Central Academy of Fine Arts CSC Scholarship 2026 — Full Guide
Complete guide to applying for the Chinese Government Scholarship (CSC) at Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing, Beijing.
Quick Overview
| Scholarship | Type B (Chinese University Program) |
| Degree Levels | Bachelor's, Master's, PhD, General Scholar, Senior Scholar |
| Deadline | January – April 2026 (varies by channel) |
| Monthly Stipend | ¥2,500 (Bachelor's) · ¥3,000 (Master's) · ¥3,500 (PhD) |
| Language | English or Chinese (program-dependent) |
| Agency Number | 10047 |
CSC Scholarship Benefits at Central Academy of Fine Arts
The Chinese Government Scholarship at Central Academy of Fine Arts is fully funded and covers:
- Full tuition waiver — all academic fees covered
- On-campus accommodation — university dormitory provided free of charge
- Monthly stipend — ¥2,500 (Bachelor's), ¥3,000 (Master's), ¥3,500 (PhD)
- Comprehensive medical insurance — provided by the Chinese government
- Settlement allowance — one-time payment upon arrival
International travel costs are not included and must be arranged and paid by the student.
Eligibility Requirements
To be eligible for the CSC scholarship at Central Academy of Fine Arts, you must meet the following criteria:
- Be a citizen of a country other than the People's Republic of China
- Be in good health and meet the physical examination requirements
- Bachelor's applicants: high school diploma, under 25 years old
- Master's applicants: bachelor's degree, under 35 years old
- PhD applicants: master's degree, under 40 years old
- Meet the language requirements of the chosen program (English proficiency or HSK for Chinese-taught programs)
- Not be receiving any other Chinese government scholarship at the time of application
Available Programs & Subjects
Central Academy of Fine Arts offers a wide range of programs for international students across multiple faculties. For the most up-to-date list of programs accepting CSC scholarship students, visit the university's international admissions page or search for Central Academy of Fine Arts on the CSC Study in China portal.
How to Apply — Step by Step
There are two main channels to apply for the CSC scholarship at Central Academy of Fine Arts:
Channel 1: Apply Directly to Central Academy of Fine Arts (University Route)
- Contact a professor — email potential supervisors at Central Academy of Fine Arts with your CV and research interests. Securing an acceptance letter greatly improves your chances.
- Create your CSC account — register at campuschina.org and begin the online application. Use agency number 10047.
- Complete the CSC application form — fill in your personal details, education history, study plan, and preferred program.
- Upload and prepare documents — gather all required documents (see checklist below) and upload them to the CSC portal.
- Submit to Central Academy of Fine Arts — also apply through Central Academy of Fine Arts's own international admission portal if required.
- Wait for results — results are typically announced between June and August.
Channel 2: Apply Through Your Country's Embassy (Bilateral Route)
- Check your embassy's deadline — contact the Chinese embassy or your country's education ministry for the bilateral program deadline and requirements.
- Complete the CSC online application — same process as above at campuschina.org.
- Submit to your embassy — deliver printed application materials to the designated authority in your country.
- Embassy nominates candidates — your embassy shortlists and forwards applications to CSC.
Required Documents
Prepare the following documents for your CSC application to Central Academy of Fine Arts:
- CSC Application Form (printed from campuschina.org)
- Highest degree diploma (notarized copy)
- Academic transcripts (notarized copy)
- Study plan or research proposal (minimum 800 words)
- Two recommendation letters from professors or associate professors
- Valid passport copy
- Foreigner Physical Examination Form (completed within 6 months)
- Language proficiency certificate — English: IELTS/TOEFL (or university attestation); Chinese: HSK certificate
- Acceptance letter or pre-admission letter from Central Academy of Fine Arts (if available)
- Published papers or academic achievements (if applicable, especially for PhD)
- No Criminal Record certificate
All documents not in Chinese or English must be notarized translations.
Application Deadline
| Application Channel | Typical Deadline |
|---|---|
| University Direct (Central Academy of Fine Arts) | February – April 2026 |
| Embassy / Bilateral Program | December 2025 – March 2026 (varies by country) |
| CSC Online System Closes | Usually end of April 2026 |
Always verify exact deadlines on the Central Academy of Fine Arts website and your country's embassy.
Tips for a Strong Application
- Central Academy of Fine Arts can be an excellent strategic choice with lower competition than top-tier universities.
- A well-written study plan matters even more at less competitive universities — show clear motivation and research direction.
- Contact professors directly through the university website. Smaller universities often have more responsive faculty.
- Submit your application as early as possible. Late applications often face stricter review.
- Have all documents professionally translated and notarized well before the deadline.
About Central Academy of Fine Arts
Introduction
The Central Academy of Fine Arts or CAFA is an art academy under the direct charge of the Ministry of Education of China. The Manila Bulletin calls the school "China's most prestigious and renowned art academy." It is considered one of the most selective schools in the country and turns away more than 90% of its applicants each year.
Overview
The history of the National Art School in Beiping (国立北平艺术专科学校) dates back to the founding of the National School of Fine Arts in Beijing in 1918, advocated by the educator Cai Yuanpei. It was the first national school of fine arts in China and also the beginning of Chinese modern education of fine arts. The academy was founded in April 1950, as a result of the merger between the National Art School in Beiping and the department of fine arts at the third campus of North China University. The former principals of CAFA include Xu Beihong, Jiang Feng, Wu Zuoren, Gu Yuan, Jin Shangyi, Pan Gongkai, and Fan Di'an. Lin Mao has been the president since 2023. The current director of academic commission is Jin Shangyi.
