The Yenching Academy Scholarship 2027 is a fully funded master’s fellowship at Peking University in China for international students interested in interdisciplinary China Studies. Applications for the 2027 cohort open on September 1, 2026, and the deadline for international applicants is November 30, 2026, at 9:00 a.m. Beijing time.
Scholarship Overview
| Field | Details |
|---|---|
| Scholarship Provider | Yenching Academy of Peking University |
| University | Peking University |
| Country | China |
| Degree | Master’s degree |
| Study Level | Graduate / Master’s |
| Funding Type | Fully funded fellowship |
| Eligibility | International applicants with a bachelor’s degree, outstanding academic record, interest in interdisciplinary China Studies, leadership/community involvement and English proficiency |
| Deadline | November 30, 2026, 9:00 a.m. Beijing time |
| Status | Open for 2027 applications |
| Official Source | Yenching Academy Admissions |
About Yenching Academy Scholarship 2027
The Yenching Academy Scholarship 2027 is the fellowship attached to the Yenching Academy of Peking University’s Master’s Program in China Studies. It is not a separate scholarship that students apply for after gaining admission. Students admitted to the Yenching Academy receive the Yenching Fellowship. The academy describes the program as an English-taught, interdisciplinary master’s program designed to study China through multiple humanities and social-science perspectives.
For the 2027 cycle, the academy is recruiting the next cohort of Yenching Scholars, with applications for international candidates opening on September 1, 2026.
Who Provides the Yenching Fellowship?
Yenching Academy is the academic institution administering the program and fellowship. It operates within Peking University and handles the Yenching Academy application and selection process.
The program is hosted by Peking University, one of China’s major research universities. Successful applicants ultimately receive admission through Peking University.
Purpose of the Program
Yenching Academy Master’s Program in China Studies is an interdisciplinary master’s program rather than a conventional master’s degree restricted to one academic department.
The program examines China’s history, society, economy, politics, culture and international role. Students select a research area while taking courses that cross traditional disciplinary boundaries. The academy describes the program as specifically designed to move China Studies beyond conventional humanities and social-science disciplines.
Academic level
Graduate level
The Yenching Academy program is a postgraduate program. Applicants must already hold a bachelor’s degree or be completing one and be on track to graduate by the specified deadline.
Degree
Master’s degree
Students who successfully complete the required coursework and thesis requirements receive a master’s degree from Peking University. The program lasts two years.
Field of study
The program covers six principal research areas:
- Economics and Management
- History and Archaeology
- Law and Society
- Literature and Culture
- Philosophy and Religion
- Politics and International Relations
This means an applicant does not need an undergraduate degree specifically in China Studies. The academy accepts bachelor’s degrees in any field, while the applicant must demonstrate a strong interest in interdisciplinary China Studies.
Funding
The Yenching Fellowship is a fully funded fellowship. The official 2027 admissions page confirms that the fellowship includes tuition, accommodation, a monthly stipend, one round-trip travel fare and field-study costs.
Funding type
Fully funded fellowship
The fellowship is designed to cover the principal costs associated with studying at Yenching Academy.
Award amount
The official 2027 admissions page does not state a fixed monetary award amount. There is no fixed total scholarship amount published on the official 2027 admissions page.
Tuition coverage
Full tuition. The Yenching Fellowship covers the tuition fees associated with the Yenching Academy program.
Living allowance
Monthly stipend. Yenching Scholars receive a monthly stipend.
Travel allowance
One round-trip travel fare. The fellowship includes one round-trip journey between the scholar’s base city and Beijing. The academy’s published fellowship information explains that the base city must be a city within the country of the scholar’s nationality and that the cost is calculated by Yenching Academy.
Accommodation
Accommodation is covered. The fellowship provides accommodation support. The first-year fellowship information specifically identifies accommodation in the Yenching Academy House as part of the fellowship.
Insurance
Basic medical insurance. Yenching Academy’s official fellowship information states that the first-year Yenching Fellowship includes basic medical insurance.
Other benefits
Field-study costs
The official 2027 admissions page specifically lists field study costs among the fellowship benefits. Yenching Scholars also participate in field studies and research activities as part of the program.
Duration
Two-year master’s program
However, the fellowship structure requires an important distinction:
- The initial Yenching Fellowship covers the first academic year.
- Students who maintain good academic standing can apply for second-year fellowship support.
- International students can choose whether to remain in Beijing during the second year for thesis completion and defense.
- Students who continue in Beijing and meet the requirements can apply for the second-year fellowship.
Yenching Academy Scholarship Eligibility
Eligible nationalities
For the international applicant route, applicants must be non-Chinese citizens with a valid passport. The 2027 admissions page specifically states this requirement. Former Chinese citizens who have emigrated and apply as international students have additional citizenship documentation requirements.
International students
Yes. The 2027 Yenching Academy admission cycle explicitly accepts international candidates. The current cycle is open to international applicants from September 1, 2026, with the deadline on November 30, 2026.
