Article Summary
● The Chinese Language Scholarship Programme is intended for bachelor's-degree holders working in educational positions, and aims to award a master's degree in teaching Chinese to non-native speakers.
● Applicants must be no older than 40 and must have at least three years of service in an educational position, along with a professional teaching licence at one of the three levels.
● Previous knowledge of Chinese is not required to apply, but applicants must pass a preparatory course in basic Chinese before travelling.
● After returning, scholarship recipients undertake to teach Chinese in Saudi schools for a period equal to the duration of their scholarship.
The Chinese Language Scholarship Programme offered by Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Education provides an opportunity for male and female teachers who want to pursue a master’s degree in China at government expense.
The programme is part of the Kingdom’s strategic direction to develop qualified educators in important languages, with Chinese among the leading priorities.
If you work in an educational position and hope to benefit from this opportunity, this article answers the key questions you need to consider before applying.
What Is the Chinese Language Study Scholarship Programme?
The Chinese-language overseas scholarship programme is a government initiative supervised by the Saudi Ministry of Education. It targets bachelor’s-degree holders working in educational positions, sending them to the People’s Republic of China to earn a master’s degree in Teaching Chinese to Speakers of Other Languages.
The programme has a clear educational purpose: preparing teachers who can teach Chinese at different levels of schooling in Saudi Arabia. The Ministry coordinates directly with institutes and universities teaching Chinese in China to secure places for nominated candidates at accredited academic institutions.
The Chinese-language scholarship programme is organised for the academic year 1447–1448 AH / 2025–2026, with several implementation stages running from registration through the Faris system to the final scholarship decision.
Also explore: Scholarship opportunities for female teachers: programmes, requirements, and applications.
Chinese Language Scholarship Application Requirements Set by the Ministry of Education
The Ministry of Education’s official scholarship programme guide sets out requirements that applicants must meet in full before applying.
Here are the complete Chinese-language scholarship eligibility conditions:
| Requirement | Details |
|---|---|
| Age | Must be no older than 40 at the time of application |
| Years of service | At least three years in an educational position |
| Professional licence | Must hold a professional teaching licence (Practitioner, Advanced, or Expert) |
| Bachelor’s degree classification | Must have graduated with at least a Good classification |
| Performance evaluation | At least Excellent in each of the previous two years (1445 AH and 1446 AH) |
| Professional conduct | No breach of professional duties or disciplinary penalty during the previous two years |
| Commitment | Must undertake to teach Chinese after returning, for a period equal to the scholarship duration |
| Previous scholarships | Must not have withdrawn from, or declined, a previous scholarship |
| Interviews | Must pass the interview at the education department and the final interview at the Ministry |
| Preparatory course | Must pass a Chinese-language preparatory course before joining the programme |
| Cultural compatibility assessment | Must pass the cultural compatibility assessment |
If even one of these requirements is not met, the application will not be accepted even when the other documents are complete. Review your employment status carefully before starting your application.
Read also: Saudi overseas scholarship requirements 2026.
Do You Need to Know Chinese Before Applying for the Scholarship?
No. You do not have to be proficient in Chinese or even know the basics before applying. That is what distinguishes this Chinese-language scholarship from many study-abroad programmes that require applicants to demonstrate a certain language level before admission.
However, the Ministry of Education has established another key requirement: passing a preparatory Chinese-language course before joining the academic programme in China. The course has two stages:
- Initial preparation: Starting at the end of March 2026 and lasting approximately three months.
- Final candidate approval: Results from the course are used to determine the final nominated candidates.
In other words, the Ministry does not expect you to know Chinese beforehand, but it assesses your ability to learn the language and successfully complete the preparation stage. Failing the course may prevent a final scholarship decision, even if you passed all previous application stages.
Read also: Business Administration scholarships 2026.
What IELTS Score Is Required for the Chinese Language Scholarship?
The IELTS Academic band score required for scholarships to study Chinese, particularly Ministry of Education programmes, usually ranges from 4.5 to 5.5 as a minimum.
For educational scholarships in China, a score of 4.5 is often required, while international universities offering programmes in English may require 5.5 or higher. Passing Chinese HSK tests is also important.
Details of the IELTS Scores Required for Scholarships to China
- The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Scholarship Programme (China): A minimum IELTS Academic band of 4.5 is required for undergraduate and master’s studies. See the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Scholarship Programme.
- General university requirements: In other cases, a minimum of 5.5 (TOEFL iBT 46) may be required for admission to some programmes.
- Chinese-language teachers: Scholarships commonly require an HSK 4 certificate (a score of 210 or above) and an intermediate HSKK certificate.
- English-medium programmes: If the programme is taught in English in China, universities usually require 6.0 or higher.
Always check the Ministry of Education’s latest scholarship requirements, because conditions may vary by scholarship type and destination university.
Read also: The difference between IELTS General Training and Academic.
How Can You Achieve the IELTS Score Required for Scholarships to China?
If you are aiming for a scholarship pathway that requires English proficiency, knowing your current band score is a step you should not skip.
The GoIELTS platform offers a free full IELTS mock test based on official Cambridge content, the same content released by the organisation involved in preparing the actual exam, helping your practice band score reflect your current level accurately.
The platform does more than provide a score. It also gives you:
- Immediate AI assessments of Writing and Speaking, with accuracy of up to ±0.5 band.
- An interface matching the official test 100%, so test day brings no surprises.
- Detailed analysis of your strengths and weaknesses across all four language skills.
- Tracking of your progress through predictive models estimating your expected score in the real test.
