Call for Applications

I Introduction

University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (UCAS) has set up the UCAS Scholarship for International Students to sponsor young talents all over the world to pursue Master’s or Doctoral degree, attend courses or conduct research at UCAS campus/CAS institutes. The Scholarship also encourages international graduate students currently studying at foreign universities to pay academic visits to UCAS where they study on joint programs. The Scholarship consists of both a full scholarship and a partial scholarship. The full scholarship provides tuition waiver, monthly stipend, basic accommodation and medical insurance; while the partial scholarship covers some items of the Full. Since 2013, the scholarship has been majorly sponsoring Master’s degree candidates. 29.4% of the new international students enrolled in 2015 by UCAS are sponsored by the Scholarship.

IIScholarship Coverage and Duration

iScholarship Coverage

1. Exempted from tuition fee

Doctoral students would be exempted from a tuition fee of RMB 40,000/year; master’s students would be exempted from a tuition fee of RMB 30,000/year; senior visiting students would be exempted from a tuition fee of RMB 3,000/month; the regular visiting student would be exempted from a tuition fee of RMB 2,600/month.

2. Stipend

UCAS provides monthly stipend of RMB 2,500 for Doctoral students, senior visiting students and Doctoral students on joint programs, and RMB 2,000 for Master’s students and regular visiting students. In addition, host supervisor and CAS institute/UCAS school/college (hereinafter referred to as institute/school) provide research assistantship for awardees considering their academic performances. The total amounts of monthly stipend will be no less than RMB 3500 for Doctoral students, senior visiting students and students on joint programs, and RMB 3000 for Master’s students and regular visiting students.

3. Accommodation

UCAS provides basic accommodation to awardees from institutes and schools located in Beijing. As for awardees from CAS institutes located outside Beijing, they would be provided with basic accommodation when attending the concentrated study at UCAS, while their host institutes would help to provide accommodation or solve accommodation-related problems after awardees return upon the completion of their concentrated study, and they shall pay for relevant expenses as requested by the institutes

4. Medical Insurance

The insurance premium is RMB 800/year, with RMB 400 for half-year term, and it would be deducted from the first stipend of each academic year. Please refer to the www.lxbx.net for the introduction of insurance coverage.

iiScholarship Duration

1. Master’s students: no longer than 36 months

2. Doctoral students: no longer than 36 months

3. Students on joint programs: 3-24months

4. Regular and Senior visiting scholars: 6-24 months

III Application Guideline

i Qualifications of Applicants

1. Meet the admission criteria for UCAS international students

2. Get recommended by a supervisor and the institute/school which the supervisor is affiliated with.

3. Have an appropriate attitude toward learning and scientific research and have outstanding academic performance.

4. Have not accepted any other sponsorship at the time of application

5. Age requirements:

a. Master’s degree candidates should be no more than 30 years old.

b. Doctoral degree candidates should be no more than 35 years old.

c. Students on joint programs: no age limit

d. Regular and senior visiting students should be no more than 40 years old.

6. Requirements on language level:

a. Programs taught in Chinese: Applicants should obtain at least 180 points for Level 5 of new HSK test before registration.

b. Programs taught in English: Applicants should have adequate good English proficiency.

7. Other requirements on applicants on joint programs:

l Applicants should be currently studying at higher institutions abroad.

l The higher institution abroad the applicant is affiliated with should have signed relevant collaboration and exchange agreement with CAS/UCAS/CAS institute.

l Awarded student should register before the November of 2016.

l The academic visit to or joint culture at CAS should last for no shorter than 3 months.

8. Other requirements on visiting scholars:

l Scholars should register before the November of 2016.

l Scholars shall be further educated for no shorter than 6 months.

Students who are currently studying at higher institutions in China cannot apply (with exception for this year’s graduates).

ii Application Documents

1. ADMISSION APPLICATION FORM FOR INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS (Attachment 1)

Please download the form and fill it with a 2-inch photo and your signature, with the second part of the form to be filled out by your supervisor and the institute/school. For those applicants on joint programs, Master’s or Doctoral degree candidates should tick the Student Category as Visiting Student or Senior Visiting Student respectively.

2. APPLICATION FORM FOR UCAS SCHOLARSHIP for INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS (Attachment 2)

Please download the form and fill it with your signature, with the second part of the form to be filled out by your supervisor and the institute/school. For those applicants on joint programs, their institutes/schools should provide photocopies of the Chinese-versioned collaboration and exchange agreements between higher institutions abroad and CAS/UCAS or themselves.

3. A photocopy of your passport’s (with at least 2 years validity) personal information page

4. Original notarized photocopies of degree certificates

Master’s program applicants shall submit the original notarized photocopies of their Bachelor’s degree certificates. Doctoral program applicants shall submit those of both their Master’s and Bachelor’s degree certificates. Those who have not yet graduated must provide evidence of education from their current institutions, with their expected graduation dates being clearly indicated therein, and submit the original notarized photocopies of degree certificates upon their receipts.

5. Original transcripts or original notarized photocopies of transcripts

Master’s program applicants shall submit the academic transcript of their undergraduate study. Doctoral program applicants shall submit academic transcripts of both their graduate and undergraduate studies.