The academy comprises six specialty schools: Fine Art, Chinese Painting, Design, Architecture, Humanities and Urban Design. A post-graduate education school and high school of fine arts are also affiliated. There are 534 teachers and staff for 3,800 undergraduate and graduate students and over 100 international students. Its museum of fine arts boasts precious collections, including more than 2,000 Chinese scroll paintings from the Ming dynasty. CAFA edits, publishes and distributes two national first-class academic magazines, "Fine Arts Study" and "Fine Arts of the World".
The design programme of CAFA was renewed in 1995 in the name of the Department of Art Design, after a break of some 40 years, and became the School of Design in October 2002. For preparing and training the students as future professionals in design with creative thinking and practical capabilities, the School of Design offers undergraduate, graduate and Ph.D. degrees in programs ranging from visual communication design, product design, fashion design, photography, digital media to design theory and history. The School of Design plays an important role in promoting design in China and is actively involved in various design activities, most notably its designs for the 2008 Beijing Olympics, as well as the establishment of the Academy of Arts & Design at Tsinghua University (previously known as the Central Academy of Fine Art's Huadong Campus).
The new CAFA Art Museum, designed by Japanese architect Arata Isozaki, is located at the northeast corner of CAFA campus at No.8, Huajiadi Nan Street, Wangjing, with an area of 3546 m2 and a total floor area of 14,777 m2. The Museum opened in October 2008 for the University's 90th anniversary. The new six-floor museum has several notable collections, including over 2,000 historic Chinese scroll paintings from the Ming Dynasty. The museum hosts rotating exhibitions.
The school drew media attention during the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989 when the students created a large statue called the Goddess of Democracy. Each of the eight art academies signed a statement explaining the purpose of the statue.
In 2018 the asteroid 118418 Yangmei was named in honor of the academy.
Schools and colleges
Faculty of Art and Design
- School of Chinese Painting
- School of Fine Art
- Department of Oil Painting
- Department of Printmaking
- Department of Sculpture
- Department of Mural Painting
- School of Experimental Art
- School of Humanities
- Department of Art History and Theory
- Department of Cultural Heritage
- Non-material Cultural Heritage Research Center
- Information Center
- School of Design
- Visual Communication
- Industrial Design
- Digital Media Design
- Photography
- Fashion Design
- Jewelry Design
- School of Architecture
- Architecture
- Landscape Design
- Interior Design
- College of City Design
- Department of Information Design
- Publishing Design
- Communication Design
- Commercial Information Design
- Department of Product Design
- Ceramic Design
- Artwork Design
- Interior Product Design
- Jewelry Design
- Department of Space Design
- Public Art
- Exhibition Design
- Visual System Design
- Department of Video Design
- Animation
- Game Design
- Experimental Movie
- Department of Information Design
- School of Arts Administration and Education
Graduate school
- Master's Degree Course
- Doctoral Degree Course
Museum of CAFA
Set up in the early 1960s, the Museum of Central Academy of Fine Arts (formerly CAFA Gallery), has a collection of 13,000 works which cover a wide variety of genres and styles, including representative works by ancient and modern Chinese masters as well as fine student works. Since the incorporation of the foundation of the Academy in 1950 it has contained Chinese painting, oil painting, print, sculpture and folk art such as New Year picture, embroidery and minority ethnic costume and objects, along with Chinese relics of bronze, pottery, engravings and rubbings.
Designed by Arata Isozaki, a renowned Japanese architect, the new museum of CAFA is a building of 14,777 square meters on a land of 3,546 square meters, with four floors above ground and two floors underground. The museum opened in September 2008, together with the collection warehouse, permanent and temporary exhibition halls, as well as supporting facilities including artist studios, lecture and conference rooms and cafeteria and bookstore.
Library
CAFA‘s Library has a long history. As one of the largest professional libraries in China it has 360,000 books and paintings of various kinds, whose special collection includes woodblock New Year pictures, string-bound ancient books with illustrations, rubbings from stone-engraved portraits of Han Dynasty, tablets of various dynasties and the first-hand copies from engraved seals, etc. The library has reading rooms for art books, social science books and magazines and multi-media reading. The library provides CJFD and CDMD of CNKI e-books on the Shushing website, National Palace Museum-Online and Taiwan Doctor/Master Dissertations Database and its own fine arts reference full-text database and dissertation names in core journals collected by CAFA, etc.
Rankings and reputation
Central Academy of Fine Arts (CAFA) is ranked No.1 in Fine Arts by the Development Centre for Academic Degrees and Postgraduate Education, Ministry of Education, China. The acceptance rate was only 1.58% in 2019.
It has been consistently ranked the best in China among universities specialized in Arts in the recognized Best Chinese Universities Ranking.
As of 2023, the university was ranked 15th globally for "art and design" in the QS World University Rankings.
Notable alumni
- Beohar Rammanohar Sinha
- Chen Man
- Fang Lijun
- He Chengyao
- Hou Hanru
- Hung Liu
- Jiang Shuo
- Jin Shangyi
- Old Xian
- Sui Jianguo
- Wang Chunchen
- Wu Guanzhong
- Wu Shaoxiang
- Wu Zuoren
- Xu Bing
- Yan Cong
- Yu Chen
- Yu Xingze
- Zhang Huan
- Yan Ping
- Ge Yulu
Disclaimer: The university information above is sourced from Wikipedia and may not reflect the most current data. We recommend verifying details on the official Central Academy of Fine Arts website.
External Links
Frequently Asked Questions
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Join the CGS World Community on TelegramRankings sourced from Shanghai Ranking — BCUR 2025. University descriptions sourced from Wikipedia where available.