may be eligible for the awards subject to CSC policy at the time.
• Applications are only accepted from students who have the agreement of a UCC academic member of staff to be their supervisor.
• Applicants are required to demonstrate a high level of competence in English language and meet the UCC English Language Requirements
• Candidates should satisfy the selection criteria set out by CSC by completing the (opens in a new window) CSC Application Form and CSC Employer Reference Form.
• Successful candidates must return to China upon completion of their studies and/or research

How to apply

• November 2025, reach out to an academic member of staff who will agree to be your supervisor.
• Prepare documentation according to CSC requirements, and UCC English Language Requirements
• November – February, Apply via UCC Apply before the application deadline, 1 February 2026 and submit required documentation as follows:
  • academic transcript(s)
  • proof of English language level i.e. IELTS, TOEFL etc.
  • degree certificate(s) in Chinese and English translation.
  • two academic references
  • a research proposal
  • passport (photo page).

Application and selection process

• After candidates have applied to UCC they should inform the UCC International Office by completing ALL required fields on the attached Form Note: it is important you provide your name in Chinese AND English on this form.
• UCC will evaluate candidates applications for CSC by mid March 2026.
• After receiving an unconditional offer from UCC, (Note: the offer letter is part of the candidates CSC application), the onus is on candidates to apply directly to CSC for funding by completing an application for funding and employer reference (forms are available online at http://apply.csc.edu.cn by end of March 2026.
• CSC will evaluate the candidates according to CSC requirement, priorities and then provide UCC with a final list of scholarship recipients end of May / early June 2026.
• CSC will update results on their CSC portal in June 2026 and Applicants can independently check the portal for their result.
• Successful Applicants should contact their UCC supervisor to discuss and agree an approximate start date for their PhD.

Terms and Conditions:

Current PhD students who commence their programme of study prior to receipt of the CSC scholarship will not be able to avail of this scholarship retrospectively. The scholarship will be applied to the student’s record from the date of approval. Successful applicants must pay tuition fees until they are awarded the CSC scholarship, should they decide to register for the PhD programme before the scholarship award is made.

Note: Capitation fees are payable by all students and are subject to change.