King’s-China Scholarship Council PhD Scholarship programme (K-CSC)

Award details

King's College London and the China Scholarship Council (CSC) hold an agreement to jointly fund Chinese students to pursue research degrees (PhDs) at King's College London.

K-CSC scholarship awards are available for the 2026-27 competition.

Please be aware that students funded through this scheme must abide by any additional terms and conditions set by the CSC.

Please use the postgraduate course finder to search for a suitable doctoral programme.

To find a supervisor at King's, please click here for guidance.

 

Information Drop-in Session

October 16, 2025 at 9:15-10:15 AM (UK time)

We are holding an online K-CSC information drop-in session via Zoom for prospective candidates who would like to find out more about the scholarship opportunity and process. This session offers the opportunity to ask questions.

To register your interest in this event and for access details, please complete our online form.

Award value

As part of an agreement between the China Scholarship Council (CSC) and King’s College London, successful applicants will have their full international tuition fees waived by the university. In addition, the CSC provides an annual living allowance (currently set at £1,200–£1,350 per month*), overseas student health cover, return airfare to London, and visa application fees.

The scholarship is valid for up to four years.

You will not be required to pay any ‘bench fees’. These should be waived or covered by your supervisor, department, or faculty at King’s.

*Please be aware that the cost of living in capital cities is usually higher than the rest of the country. This is true of London. Whilst funders may recognise this with their stipend levels, many CSC students choose to supplement their stipend in some way with additional funds. We encourage you to consult the Money Advice webpages for guidance on budgeting while living in London.

Eligibility criteria

To be eligible, you MUST:

• Be citizens and permanent residents of the People’s Republic of China (holding a valid Chinese passport);
• Be due to commence a full-time MPhil/PhD research degree programme at King’s College London in the 2026-27 academic year (i.e., from October 2026 and by no later than June 2027), with the intention to complete a PhD.
• Satisfy criteria set out by the CSC, e.g., relating to age, education, and employment. Please to refer to CSC website for full details (http://www.csc.edu.cn).
• Agree to return to China upon completion of your studies/research.
• Apply to King’s College London for the scholarship by the deadline of 1 January 2026, 23:59 UK time, following the instructions in the ‘Application Process’ section).
• By the deadline of 14 January 2026, 23:59 UK time:
  • Submit all required documentation to support your King’s admissions application.
  • Meet the English language requirements for your chosen research programme.
  • Ensure that your referees have submitted their references to support your application.
• Complete the separate CSC application process and submit the required documentation to the CSC by its stated deadlines (see http://www.csc.edu.cn for further details). NB: CSC application rules differ slightly between domestic applicants (those applying in China) and overseas applicants (those applying from abroad) – further guidance is provided below, under ‘CSC guidance’.

Please note that:

• Applicants who have already commenced their doctoral degree at King’s are not eligible.
• These scholarships cannot be held on a part-time basis.
• Visiting / Non-award PhDs are not eligible.
• Distance learning programmes are not eligible.
• Professional doctorate degrees (such as the MD(Res) and DClinPsy) are not eligible.
• Joint PhD programmes are not eligible.
• Applicants who fail to apply to both King’s and the CSC will not be considered.
• These scholarships cannot commence prior to October 2026 or after June 2027.

CSC Guidance:

Depending on whether a candidate is applying from within China (domestic applicant), or from abroad (overseas Chinese applicant), the following CSC rules apply to King’s candidates:

For domestic applicants, applicants must either:

• Be in the final year of an undergraduate degree at a Chinese university/institute in China and hold an MPhil/PhD offer to study at King’s for 2026-27. Or,
• Be completing a master’s degree at a Chinese university/institute in China and hold an MPhil/PhD offer to study at King’s for 2026-27. Or,
• Be an in-service staff (i.e., employed) in China and hold an MPhil/PhD offer to study at King’s for 2026-27.

For overseas Chinese applicants, applicants must either:

• Be studying a master’s degree abroad (e.g., in the UK) and be due to complete in 2026 and hold an MPhil/PhD offer to study at King’s for 2026-27. Or,
• Be an overseas Chinese applicant (not including those who returned to China and then went abroad) who completed their master’s degree at an overseas university within one year and hold an MPhil/PhD offer to study at King’s for 2026-27.

Important Note: Final-year undergraduate students studying abroad (i.e., outside of China) are not eligible to apply to the CSC.

The above CSC guidance is correct at the time of publishing but may be subject to change. Please refer to the CSC website for the most up-to-date information. For clarity on individual situations, please contact the CSC directly.