6. Recommendation letters from two professors

The referees need to be experts or scholars in the applicant’s field other than the supervisor applied to. Referees should be familiar with the applicant as well as his/her study and research work. A recommendation letter must be printed on an official headed paper, with the referee’s signature and date, and be sealed.

7. CV and research proposal

8. Photocopies of all the title pages and abstracts of maximum 5 representative published academic papers

Please do not submit any un-published paper.

9. A photocopy of the bank receipt for the submission of application processing fee: RMB 600 or USD, EUR equivalent. Applicant can choose either way of the following:

(1) Online transfers could be made to the following bank account by the applicant or mandatory he/she assigned (Please specify for whom the application processing fee is submitted):

Beneficiary: University of Chinese Academy of Sciences

Account number: 11001059200053002790

Bank: Construction Bank of China

Beijing Municipal Dongfang Guangchang Branch

SWIFT CODE：PCBCCNBJBJX

(2) Applicant or the mandatory he/she assigned submit the application processing fee in cash to UCAS Finance Department.

iii Application Procedure

1. Find an eligible host supervisor affiliated with CAS institute or UCAS school.

Eligible applicants shall prepare application documents as requested above, contact an eligible supervisor, decide on the research field and send him/her both hard and softcopies of application documents. Please refer to http://english.ucas.ac.cn/Admissions for information about supervisors.

2. Obtain a host supervisor’s acceptance.

The supervisor scrutinizes and evaluates the applicant’s academic ability according to relevant rules of the institute/school. Several experts might be invited to conduct a video/telephone interview with the applicant or a written examination may be required. The supervisor decides whether or not to accept the applicant by making comments and signing on the supervisor’s comment pages of the admission application form as well as the scholarship application form, and submitting the hard copy of all necessary documents to the institute/school.

3. CAS institute/UCAS school approves.

The application will be reviewed by the institute/school for them to decide whether or not to accept the applicant. If the application is approved, the institute/school will complete and stamp the comment pages of the admission application form as well as the scholarship application form and then send the hard copy of all necessary documents to the UCAS International Students Office.

4. UCAS makes the final review and prepares admission documents according to the evaluation result.

UCAS will organize evaluation meetings after its final review of all application documents. The admission and visa application documents for chosen applicants are prepared once the expert panels make the final decision.

iv Application Time

From Dec.1, 2015 to Mar.31, 2016

IV Admission and Registration

UCAS will organize evaluation meetings that would generate an awardee list on the basis of competitive selection. The admission result will be announced on the website of UCAS (http://www.ucas.ac.cn), and the awardee will be sent the Admission Notice, Award Letter as well as other admission documents.

The awardee shall bring his/her personal passport as used in his/her application, Admission Notice, Visa Application Form (JW202), and Physical Examination Record for Foreigners as well as all other original reports from the physical examination to the Embassy or Consulate of the People's Republic of China, and apply for a student visa (X1/X2 visa). Upon his/her entry into China, the awardee shall register at the place indicated in the Admission Notice within the requested registration period. Please keep safe the original Admission Notice and Visa Application Form (JW202) which are needed in the application for the Permanent Residence Permit upon registration. Please do not apply for visa waiver or other types of visa.

V Points for Attention

1. Any applicant cannot submit his/her application documents to more than one institute/school and neither could he/she apply via more than one supervisor.

2. Please take a careful consideration of the research field and major to be picked up, and the application should be submitted upon a unanimous discussion with the potential supervisor. After registration, UCAS would not accept any modification application due to the need of major or supervisor change.

3. All the above supporting documentation should be in English or Chinese, otherwise notarial translations in English or Chinese are required.

4. A lack of required application documents or unsatisfactory documents will not be accepted. None of the documents will be returned regardless of the applicant’s admission status.

5. Please DO NOT send any of the supporting documentation directly to the International Students Office of UCAS.

6. Once admitted, students must register on the assigned date in the Admission Notice at the place indicated therein. Otherwise, students should apply to UCAS for early or late registration.

7. The sponsorship duration is subject to the educational period prescribed in the Admission Notice.

8. The scholarship could be retained for no longer than 2 months from the registration deadline.

9. The stipend will be transferred by UCAS on a monthly basis from the date when the awardee registers. A full-month stipend will be transferred to new students who register before the 15th of a given month (including15th), while a half-month stipend will be transferred to new students who register after the 15th of a given month.

10. After their registration, awardees must abide by relevant rules and regulations of the Management Measures for UCAS Scholarship for International Students, and attend reviews and examinations such as the qualifying tests arranged by the International College. Awardees who fail review or examination will be deprived of their Scholarship or their Scholarship will be suspended.

11. Achievements made in scientific research and papers published during the sponsorship period by awardees should be put under the joint signature of UCAS and their host institutions, and indicate “Sponsored by UCAS Scholarship for International Students”.

VI Contact Information

Coordinator: Ms.Tian Yanqiong

International Students Office

University of Chinese Academy of Sciences

No.80ZhongguancunEastRoad, Haidian District,

Beijing, 100190, China

Email: scholarship@ucas.ac.cn

Tel/Fax:+86-10-82672900

Website: www.ucas.ac.cn