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Studying at Osaka University under the "Chinese Government Graduate Student Overseas Study Program" [国家建設高水平大学公派研究生項目]

For the Chinese version of this page, click here.

[Updated: October 25, 2024]

Individuals who wish to earn a doctoral degree (CSC-OU Joint Scholarship Program)

Osaka University implements a tuition fee support system, the CSC-OU Joint Scholarship Program, for individuals who wish to study for a doctor's degree at an OU graduate school under the Chinese Government Graduate Student Overseas Study Program [国家建設高水平公派研究生項目] sponsored by the China Scholarship Council (CSC).

Approximately 20 Chinese students (tentative number) will be selected by the Osaka University International Affairs Committee for tuition fee support through this system.

Caution! The following individuals are not eligible for this program:

  • Individuals currently enrolled in a doctoral program at Osaka University
  • Students who do not plan on entering Osaka University in October 2025 or April 2026

Individuals who wish to apply for programs outside of the CSC-OU Joint Scholarship Program should ask their faculty advisor whether the graduate school of their choice will provide assistance with enrollment and tuition fees.

Please note that recipients of CSC scholarship programs other than CSC-OU Joint Scholarship Program are not eligible for the Osaka University Tuition Fee Exemption System.

1. Who is Eligible:

Individuals are eligible if they meet the conditions outlined in (1) and (2) listed below:

  1. Individuals who have completed a master's course at a university or Chinese Academy of Sciences and its affiliated institutes (specified on Attachment 1) and will receive their master's degree by the time they enter a doctoral program at the university.
  2. Individuals who have applied to the Chinese Government Scholarship program "Chinese Government Graduate Student Overseas Study Program" [国家建設高水平公派研究生項目] sponsored by the Chinese Government through the China Scholarship Council (CSC) and wish to enter Osaka University in order to acquire a doctoral degree. (Note: Applicants for the Graduate School of Frontier Biosciences are limited to 3rd year transfer students)

2. Acceptance period: October 2025 or April 2026

3. How to apply:

Eligible applicants are required to submit the required documents noted below to the faculty member who'd like to be their advisor.

Required documents:
All documents must be prepared in Japanese or English.

  1. Application form [PDF] [Word]
  2. Letter of recommendation written on Letterhead by a dean or academic advisor at the university to which the applicant belongs/belonged
  3. Certificates of (expected) master's degree from the university the applicant attends/attended. Certificates written in Chinese must be submitted with a certified Japanese or English translation.
  4. Transcript from the university the applicant attends/attended. Transcripts written in Chinese must be submitted with a certified Japanese or English translation.
  5. Any other documents required by the graduate school in which you wish to enroll.
  • Application deadline: Thursday, December 26, 2024 (Japan Standard Time)

*Applicants should make use of the Admission Assistance Desk to contact their faculty advisor.

Applicants can also find out if there are researchers at OU in their research area as well as their contact information through the Researcher Database.

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To those who wish to apply to the CSC-OU Joint Scholarship Program through the Admission Assistance Desk

  • The application deadline for the CSC-OU Joint Scholarship Program is Thursday, December 26, 2024 (Japan Standard Time); however, the application deadline for the Admission Assistance Desk (AAD) is Friday, December 13, 2024 (Japan Standard Time) for those who wish to apply to the CSC-OU Joint Scholarship Program through AAD.
  • Any applications to AAD received after Friday, December 13, 2024, will not be accepted.
  • Even after your application has been accepted by AAD, it may take some time before you are accepted by the faculty member of your choice. You should apply with plenty of time.
  • Thus, Osaka University cannot be held responsible if the response regarding your AAD application is not received in time to apply for the CSC-OU Joint Scholarship Program.

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4. Screening methods and result announcement

The graduate schools screen applicants' documents in accordance with the screening method defined by OU and then its International Affairs Committee will select scholarship recipients.

After successful applicants have been selected, graduate schools will send letters of acceptance* to those applicants. (early March 2025)

*Individuals who receive a letter of acceptance from The Chairperson of the International Affairs Committee at Osaka University are not required to submit a certificate stating that they passed a graduate school entrance examination at Osaka University when applying to the CSC.