Award conditions

Please refer to the attached 'K-CSC 26-27 Guidance for Applicants' document for details about the terms and conditions.

Please be aware that students funded through this scheme must abide by any additional terms and conditions set by the CSC. Scholars will be required to enter into a legally binding agreement with the CSC before they are able to take up the scholarship. If there are any significant developments that could affect/hamper a scholar's expected completion of the PhD, scholars are advised to get in touch with the Education Section in the Chinese Embassy.

Application process

Application Start: 16 October 2025

Application Deadline: 1 January 2026

King’s College London accepts applications for the K-CSC awards up until 23:59 UK time on 1 January 2026.

To apply, please follow the instructions below.

INSTRUCTIONS:

STEP 1: By the deadline of 23:59 UK time on 1 January 2026, you MUST:

• Submit an application to King’s College London for a full-time MPhil/PhD degree programme with a 2026-27 start date (i.e., from 1 October 2026) using the King’s online admissions application system – King’s Apply*
• Contact a potential supervisor at King’s whom you would like to work with and include their name in your admissions application.
  • For guidance on finding a supervisor, please click here.
  • Your programme will normally sit within the same department as your proposed supervisor.
  • If you are unsure what programme to apply for, please check this with your proposed supervisor and/or department.
• Enter the correct funding code in your application:
  • On the Funding section of your online King’s Admissions Application Form, tick the box at Item 5 (Award Scheme Code or Name).
  • Enter the code: 2627-KCSC (please copy and paste the code exactly).

Important: Applicants who fail to input this exact code (the bit in red) as instructed will not be identified during the admissions data extraction process and will therefore not be considered for the scholarship, so it is vital that you do this correctly! Please refer to the attached 'K-CSC 2026-27 Guidance for Applicants' document for full details and a print screen of what this should look like. 

*If you have already applied for admissions but deferred entry to 2026-27, you must update your online admissions application to include the code 2627-KCSC in the funding section of your application, as instructed above. The same deadline of 1 January 2026 at 23:59 UK time applies.

STEP 2: By the deadline of 23:59 UK time on 14 January 2026, you MUST: 

Ensure that you have submitted all the required supporting documentation as part of your online Admissions application, to include:

• Official degree transcripts and certificates, including professional/university-made translations. Please note that if your degree is from a Chinese institution, you must also provide your graduation certificate.
• Proof of English language proficiency (see below for further guidance).**
• References: some programmes will require two references, and some will only require one reference. Your online admissions application will indicate the correct number of references needed for your programme, and the admissions system will automatically submit a request to your given referee(s) once you have submitted your admissions application. Please note that it is your responsibility to ensure that your referee(s) submit the reference(s) on time.
• Additional documents (if applicable): you may also be required to provide a personal statement, writing sample and/or research proposal. Requirements vary between programmes so please refer to the online prospectus and admissions application for specific guidance

To add any outstanding material, simply log back into your online admissions application and upload the relevant documentation. If you experience any problems with this, please contact the admissions team via the messaging section of your application. 

** English Language Requirements: PLEASE NOTE: if you are currently studying a master’s degree in a majority English speaking country, such as the UK and USA, you may still be required to provide a valid English language test certificate by 14 January 2026. If you have previously taken an English language test, please upload your test certificate to your admissions application. Test results are valid if the test was taken within two years of the start date of your chosen programme.

For full guidance about Postgraduate English language entry requirements, please refer to the webpage at: https://www.kcl.ac.uk/study/postgraduate-taught/how-to-apply/entry-requirements/english-language-requirements.

For any queries relating to English language requirements, please contact the King’s Admissions Team via your online application.

NOTE: if you experience problems accessing an English Language test centre, King’s accepts online test options such as, such as the TOEFL Home Edition and IELTS (Online). NB: we currently are not accepting results from the Pearson Test of English (Academic) Online.

Important: The results turnaround time for some English tests is up to 10 working days, therefore, if you need to take a test, please plan accordingly.

PLEASE BE AWARE that material from your admissions application will be extracted and used as part of the assessment/selection process. As part of the standard admissions process, you may be contacted about missing material/documents so please ensure you log in to King's Apply regularly to check for any messages that the Admissions team send you, however this is not guaranteed, and it is your responsibility to ensure that all the relevant information and supporting materials are provided in time. Applications that are incomplete by the given deadline will not be considered.

