Thirty percent of Yenching Academy graduates end up at Oxford, Cambridge, Harvard, Yale or the University of Chicago for their PhDs.
Others go to UNESCO the European Commission, Google, the British Embassy in Beijing or UNDP. Some move into government. Others into finance tech or multinational corporations.
That alumni trajectory tells you something important about what the Yenching Academy Scholarship actually represents. Not just two years of funded study in Beijing but a credential that opens doors most Master’s programs cannot reach.
Applications for the 2027 Yenching Academy Scholarship cohort are now open. The deadline is 30 November 2026.
At a Glance
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Scholarship | Yenching Academy Scholarship 2027 |
| University | Peking University |
| Degree | Master’s in China Studies |
| Duration | 2 years |
| Funding | Fully funded |
| Cohort size | About 120 students |
| Open to | Chinese mainland and international students |
| Field restriction | All disciplines welcome |
| Deadline | 30 November 2026 |
What the Scholarship Covers
The Yenching Academy Scholarship is fully funded. There are no tuition fees to pay, no accommodation costs and no gap to fill from personal savings for core study expenses.
The package includes:
- Full tuition fees
- Accommodation in Yenching Academy House on Peking University’s campus
- Monthly living stipend
- Round trip airfare
- Research related expenses
- Basic medical insurance
For international students the airfare inclusion is a meaningful practical benefit. It removes the upfront relocation cost that often makes otherwise funded programs financially difficult to access.
The Program Itself
Yenching Academy is a postgraduate college within Peking University one of Asia’s most respected research universities. The Master’s program runs for two years and centers on China Studies approached from an interdisciplinary angle.
Scholars choose one of six research areas:
- Economics and Management
- History and Archaeology
- Philosophy and Religion
- Politics and International Relations
- Law and Society
- Literature and Culture
The degree awarded reflects the chosen research area. Graduates receive a Peking University Master’s degree in
- Law
- Economics
- History
- Literature
- or Philosophy depending on their specialization with China Studies as the program framework.
The cohort is intentionally international. Roughly 80 percent of students come from outside mainland China. Around 30 to 35 percent are from Europe 25 to 30 percent from the US and Canada and the remainder from the rest of the world. The environment is designed for cross-cultural academic exchange not just area studies.
A Practical Note on Age
The Yenching Academy does not publish a strict age cutoff. However the academy has observed that no applicant over 28 has been admitted to the program.
This is not a formal rule. It is a pattern worth knowing before investing significant time in an application. Candidates significantly past that threshold should factor this into their decision about whether to apply.
Who Can Apply
Eligibility is broad by design.
Applicants must hold or be completing a Bachelor’s degree in any discipline with graduation expected no later than 31 August 2027. There are no field restrictions. Engineers, lawyers, historians, scientists and social scientists all compete in the same pool.
Strong applications typically demonstrate:
- An outstanding academic record
- Genuine interest in interdisciplinary China Studies
- Leadership potential and community engagement
- Extracurricular involvement and social responsibility
- English proficiency meeting the program’s requirements
The academy is looking for intellectually curious people who can contribute to a diverse discussion driven academic environment not just high GPAs.
English Proficiency Requirements
Standard scores accepted:
| Test | Minimum Score |
|---|---|
| IELTS Academic | 7.0 overall |
| TOEFL iBT | 100 overall |
| Cambridge English Advanced | 185 |
| CET 6 | 600 |
| TEM 4 | Pass at “良好” or above |
All test scores must have been taken after 1 September 2024.
Exemptions apply in the following cases:
- International applicants whose native language is English
- Applicants who completed an undergraduate degree or above taught entirely in English
Two groups are not exempt regardless of previous education. Applicants from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan must submit scores and mainland Chinese applicants must submit scores. Those from HMT without scores will be required to take English as a Second Language upon enrollment.
How to Apply for Yenching Academy Scholarship
This is where many applicants lose time by starting in the wrong place.
The route into Yenching Academy depends on where you are from and whether your university is a Yenching partner institution.
- If your university is a Yenching partner institution then you must apply through your home university’s internal pre-selection process first before submitting to Yenching Academy directly. Check with your university’s international office to confirm whether this applies to you and what the internal deadline is. It will almost certainly be earlier than 30 November.
- If you are an international applicant outside partner universities, apply directly through the Yenching Academy application portal.
- If you are from Hong Kong, Macao or Taiwan, apply through both the Yenching Academy portal and complete a supplementary application through the Peking University Graduate Admissions website.
- If you are a mainland Chinese applicant, follow the separate application process outlined on the official Yenching Academy website.
Apply Now for Yenching Academy Scholarship
The 30 November deadline applies to the Yenching portal submission. Partner university internal deadlines are typically earlier. Confirm your specific route and timeline before you start writing a single document.
Documents You Will Need
Prepare these before opening the application form:
- Completed online application form
- Personal statement 750 words maximum
- Statement of Research Interest 1500 words maximum excluding citations
- Curriculum Vitae
- Official academic transcripts
- Diploma or Certificate of Enrollment
- Two academic letters of recommendation
- English proficiency test score unless exempt
The personal statement and research statement are two different documents with different purposes. The personal statement covers who you are and why Yenching. The research statement explains what you want to investigate and how. It should be specific to one of the six research areas and grounded in existing scholarship.
Reusing a generic statement of purpose for the research statement is one of the most common application mistakes. Reviewers at a China Studies program can identify a recycled document quickly.