UNESCO/China Great Wall Co-Sponsored Fellowships Programme

Who can apply

One-year Visiting Scholar route: a high school diploma and age 45 or under for General Scholar status, or a Master's degree or an associate professor position and age 50 or under for Senior Scholar status, both at enrolment
Degree route: a Bachelor's degree and age 35 or under for a Master's programme, or a Master's degree and age 40 or under for a Doctoral programme, both at enrolment
English proficiency required for every route; HSK Level 3 for Chinese-taught Visiting Scholar programmes, HSK Level 4 for Chinese-taught degree programmes
A pre-admission letter from a Chinese university is mandatory, and applicants must separately register in the Chinese Government Scholarship Information System (campuschina.org)
Applications go through the National Commission for UNESCO in the applicant's home country, not directly to UNESCO

Read the banner on this one with real skepticism. UNESCO’s own page still says the current edition “is now open for applications,” but both dates that actually govern it, the National Commission submission deadline and UNESCO’s own nomination deadline, are already months in the past by the time this was checked, unchanged from the previous check. The page also can’t agree with itself on which academic year it’s even describing, calling itself the “2026-2027” edition in the title while the About section says the 75 fellowships are for “the academic year 2025-2026.” Treat the whole page as describing a round that has already run its course, not one you can still apply to.

Only 27 of the 75 fellowships are open to new applicants

The “75 fellowships” figure needs a real caveat UNESCO’s own page states directly but easy to miss: of those 75, only 27 vacancies are open for new recruitment each round, the rest going to continuing scholars already partway through their study. If you’re a first-time applicant, 27 is the number that actually describes your odds, not 75.

A genuine coverage gap, not an oversight on our part

Coverage is a genuine gap here, not an oversight on our part. UNESCO’s page hands the entire question of what’s funded, tuition, stipend, accommodation, travel, over to the China Scholarship Council, and says nothing about it directly. Don’t assume this matches what other Chinese Government Scholarship programmes pay; read the CSC’s own terms before counting on any specific figure, and see the separate Chinese Government Scholarship (CGS) entry on this site for a programme whose coverage terms are actually published.

Who UNESCO is specifically encouraging to apply

UNESCO states it places high priority on gender equality, Africa, and small island developing states (SIDS) in this programme, and specifically encourages women candidates and candidates from Africa and SIDS to apply. The invited Member States span five regions unevenly, 46 African states, 38 in Asia and the Pacific, 26 in Latin America and the Caribbean, 13 Arab States, and 12 in Europe, so check the full list on the official page rather than assuming your country is or isn’t included.

How to apply, if a future round opens

If a future round opens, the routing is worth knowing in advance: you apply through your home country’s National Commission for UNESCO, not to UNESCO or to a Chinese university directly, and you also have to separately register in China’s own Scholarship Information System with a specific Agency Number, alongside a mandatory pre-admission letter from the Chinese university you’re targeting. Age limits are tight and vary by route, from 35 for a Master’s applicant up to 50 for a Senior Scholar.