Scholarships to study in China, Korea or Japan: CSC, GKS, MEXT and the other programmes in 2027

Information checked on 2 November 2026.

Three Asian states fund African students every year from bachelor's to doctorate: China with the Chinese Government Scholarship (CSC), Korea with the Global Korea Scholarship (GKS) and Japan with the MEXT scholarship. All three pay tuition and a monthly allowance, but none of them is something you just apply for online: the application almost always goes through the host country's embassy in your country, or through a university that has its own places. This guide compares the scholarships to study in China, Korea or Japan, with their language of instruction, language year, calendar and pitfalls. Each programme has a detailed page in our scholarship directory (in French).

Scholarships to study in China, Korea or Japan in one table

Amounts come from the official rules consulted: when an amount is not published, we say so.

Chinese Government Scholarship (CSC): embassy track or university track

The Chinese Government Scholarship, managed by the China Scholarship Council, covers registration and tuition fees, university housing, medical insurance, a one-off settlement allowance and a monthly stipend. The rules applied by Central South University set it at 2,500 RMB for a bachelor's, 3,000 RMB for a master's and 3,500 RMB for a doctorate.

There are two ways in:

Age limits are strict: under 25 for a bachelor's, under 35 for a master's, under 40 for a doctorate. For language, the notice from the embassy in Indonesia requires HSK 4 for a master's or doctorate taught in Chinese, HSK 3 for a non-degree stay, and IELTS or TOEFL according to the university for an English-taught programme. Bachelor's applicants must sit the CSCA test, with a test date after 1 March 2025.

One point not to forget: the international plane ticket is not included, as the Indonesian notice states. Many embassies also ask for a pre-admission letter from a Chinese university: contact universities from the autumn. The details are on the Chinese Government Scholarship page (in French).

MOFCOM: the Chinese scholarship for public servants

The scholarship of the Chinese Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) is part of development aid. It targets master's and doctorate only, within an annual list of English-taught programmes (40 programmes in 2026). Each applicant chooses just one. The route is national: your ministry nominates you, you fill in the university application (and the CSC one if required, type A with agency number 00010), then the Chinese embassy interviews you. In Uganda, files were due by 6 May 2026. This programme mainly suits a civil servant or manager already in post. See the MOFCOM scholarship page (in French).

Schwarzman Scholars and Yenching Academy: the excellence master's

Two Chinese master's programmes are applied for directly online, with no embassy:

• Schwarzman Scholars, at Tsinghua University: a one-year master's in global affairs, fully funded. You must be at least 18 and under 29 on 1 August of the entry year, hold a bachelor's degree and, as a non-native speaker, have a TOEFL of 100, an IELTS of 7 or a Duolingo of 130. The file includes a two-page CV, a 750-word leadership essay, a 500-word statement, three recommendations and a one-minute video. For the 2028-2029 class, applications run from April to September 2027, with interviews in late October and early November. See Schwarzman Scholars (in French).
• Yenching Academy, at Peking University: a two-year master's in China studies. The first-year fellowship covers tuition, on-campus housing, one round trip, a monthly stipend, basic insurance and research costs; the second year is applied for afterwards. The deadline for the 2027 intake is 30 November 2026 at 9 am, Beijing time. See Yenching Academy (in French).

Global Korea Scholarship (GKS) and KOICA: the Korean scholarships

GKS master's and doctorate

The GKS starts with one year of Korean, followed by two years of master's or three years of doctorate. The 2026 guide requires applicants to be under 40 (born after 1 September 1986), to have an average of at least 80% or rank in the top 20% of their class, and sets the allowance at 14.4 million won a year during the language year, 16.56 million in a degree programme and 20.88 million in a research programme. The economy-class plane ticket and tuition are covered. To move on to the degree programme, you must reach TOPIK level 3 (the official Korean test); some departments ask for more.

Again, two tracks: the embassy track, with a quota per country (10 places in Ethiopia in 2026, files from 12 to 25 February), and the university track, directly with a Korean university (13 places for Ethiopia the same year). The Korean embassy in Ethiopia warns that the 2027 calendar is not yet confirmed. See the GKS master's and doctorate page (in French).

GKS undergraduate

The undergraduate GKS follows the same principle, with a year of Korean before four years of study. The calendar is shifted: for the 2027 cycle, the Korean embassy in Kenya received files from 15 to 30 September 2026, with an interview on 14 October. Kenya's quota was one place in the general track and one in the R-GKS track. The rule to remember: one track per applicant, a double application leads to disqualification. The next cycle should open at the same time in 2027. See the GKS undergraduate page (in French).