5. Procedures after receiving a letter of acceptance

  1. Applicants who receive a letter of acceptance must submit their Chinese Government Graduate Student Overseas Study Program (CSC-OU Joint Scholarship Program) application to the CSC. (Please confirm the schedule with the CSC.)
  2. Once complete, applicants should then inform their faculty advisor of the results of their screening by the CSC.
  3. Applicants must then take the entrance examination for the doctoral program of the graduate school at Osaka University to which they wish to enter.
  4. Osaka University will then inform the CSC of the results of the above-mentioned entrance examination.
  5. Applicants who passed the CSC screening must promptly submit a copy of the certificate of Chinese Government Graduate Student Overseas Study Program issued by CSC (in both English and Chinese) during enrollment procedures for the graduate school of their choice.

6. Support details

Entrance examination, enrollment, and tuition fees will be exempted; however, only tuition fees for the standard course term of the doctoral program are covered by the university.

Note: Entrance examination fees that applicants paid through an application for a doctoral program in a graduate school will be returned after confirming that they have passed the CSC screening.

7. Please note

  • Documents submitted by applicants are not returnable.
  • This tuition fee support system will be implemented on the premise that CSC will recruit individuals who wish to study for a doctor's degree at an OU graduate school.
  • Doctoral students who have passed the selection process for the Chinese Government Graduate Student Overseas Study Program should comply with regulations outlined by Osaka University after entering the university.

Individuals who do not wish to earn a doctoral degree (Special Research Students)

Non-degree research students who wish to receive research advice at a graduate school within Osaka University are required to complete the following procedures.

1. Get in touch with the Osaka University faculty member who you would like to be your advisor and receive a letter of acceptance.

2. Confirm whether or not your university or graduate school has an academic exchange agreement through which students can attend OU without paying additional tuition on the university-to-university level and/or the school-to-school level.

*If your school is not in an exchange agreement with Osaka University, you must pay tuition fees while studying at the university.

a) If your university is in an inter-university exchange agreement with OU...

Apply for the Frontier Lab Program for international exchange students at OU through the division in charge of student exchange at your university.

  • For admission in April: Nominations from your university to OU are due the previous August
  • For admission in October: Nominations from your university to OU are due in February

Note that the application deadline at your university is likely earlier than the nomination deadline at Osaka University, so make sure to confirm the specific details that pertain to you.

Following your nomination, follow the instructions from the division in charge of student exchange at OU.

You must then apply to receive your letter of acceptance to the division in charge of student exchange at Osaka University through the division in charge of student exchange at your university after your university completes the nomination procedures.

b) If your university is in an inter-faculty exchange agreement with OU...

Apply for the exchange program based on the inter-faculty exchange agreement with OU through the division in charge of student exchange at your university.

The deadline for nominations differs depending on the graduate school at Osaka University. Confirm this deadline with the division in charge of student exchange at your university.

Following your nomination, follow the instructions from the graduate school of your choice at OU.

After your university completes the nomination procedures for the graduate school of your choice at OU, apply for the letter of acceptance to the division in charge of academic affairs through the faculty member who you wish to be your advisor.

c) If your university is not in an exchange agreement with OU...

Contact the division in charge of academic affairs via the faculty member who you wish to be your advisor and express that you wish to enter the university as a special research student.

Perform enrollment procedures according to the directions from the division in charge of academic affairs.

Apply for the letter of acceptance to the division in charge of academic affairs through the faculty member who you wish to be your advisor after your enrollment to the university has been approved.


To faculty members who will be accepted students

- Regarding documents that require an advisor's signature

For documents created by international students such as invitation letters and language proofs that require a signature from a faculty advisor, please contact your graduate school or the International Student Support Section of the International Student Affairs Division (csc.program@ml.office.osaka-u.ac.jp) and request for content check of the documents in question.

(Please sign the document(s) after they have been checked and are returned to you.) 　

- Procedures regarding security export control when accepting international students

Consult with Security Export Control and Research Integrity Staff, Research Promotion Division, Department of Research Promotion regarding any high-risk acceptance of students.


For more information about this program, contact:

International Student Support Staff
International Student Affairs Division
Department of International Affairs
Osaka University
Email: csc.program@ml.office.osaka-u.ac.jp

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