Brunel–CSC PhD Scholarship 2026/27

The Brunel University of London and China Scholarship Council (CSC) PhD Scholarship 2026/27 offers academically outstanding Chinese students the opportunity to pursue doctoral research in any discipline at Brunel University, UK. This partnership provides 20 fully funded scholarships for studies starting in October 2026 or January 2027.

Summary

1. Application Deadline: January 9, 2026
2. Value: Full tuition (by Brunel) + stipend, insurance, airfare, and visa reimbursement (by CSC)
3. Study Level: PhD
4. Sponsor: Brunel University London/ China Scholarship Council (CSC)
5. Eligible Country: China

Eligibility Criteria for Brunel–CSC PhD Scholarship 2026/27

1. 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.
2. Applicants must have a strong academic background.
3. Applicants must meet academic and English entry requirements set by the University (https://www.brunel.ac.uk/research/Research-degrees ).
4. Applicants will require a visa to enter and study in the UK (https://www.brunel.ac.uk/international/visas-and-immigration ).
5. Students currently registered for a PhD programme 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.
6. Applicants must also fulfill the CSC’s criteria. Please see details from CSC’s website: https://www.csc.edu.cn/chuguo

Benefits of Brunel–CSC PhD Scholarship 2026/27

1. Full tuition fees (up to 48 months)
2. Monthly stipend for living costs
3. Medical insurance
4. International round-trip airfare (China–UK)
5. Visa application fee reimbursement

How to Apply

Before applying to CSC, an applicant must have applied for and received an offer to study at Brunel on a PhD programme. 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 (expected 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: internationalsponsorship@brunel.ac.uk

For more details, visit Brunel University Scholarship webpage

Application Deadline

January 9, 2026

Application Link(s)

• Apply for Brunel–CSC PhD Scholarship 2026/27