Shanghai Government Scholarship (SGS)

SGS operates on two distinct funding tiers. Type A is a fully comprehensive scholarship covering full tuition fees, on-campus dormitory accommodation, comprehensive medical insurance, and a monthly living stipend (¥2,500 for Bachelor's students, ¥3,000 for Master's students, and ¥3,500 for PhD students). Type B provides a partial scholarship covering tuition fees and medical insurance only - no housing allowance or monthly stipend is included. Most international students apply specifically for Type A, as it enables studying in Shanghai without any personal financial support.

Because SGS is administered institution by institution rather than through a single national portal, each of the 30+ participating universities sets its own application window. The majority of application deadlines fall between January and May, though some open as early as November for the following academic year. This staggered structure is a significant strategic advantage: students can apply to multiple Shanghai universities simultaneously, using separate applications, and can often submit SGS applications well after the national CSC scholarship window has closed. SGS therefore functions as both a primary application target and an effective backup for students who missed national scholarship deadlines.

From 2026 onward, all undergraduate (Bachelor's level) applicants to Shanghai universities - including SGS applicants - must pass the CSCA (China Scholastic Competency Assessment) before submitting their application. The CSCA is administered at csca.cn and is held five times per year (January, March, April, June, and December). Mathematics is compulsory for all candidates; the Chinese language component is waived for English-medium program applicants; scores are valid for two years. Master's and PhD applicants are not subject to the CSCA requirement.

Shanghai's university ecosystem is one of the most internationally oriented in China. English is widely used in academic settings, and students at Fudan or SJTU benefit from world-class research facilities, joint programs with global partner universities, and extensive internship pipelines connecting students to multinational corporations, international hospitals, and research institutions based in Shanghai. The city's biotech, finance, manufacturing, and technology sectors are among Asia's most developed.