STEP 3: Submit a separate application to the CSC:

• If you are selected for nomination by King’s for our K-CSC awards, we aim to issue you with a ‘Confirmation of Nomination’ letter on or just after 9 March 2026. Please use this letter alongside your admissions offer letter to apply separately to the CSC. Note that you must apply to the CSC’s ‘Collaborative channel’ NOT the ‘personal channel’.
• If you are currently in China, you must follow the local application procedures in China, or, if you are currently studying abroad, you may need to apply through a Chinese Embassy. For CSC guidance, please visit http://www.csc.edu.cn.
• Note that the CSC application process is separate to the process run by King’s College London.
• The CSC application period is normally 10-31 March, however, application deadlines for institutions within China may differ, so please check carefully.

APPLICANTS WHO FAIL TO APPLY AS INSTRUCTED WILL NOT BE ELIGIBLE FOR CONSIDERATION.

Application forms

K-CSC 26-27 FAQs (0.15 MB)

Terms and conditions

K-CSC 26-27 Guidance for Applicants (0.37 MB)

Selection process

Eligibility Check:

Once the application deadline has passed, the Admissions Office and King’s Doctoral College will gather and record the details of all the applications received that state 2627-KCSC as the Award Scheme Code.

The Admissions Office and King’s Doctoral College will check the eligibility of all applicants, and all applications that are deemed eligible will be circulated to academic faculties for assessment and selection.

Assessment Criteria:

The assessment of applications is based on:

1. Evidence and strength of academic qualifications gained (minimum entry qualification is an undergraduate 2:1 and/or a higher degree), and where applicable, professional qualifications and/or relevant experience.
2. Strength of the research project.
3. Alignment of the applicant’s research interests with their proposed supervisor.

Shortlisting:

Academic faculties will put forward their ranked shortlist of candidates to King’s Doctoral College by 4 March 2026.

Final Nomination:

King’s Doctoral College will consider the nominations across all academic faculties and decide on the university’s final list of nominees. Only those candidates who have met the English entry requirements for their programme and obtained an admissions offer are eligible for nomination to the CSC.

Notification:

King’s Doctoral College aims to finalise the university’s list of nominees and submit this to the CSC by 9 March 2026.

Applicants will be notified of their status via email as soon as the nominations list is confirmed.

PLEASE NOTE: If you are successfully nominated, you will receive a ‘Confirmation of Nomination’ letter from King’s Doctoral College. This letter confirms that King’s College London will waive your tuition fees if you are successful with the K-CSC scholarship. This is separate from the standard admissions offer letter provided by the admissions office for the degree programme.

CSC Selection:

Nominees must apply separately to the CSC via their application routes and the CSC will conduct a separate selection process based on the applications it receives via their process. The CSC will evaluate candidates according to CSC requirements and priorities and make the final overall decision about the awards. The CSC is expected to confirm the list of successful recipients with King’s Doctoral College in June.

IMPORTANT NOTE:

• Securing an admissions offer or being shortlisted by a faculty does not guarantee nomination for the K-CSC Scholarship. Final nomination decisions are made by King’s Doctoral College after the selection process concludes on 9 March 2026.
• Applicants can only be awarded a K-CSC scholarship if they are supported by both King’s Doctoral College and the China Scholarship Council.

For nominated applicants, the following details will be shared with the CSC for identification purposes: full name, date of birth, gender, programme details, start and end dates.

Any Questions?

Please refer to the K-CSC 26-27 FAQs document for answers to commonly asked questions relating to the K-CSC competition. 

If your question is not answered in the FAQ document, please contact King’s Doctoral College (see contact details below).

Contact:

Chan Sum, Doctoral Scholarships Coordinator, chan.sum@kcl.ac.uk.

King's Doctoral College, doctoral-college@kcl.ac.uk. 

 

Student Testimonial

Jinyun Tong, Computer Science Research PhD

"When I studied in BUPT for my bachelor's degree, one of my lecturers had graduated from King's College London. He told us many stories about his research life at King's, which attracted me to choose King's as my goal.

I completed an MSc in Computational Finance at King's College London and hoped to continue my research with my supervisor, so I applied for a PhD project. I wanted to study the principles of financial networks and derivatives with the help of computer science, and finally become an expert in this area. I would like to develop an academic career after graduation, professional knowledge and skills as well as a PhD degree are so necessary.

When I put forward the idea of continuing research to my supervisor, he recommended me to apply for the K-CSC programme. The scholarship covers all the tuition fees and living expenses, so it can greatly reduce my financial pressure and make me focus on academic activities.

If you are studying abroad and would like to apply for any CSC programmes for PhD projects, please pay attention to the conditions and terms of CSC, for it may require you to submit the application before graduation. I strongly recommend that you discuss with your supervisor and make a plan so as not to miss the opportunity."