The China Scholarship Council (CSC) provides scholarships for outstanding Chinese master's students, recent graduates and young (academic) professionals who want to do either a full-time PhD programme or a part of their PhD programme at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.
If you are a prospective CSC candidate this page will help you understand the application process and requirements for doing a PhD at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.
Eligibility
Who is eligible for the CSC Scholarship:
PhD candidates
Selected Chinese candidates may apply for a PhD position at VU Amsterdam in eligible faculties (see list below). For a full PhD, the scholarship must cover the full 48‑month duration of the PhD research trajectory. Additionally, candidates must meet all VU admission requirements, including English‑language proficiency and knowledge‑security conditions. Upon successful defense, candidates enrolled in this PhD program will be awarded a PhD degree by VU Amsterdam.
Which faculty?
The eligible faculties for CSC candidates are listed below:
- Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities
- School of Business and Economics
- Faculty of Behavioural and Movement Sciences
- Faculty of Medicine
- Faculty of Law
- Faculty of Science
Application
The scholarship includes:
- Exemption from registration fee, tuition fee, research fee and other allowances as specified in the Memorandum of Understanding with the China Scholarship Council and Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (link to the MoU)
- Living allowance of €2,000 per month (including health insurance)
- International airfare (China – Amsterdam)
The living allowances will be paid via CSC. Chinese Service Centre for Scholarly Exchange will book the tickets for the departure from Beijing, and the Chinese Embassy in the Netherlands will book the return tickets.
Requirements
- Candidates are citizens and permanent residents of the People’s Republic of China at the time of application.
- Doctoral candidates must have a Master’s degree and be under the age of 35.
- Academic requirements are set by each faculty/department, however standard requirements for all PhD candidates are successful completion of a Masters degree and a good level of English:
IELTS (academic): 6.5 overall - Most programmes do not accept subscores below 6.0.
TOEFL Internet-based test: 92.
- In accordance with the CSC regulations, candidates must return to China upon completion of their research.
- The current CSC scholarship allowance of €2,000 per month, which meets the Dutch income requirements to obtain a visa to the Netherlands.
Housing
Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam has limited housing options available for all degree students and doctoral candidates. We cannot guarantee accommodation. Once you have been accepted by the CSC, we will contact you on how to apply for accommodation. You can find more information on housing here.
Immigration
Once you have been selected as a CSC scholar at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam we will contact you regarding submitting your visa application.
How to apply for the PhD trajectory and the CSC scholarship?
Your first step is to identify a potential supervisor. All Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam professors can be found here. You can contact a supervisor based on their research expertise and how it aligns with your PhD research proposal. Each supervisor will conduct their own interviews and assessment of your candidacy, including academic strength, your English proficiency and a match in the topic.
If you are successful in obtaining support from a supervisor, they will support your CSC application by providing a conditional admission letter. The condition is that the candidate should obtain the CSC scholarship. Once you have obtained the letter, the supervisor will contact the International Scholarship PhD Candidate coordinator, who will issue a conditional offer letter from the institution (VU Amsterdam). You can use both letters in your application to the CSC.
If you prefer that we help facilitate the contact to a professor, you may submit application form and we will make contact on your behalf. Please note that your application form must include the following:
- Your CV
- Your Research Proposal
- The name of your preferred supervisor
Application timeline
| Activity | Date |
| Contact preferred supervisor or fill in application form | until February 2026 |
| Interviews conducted by supervisor (online) | until March 2026 |
| Final selection and conditional offer letter issued | by mid March 2026 |
| Candidate applies through the CSC website | to be announced |
| Decision by CSC | May/June 2026 |
| Onboarding process at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (immigration, housing, general set-up in systems) | June-August 2026 |
| Starting your PhD at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam | Between September 2026 - January 2027 |
Agreement
Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam signed an agreement with the China Scholarship Council (CSC). VU Amsterdam and the CSC collaborate to provide high quality research training to qualified students and postdoctoral fellows from Chinese universities.
Contact
E: phd@vu.nl