Domestic students
Yes, through a separate process. Mainland Chinese applicants do not use the same international application route. The official admissions page directs Mainland Chinese candidates to the Peking University Graduate School application process.
Minimum GPA
No specific minimum GPA is published. Yenching Academy requires an outstanding academic record, but the current official admissions information does not establish a minimum GPA such as 3.0, 3.5 or 3.7. This distinction matters. “No minimum GPA published” does not mean that academic performance is unimportant. Academic excellence is explicitly part of the eligibility criteria.
Academic requirement
Applicants must:
- hold a bachelor’s degree; or
- be currently enrolled in a bachelor’s program and on track to graduate by August 31 of the enrollment year;
- have an outstanding academic record;
- demonstrate a strong interest in interdisciplinary China Studies;
- demonstrate extracurricular achievement, community engagement, social responsibility and leadership potential.
The bachelor’s degree can be in any field.
English requirement
Applicants must demonstrate English proficiency unless they qualify for an exemption.
The official 2027 admissions page lists several accepted English qualifications, including IELTS, TOEFL, Cambridge English, CET 6 and TEM 4.
IELTS
IELTS Academic: overall 7.0. The published requirement is an overall IELTS Academic score of 7.0.
TOEFL
TOEFL iBT: overall 100. The published TOEFL requirement is an overall 100 on the TOEFL iBT. The academy also states that it does not accept TOEFL MyBest Scores or TOEFL iBT Home Edition for this application cycle.
English-language exemption
International applicants whose native language is English, or who have graduated from an English-taught degree program at undergraduate level or above, do not need to submit an English proficiency test report. This is particularly important because meeting the IELTS/TOEFL requirement is not the only route to satisfying the English-language requirement.
Yenching Academy Scholarship Age Requirement
No formal maximum age. Yenching Academy states that it does not have a strict age cutoff.
However, the academy’s official FAQ says that, excluding recipients of the Zhuoyue Scholarship, no person over 29 has been admitted to the program, while the average age of entering students is 23.
Work experience
Not required. The published eligibility criteria do not establish a mandatory work-experience requirement. The selection criteria instead emphasize academic achievement, China Studies interest, extracurricular achievement, community engagement, social responsibility and leadership potential.
Other requirements
Applicants need more than academic qualifications.
Yenching Academy evaluates applicants on:
- Academic excellence
- Interest in interdisciplinary China Studies
- Extracurricular achievement
- Community engagement
- Social responsibility
- Leadership potential
Applicants must also submit two academic recommendation letters. The current admissions page states that recommendations must come from full professors, associate professors or equivalent academics, and the recommenders should be in the applicant’s intended field of study.
Students and alumni of Yenching Academy Partner Universities have an additional requirement: they must first complete their university’s internal pre-selection process before submitting for the Yenching.
Application Deadline
The application deadline for Yenching Academy Scholarship 2027 – Yenching Fellowship is November 30, 2026.
Applicants should submit all required materials before this date and verify any last-minute changes through the official scholarship source.
How to Apply for the Yenching Academy Scholarship
Application method
This application is done Online.
International applicants apply through the Yenching Academy application system.
The application requires several documents, including:
- Online application form
- Personal statement of up to 750 words
- Statement of Research Interest of up to 1,500 words
- Curriculum vitae
- Official academic transcripts
- Diploma or certificate of enrollment
- Two academic recommendation letters
- Required English-language documentation, where applicable
Official Application URL
Applicants should use the official Yenching Academy application portal rather than third-party scholarship websites.
Yenching Academy Application Portal
Deadline
November 30, 2026. This is the official deadline for the 2027 cohort for international candidates.
Deadline time
9:00 a.m.
The application deadline is not midnight. The official deadline is: November 30, 2026, at 9:00 a.m. Beijing time.
This is an important detail for applicants because submitting on November 30 after 9:00 a.m. Beijing time is outside the stated application window.
Timezone
Beijing Time / China Standard Time (UTC+8). The deadline should therefore be converted carefully for applicants outside China.
Opening date
September 1, 2026
Applications for the 2027 cohort opened on September 1, 2026.
Status
Open
The official Yenching Academy website confirms that applications for the September 2027 intake are open to international candidates and candidates from China’s Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan regions.
Cycle
2027 cohort / September 2027 intake
The current recruitment cycle is for students entering the Yenching Academy Master’s Program in September 2027. The academy’s 2026 cohort announcement confirms that the 2027 recruitment cycle runs from September to December 2026.
Bottom line
The Yenching Academy Scholarship 2027 is a fully funded master’s fellowship at Peking University for international students pursuing interdisciplinary China Studies. It covers tuition, accommodation, a monthly stipend, one round-trip travel fare and field-study costs, with basic medical insurance also identified in Yenching Academy’s official fellowship information. The master’s program lasts two years, but the initial fellowship covers the first academic year, with second-year support available through a separate application for eligible students.
For the 2027 cycle, international applications opened September 1, 2026, and the application deadline is November 30, 2026, at 9:00 a.m. Beijing time.
