2026/27 Brunel University of London and the China Scholarship Council PhD Scholarship

This scholarship program offers academically outstanding Chinese students the opportunity to pursue a PhD at Brunel University of London. The scholarships are jointly supported by the China Scholarship Council (CSC) and Brunel University of London. Twenty (20) full scholarships are available for PhD studies at Brunel University of London, commencing in October 2026 or January 2027. Scholarships are available in all disciplines and the list of PhD programs can be found from Brunel's application portal page.

• Table of Content
• About Brunel University London
• Brunel University of London PhD Scholarship
• Aim and Benefits of Brunel University of London PhD Scholarship
• Requirements for Brunel University of London PhD Scholarship Qualification
• Application Deadline
• How to Apply

Brunel University of London PhD Scholarship

Aim and Benefits of Brunel University of London PhD Scholarship

• Brunel University of London will provide full tuition fees (up to 48 months) for each successful candidate.
• The China Scholarship Council will provide each scholarship recipient with a stipend for living costs (including medical insurance), one international round trip economy class airfare between China and the UK, and reimbursement for one-off visa application fees

Requirements for Brunel University of London PhD Scholarship Qualification

• Applicants must be citizens of the People's Republic of China. Overseas Chinese students may be eligible for application subject to CSC policy at the time.
• Applicants must have a strong academic background.
• Applicants must meet academic and English entry requirements set by the University ( https://www.brunel.ac.uk/research/Research-degrees ).
• Applicants will require a visa to enter and study in the UK ( https://www.brunel.ac.uk/international/visas-and-immigration ).
• Students currently registered for a PhD program at Brunel University of London who commenced their PhD after January 2025 are also eligible to apply. These applicants will be considered by CSC in open competition with all other applicants. If successful, CSC Scholarship funding will start from the beginning of the second year of the PhD.
• Applicants must also fulfill the CSC's criteria. Please see details from CSC's website: https://www.csc.edu.cn/chuguo

Application Deadline

How to Apply

Before applying to CSC, applicant must have applied for and received an offer to study at Brunel on a PhD program. These offers will be made by Brunel after assessment of all applications received by the deadline of 9 January 2026.

1. Contact the relevant Department or staff at Brunel to identify a suitable supervisor. Applicants may contact individual academic staff directly and can find details about research expertise and staff at https://www.brunel.ac.uk/people .
2. Apply for PhD admission online via https://www.brunel.ac.uk/research/Research-degrees/How-to-apply before the deadline of Friday 9 January 2026 . Early applications are highly recommended.
3. Applicants must specify in their online application that they will be applying for the 'BUL/CSC Joint Scholarship Scheme' and should include the name of the potential supervisor in their application. To do this go to the Fees and Funding section of the application form and select 'Funded', then select 'China Scholarship Council (CSC)' as your funding option.
4. Brunel will select the applicants to be nominated to the CSC by the end of February 2026. These successful applicants will be issued with a Brunel offer letter. This offer letter must be submitted to CSC along with your application to them.
5. Nominated applicants must then apply directly to the CSC during the application window (expect to be in March 2026). Please check the CSC's website for details.
6. Brunel expects to receive the list of successful candidates from CSC in late May/early June 2026.
7. Students are expected to start their PhD studies in October 2026, or January 2027.

If you have any questions or queries, please email: [email protected]

For more information, kindly visit Brunel University of London scholarship webpage.