All this is available without buying printed books or waiting for a human examiner.
Start your free mock test now to find out exactly how close you are to the score required for a scholarship.
Read also: Your guide to getting IELTS Band 5.5 or higher.
How to Apply for the Chinese Language Scholarship
Applications for scholarships to study Chinese are submitted entirely through the electronic Faris system, the Ministry of Education’s official employee services platform.
Your application file must be uploaded in PDF format by following these steps:
- Sign in to your employee account in the Faris system.
- Select the “Employee Self-Service” permission.
- Choose the “Scholarship Service” for male or female teachers.
- Select “General Scholarship and Chinese Language Scholarship Application”.
- Enter the required personal and employment information.
- Upload the required documents in PDF format, as follows:
- A copy of your bachelor’s degree certificate.
- A copy of your professional teaching licence (Expert / Advanced / Practitioner).
- Copies of your performance evaluations for 1445 AH and 1446 AH, both graded Excellent.
- A one-page CV.
- A copy of your national ID.
- A copy of a valid passport with at least three years of remaining validity.
- A handwritten and signed undertaking, certified by your immediate supervisor, to teach Chinese after returning.
Read also: The Mawhiba Scholarship Programme.
Application Timeline for the Chinese Language Scholarship Programme
| Stage | Approximate period each year |
|---|---|
| Registration and application submission | 28 October – 20 November |
| Application screening and education-department interviews | 23 November – 11 December |
| Final personal interviews at the Ministry | 4 January – 22 January (following year) |
| Enrolment in the preparatory course | 30 March – 3 July |
| Final scholarship decisions issued | 12 July – 23 July |
| Pre-departure scholarship orientation forum | 27 and 28 July |
Make sure you upload all required documents correctly and during the specified period. An incomplete application will be rejected automatically without notification.
Read also: The Cultural Scholarship Programme — application guide, requirements and majors.
What Commitments Must Scholarship Recipients Fulfil After Completing the Chinese Language Programme?
The partnership between the scholarship recipient and the Ministry of Education is based on a clear, legally binding principle: the government funds your scholarship in exchange for your commitment to serve after returning.
Specifically, the scholarship recipient undertakes the following:
First: Subject-specialisation commitment — To teach Chinese in general-education schools according to the Ministry of Education’s needs, regardless of the school level or geographical area to which the Ministry assigns the teacher.
Second: Duration of service — To work for a period exactly equal to the scholarship duration. For example, a two-year scholarship requires two years of service after returning.
Third: Signing the undertaking — The undertaking must be handwritten and signed, and approved by the applicant’s immediate supervisor before being uploaded as part of the Faris application documents.
Failure to honour these commitments after the scholarship may have legal and administrative consequences, potentially including recovery of scholarship costs. Read the terms carefully before signing.
Conclusion
The Chinese Language Scholarship Programme is a genuine opportunity for teachers who aspire to professional growth and to make a valuable contribution to Saudi Arabia’s education system.
The clear, detailed requirements for Chinese-language teachers’ scholarships in the official guide give you an advantage: you can prepare early and avoid errors that prevent many applicants from qualifying.
If you are considering other scholarship pathways that require English proficiency, such as the Supply Pathway or other government programmes, knowing your current IELTS score is essential when deciding between them. GoIELTS offers a free mock test designed to closely simulate the real exam, helping you evaluate where you stand and build a realistic preparation plan.
Read also: How to register for IELTS step by step.
Frequently Asked Questions
The programme is intended only for employees working in educational positions who hold a bachelor's degree; it does not include holders of a diploma or lower qualification.
Applicants must also hold a professional teaching licence at one of three levels (Practitioner, Advanced, or Expert), with a minimum rank of Practitioner Teacher.
Yes. Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Education offers an official scholarship programme for study in the People's Republic of China, aimed at obtaining a master's degree in teaching Chinese.
The Supply Pathway under the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Scholarship Programme also offers opportunities to study scientific and technical disciplines in China.
The official programme guide published by the Ministry of Education does not specify detailed monetary amounts for this programme's stipends or allowances.
For updates, contact the Ministry's General Department of Human Resources Development at scholarship@moe.gov.sa, or via the extensions 46565 / 45488 / 45541 / 51958.
Admission conditions fall into two categories: those set by Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Education (such as age, years of service, and the professional licence), and those of the Chinese host universities.
In general, applicants must fulfil the eleven requirements in the programme guide and pass the preparatory Chinese-language course.
The Ministry of Education's Chinese Language Scholarship Programme involves several competitive stages, including document screening and interviews at the education department and then Ministry level, followed by the preparatory course.
The competition is real, and the process lasts approximately nine months from application to the final decision.
Applications are submitted exclusively through the Faris system by uploading the required documents in PDF format. There is no alternative application channel outside Faris.
First review eligibility requirements, gather all documents, and upload them during the specified application period, which normally begins in October each year.
The Ministry of Education's master's scholarship requirements for China include a bachelor's degree with at least a Good classification, a professional licence, at least three years of service, and an Excellent performance rating in the previous two years.
Applicants must also pass the two interview stages and the preparatory course before the scholarship decision is issued. Consult the official programme guide for all the conditions.
The Ministry of Education does not publish a fixed list of universities for this specific programme. Instead, it coordinates directly with institutes and universities teaching Chinese to non-native speakers in the People's Republic of China; host institutions may change from one application cycle to another.
To find out which universities are assigned to a particular cycle, contact the General Department of Human Resources Development at scholarship@moe.gov.sa.
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