KOICA

The scholarship of the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) is for public servants nominated by their government, under 40, who will keep working for the state after the degree. It covers travel, tuition, housing, insurance, a monthly allowance and a completion grant. Dates change from country to country: Saint Lucia closed its 2027 call on 27 July 2026. Watch your ministry of public service or education. See the KOICA page (in French).

Japan's MEXT scholarship: research, undergraduate and ABE Initiative

MEXT research student (master's, doctorate)

Japan's Ministry of Education recruits through its embassies. For arrival in 2027, recruitment took place in April and May 2026, and the first screening from May to July. The 2027 guide requires applicants to be born on or after 2 April 1992 and willing to learn Japanese. The allowance is 143,000 yen a month during the preparatory phase, 144,000 for a master's and 145,000 for a doctorate. There is also a route through recommendation by a Japanese university, according to its quotas. Never send your file directly to the ministry in Tokyo: everything goes through the embassy. See MEXT research (in French).

MEXT undergraduate

This is one of the few full scholarships open straight after secondary school. The 2027 guide requires applicants to be born on or after 2 April 2002 and to have completed twelve years of schooling. The scholarship lasts five years, from April 2027 to March 2032, including one preparatory year of Japanese and core subjects. It pays 117,000 yen a month, tuition and travel, but housing is at the student's expense.

The embassy selection includes a written exam without a calculator: Japanese, English and mathematics for humanities and social sciences, with chemistry plus physics or biology for sciences. Japanese is tested even if you do not speak it yet: it is used for placement. See MEXT undergraduate (in French) and our article on scholarships open straight after secondary school.

ABE Initiative (JICA)

The ABE Initiative funds a master's in Japan followed by an internship in a Japanese company, for young African professionals aged 40 or under. The 13th batch was introduced in Kigali on 22 August 2026 and left for Japan in September 2026 (six Rwandans, five Kenyans, four Tanzanians, four Zambians, three Ugandans). The call is relayed by the JICA office or the ministry of each country, usually in summer. See ABE Initiative (in French).

Language of instruction and language year

An English test is almost always required. Our comparison IELTS, TOEFL or Duolingo helps you choose the one that will be accepted.

Typical calendar for a start in Asia

Exact dates change every year and from one country to another. Turn on scholarship alerts (in French): we only send reminders for dates confirmed by an official source.

Being realistic before applying

• Quotas are tiny. One or two GKS undergraduate places in Kenya, ten GKS master's places in Ethiopia: your file must be strong, and it is better to aim for several programmes at once.
• The scholarship does not pay for everything. No outbound flight for the CSC according to the Indonesian notice, no housing for MEXT undergraduate: budget for these.
• Language takes time. A year of Korean or Japanese is enough only if you work hard; failing TOPIK 3 blocks entry to the GKS master's.
• Age limits rule people out. Check your date of birth before writing anything.
• Nobody sells a government scholarship. CSC, GKS and MEXT applications are free. Our article on scholarship scams lists the warning signs.

To place these scholarships among all the others, start with our guide to fully funded scholarships for African students.

Preparing your application with Compatri

Open the page of the scholarship you want, then click "Candidater": the application tracker (in French) lays out the steps in order and reminds you of the deadline for your nationality. For the letter, use our guides on the motivation letter for a scholarship and the recommendation letter. Diaspora members who have studied in China, Korea or Japan volunteer as mentors: a connection request with a message is enough to ask them your questions.

Compatri awards no scholarship and does not replace official sources: only embassy notices and programme guides are authoritative.

Sources

• Chinese embassy in Indonesia: Chinese Government Scholarship 2027-2028
• Central South University: Chinese Government Scholarship rules
• Uganda Ministry of Education: 2026 MOFCOM scholarship guidance
• Schwarzman Scholars: admissions
• Schwarzman Scholars: programme overview
• Yenching Academy: 2027 call
• Korean embassy in Ethiopia: GKS master's and doctorate 2026
• GKS-G 2026 guidelines (NIIED), published by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs
• Korean embassy in Kenya: GKS undergraduate 2027
• Government of Saint Lucia: KOICA scholarship 2027
• Study in Japan: MEXT research students
• MEXT research guidelines 2027
• Study in Japan: MEXT undergraduate
• MEXT undergraduate guidelines 2027
• JICA Rwanda: introduction of the 13th ABE Initiative batch