Kenya's Ministry of Education invites applications for 15 Chinese Government Scholarships for 2027/2028, closing 18 November

Kenya's Ministry of Education has opened applications for 15 Chinese Government Scholarships for the 2027/2028 academic year, covering undergraduate, master's and PhD study at Chinese universities. Documents must reach the ministry's offices in Nairobi by 18 November 2026.

The ministry published the announcement on 5 November. It said it had received word of the scholarships from the Embassy of the People's Republic of China in Kenya. The round that closed on 28 November 2025 carried 10 scholarships, according to the ministry's advert that year.

The advert says documents must be delivered by 5pm on 18 November 2026. The ministry's web page for the announcement lists the application deadline as 12:00 on 18 November 2026.

Applicants at every level must meet the admission requirements of the universities they apply to, including academic ability and language proficiency, and must apply to those universities for admission; the universities issue admission letters. Nominated candidates sit a written examination and an interview organised by the Chinese Embassy. The ministry is the dispatching agent, and every applicant must pass through its preliminary selection.

Undergraduate applicants need a Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) mean grade of B (Plain) or its equivalent, must be no older than 25, and must have finished secondary school within the last three years. The advert also asks for strong grades in the subjects key to the chosen specialty.

Master's applicants need a bachelor's degree of at least Second-Class Upper Division and must be under 35. PhD applicants need a relevant master's degree from a recognised university and must be under 40.

The advert says anyone applying for a bachelor's degree must register for and sit the China Scholastic Competency Assessment (CSCA) on 19 December 2026 through the online portal www.csca.cn. The test has compulsory Chinese Language and Mathematics papers and selective Physics and Chemistry papers. The score report is mandatory for the application, and applicants should ask their chosen universities which subjects their major requires.

The application has two parts. First, applicants apply online on the China Scholarship Council website, www.campuschina.org, under "Scholarship Application for Students". They create an account, select programme category Type A and enter Agency Number 4041.

The online application requires:

• the completed online application form;
• a copy of the passport home page, with validity of more than a year from the expected start of study;
• notarised academic certificates and transcripts;
• the CSCA score report, for bachelor's applicants;
• pre-admission documents from the universities applied to;
• a study plan or research proposal of at least 200 words for undergraduates and 800 words for postgraduates;
• two recommendation letters from a professor or associate professor, for postgraduate applicants;
• a copy of the Foreigner Physical Examination Form;
• a valid Certificate of Good Conduct.

Applicants in art or design majors may upload their own works and send them to the universities directly. Uploaded documents must be clear, authentic and valid.

Second, applicants submit papers to the ministry: a copy of the online application form, the Standard Scholarship Application Form (available on the ministry's website), a copy of the Foreigner Physical Examination Form filled in by a medical practitioner, and certified copies of ID, academic and professional certificates, transcripts, birth certificate, passport and other testimonials. Postgraduates add the study plan and copies of the recommendation letters.

The papers go to The Director, Higher Education, Ministry of Education, Telposta Towers, P O Box 9583 – 00200, Nairobi, or by hand to Telposta Towers, 27th Floor, Room 2701. Certificates from foreign institutions must be recognised by the Commission for University Education.

Several requirements differ from the 2025 advert. The 2025 advert required HSK Level 3 Chinese for Chinese-taught undergraduate and general scholar programmes and HSK Level 4 for Chinese-taught master's and doctoral programmes. The 2027/2028 advert refers only to each university's language requirements. The CSCA dates were 21 December 2025 or 25 January 2026 in the earlier round, and the passport had to be valid beyond 1 March 2027.

The ministry's web page lists its contact as Jogoo House "B", Taifa Road, P.O. Box 300400-00100, Nairobi, email [email protected], telephone +254(0) 3318581.