The ASEAN-China Young Leaders Scholarship or ACYLS is an initiative put forward by Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and echoed by all ASEAN leaders at the 21st ASEAN-China Summit in 2018. It enables ASEAN nationals to pursue post-graduate studies and training opportunities in China, thus enhancing ASEAN’s capacity building and promoting academic and vocation exchanges between China and ASEAN.

The Chinese government, through the China Mission to ASEAN in cooperation with the Joint Committee in Jakarta, offers 40 full scholarships for ASEAN University Network (AUN) member and associate member universities for the ACYLS 2020.

ASEAN-China Young Leaders Scholarship

Course level:

  • Master’s degree program (10 students)
  • Doctoral degree program (10 students)
  • One-semester research/training scholar program (20 students)

Fields of study: Any program offered in the 22 participating Chinese universities

Scholarship period: 

  • Master’s students: 2-3 academic years
  • Doctoral students: 3-4 academic years
  • Research/training scholars: 4-5 months

Institution and country: 22 designated universities in China 

Sponsor: Chinese government

Scholarship inclusions:

  • Tuition waiver and other school fees
  • Accommodation
  • One-time settlement fee of 3,000 RMB
  • Round-trip international airfare
  • Comprehensive medical insurance
  • Stipend:
    • Master’s students: 4,000 RMB per month
    • Doctoral students: 5,000 RMB per month
    • Research scholar: 5,000 RMB per month

Eligibility criteria for the ASEAN-China Young Leaders Scholarship:

  • Citizen of 10 ASEAN Member States-Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Viet Nam;
  • In sound physical and mental health;
  • Proficient in English (i.e., must possess an IELTS score of at least 6.0 or a TOEFL score of at least 80 points);
  • Holder of an undergraduate degree and under the age of 45 if applying for a master’s degree;
  • Holder of a graduate/master’s degree and under the age of 45 if applying for a PhD degree;
  • Holder of at least an undergraduate degree if applying for the short-term research program;
  • Having at least one-year work experience within government agencies, public or private institutions, universities, think-tanks or similar social agencies, and preferably has experience in the following:
    • Work related to foreign and international affairs, especially ASEAN and China-ASEAN affairs;
    • Work or study in the PRC;
    • Academic work on China or ASEAN-related affairs;
    • Not a concurrent awardee of a Chinese government scholarship;
    • Meets other admission requirements of the Chinese universities to which the applicant has applied.

Application deadline: 30 April 2020

How to apply for the ASEAN-China Young Leaders Scholarship: 

Step 1- Complete online application by visiting CGSIS (Chinese Government Scholarship Information System) at http://www.csc.edu.cn/studyinchina or http://www.campuschina.org and click “Scholarship Application for Students” to log in. Online submission of the application is compulsory for each applicant by completing the application information and uploading all necessary supporting documents.
Step 2- Prepare the application documents according to the “List of Application Documents” and upload all the required documents into the online application system. Also, submit the hard copies of the application form and relevant documents to the AUN Secretariat as required by the deadline. AUN Secretariat will then review the qualifications of all applicants and provide the list of recommended recipients to the Joint Committee of the ACYLS, which will decide the final recommendation list.
Step 3- The Chinese Scholarship Council (CSC) will only process the applications recommended by the Joint Committee. Applicants not included in the list will not be considered. CSC reserves the right to make necessary adjustments to the applicants’ host universities.

Other useful links:

ASEAN-China Young Leaders Scholarship (ACYLS)

Guidebook to the ASEAN China Young Leaders Scholarship