CSC extends online application period for scholarship programmes with 19 universities in Australia, New Zealand and Canada

Summary

The China Scholarship Council has extended the online application period for its co-operative scholarship programmes with 19 universities in Australia, New Zealand and Canada, in a notice forwarded by the international office of Jiangxi Science and Technology Normal University on 4 September 2026. Colleges are asked to circulate the notice among staff and students and encourage applications, with the online deadline set for 30 September at 14:00. Applicants do not need to submit a foreign invitation letter or language test scores at the application stage, and may provide them after admission and before departure.

The notice is available at https://www. csc. edu.

cn/chuguo/s/4290 and https://www. csc. edu.

cn/chuguo/s/3626. The university's international office can be reached through Ms Yang on telephone 83820057, at No. 589 Xuefu Avenue, Hongjiaozhou, Nanchang, Jiangxi. The forwarded notice was issued by the Office of International Cooperation and Exchange and the Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan Affairs Office, and appears in the university's notices section.

Commentary

Several of New Zealand's eight public universities hold co-operative scholarship agreements with the China Scholarship Council, covering doctoral study and visiting scholars. China was once New Zealand's largest source of international students, accounting for about 35,000 registrations a year before the pandemic, or nearly 30 percent of the international student total. The CSC's extension for 19 universities in Australia, New Zealand and Canada to 30 September, with language scores and foreign invitation letters temporarily waived at the application stage, shows China is still actively promoting government-funded study abroad and lowering application barriers.

For New Zealand SMEs, more Chinese government-funded students entering local universities would directly lift spending on accommodation, retail and professional services. The group could also become a ready talent pool for firms engaging with the China market, particularly in market research, social media operations and cross-border communication. CSC programmes, however, generally require students to return to China for two years after completing their studies, meaning most government-funded students will not stay in New Zealand long term.

Firms relying on such talent for long-term overseas business expansion face the risk of frequent turnover. A waiver at the application stage also does not mean New Zealand immigration visa approvals have been relaxed; actual arrivals remain constrained by visa policy, and firms need to watch the conversion rate. On industry competition, Australia and New Zealand both appear on the extension list, so New Zealand universities must compete with Australia for quality students.

A more practical entry point for NZ SMEs may be to engage directly with local university international student offices, offering internships, part-time work or project collaboration, and building talent networks early. After the 30 September deadline, the actual intake and arrival rate at each university will be the first indicator of the policy's real impact on the local New Zealand economy.

Keywords: China Scholarship Council, co-operative scholarship programme, extension of online application period, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, 19 universities, application deadline, Jiangxi Science and Technology Normal University, government-funded study abroad

Source: None