ParisTech - CSC PhD program: how to apply

Applicants must be citizens of the People’s Republic of China at the time of application.

Applicants should not hold a foreign permanent residence permit.

Applicants should be at least 18 years old at the time of application.

Students eligible to the program can either be, at the time of application:

• Studying in China

- Master's students (last year of Master or recent graduates) in a Chinese University.

- First year PhD students in a Chinese University are only eligible for co-supervised PhDs scholarship. A recommendation from the home university will be required.

• Studying in France

​- Second year Master's (M2) students or students graduated within less than a year at the time of application to the CSC scholarship.

- Applicants who have studied for a “Diplôme d’ingénieur” in France, and especially those who have received funding from the CSC within the ParisTech "9+9" Program are also encouraged to apply to this PhD program.

• Students studying in one of the 41 partner countries* of the CSC

- Last year Master's students or students who graduated within less than a year at the time of application to the CSC scholarship.

*​USA, Canada, Cuba, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Thailand, Israel, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, Czech Republic, Germany, France, Switzerland, Belgium, Austria, Netherlands, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland, United Kingdom, Ireland, Hungary, Serbia, Mexico, Costa Rica, Panama, North Korea, India, Egypt, Romania, Bulgaria, Poland.

The funding period for PhD candidates covers 36 to 48 months. For joint PhD candidates, the funding covers 6 to 24 months.

The CSC provides one-time round-trip international travel expenses by the most economical route, and scholarships for overseas students within the funding period. Scholarship recipients need to pay the registration fee, and other administrative fees, as specified by the doctoral school at which they are registered.

They will be given priority assistance in terms of accommodation and help on visas procedures, and provided with necessary resources and equipment during their PhD studies.

You can download here the 2023 PhD proposals booklet and the Excel table, with subject listed according to the Research Fields covered by ParisTech.

Candidates can either apply to:

• specific PhD research proposals (up to 3),
• and / or an entire research field: in this case we strongly encourage you to check the database of ParisTech publications to identify potential PhD supervisors and mention them in your application.

Please note that you are encouraged to contact supervisors during the application process, either:

• to make sure the research proposal corresponds to your project,
• or in the case you found a lab or supervisor you were interested in pursuing a PhD with, to define a thesis subject with them.

Download the presentation:

Watch the webinar 2022 on YouTube or Bilibili : presentation of the program, of the labs and PhD proposals

Application is a 6-step process:

Step 1: Fill in and submit the application form

Please click here to apply online.

You need to attach the following documents to your online application.

All documents must be submitted in English or in French, translated version is also acceptable.

All documents marked with * are mandatory:

• Two recommendation forms*

The recommendation letters’ requests will only be sent after you “Submit” your file, and will only be sent once. Please allow sufficient time for your referees to complete & upload their recommendation form.

• Student ranking certificates (ranking by major or department at bachelor and master level)*

If your university cannot provide all ranking certificates, please explain why on your application form.

• Academic transcripts (at bachelor and master level)* 
• English certificate*

We strongly suggest you to meet the CSC requirements on Foreign Language Proficiency.

• A personal statement including motivation and rough research plan (1-2 pages)*.

Please outline why you wish to pursue a PhD at ParisTech, and do not hesitate to provide any additional information about yourself (interests, work experience, professional project, etc.) that may support your application. The research plan should describe the areas you are interested in, and some research work you have done that makes you consider pursuing a PhD in the domain you wish to apply to.

• A scan of your passport or resident ID card*
• An ID photo*
• An English summary of your master thesis​
• French certificate​
• Any further document proving your academic or scientific achievement / excellence (ex. university prize, published work, previously awarded scholarship).

The deadline to submit the full application is at midnight (Paris time) on December 11, 2022.

All documents will be reviewed by Professors from ParisTech “Grandes Ecoles”.

Step 2: Interview with the ParisTech Admission Board
If your application meets all ParisTech criteria, you will receive a notification to pass an interview on December 24, 2021. The interview aims at evaluating applicants’ motivation, communication skills, and research projects.

Interview are to be held from January 9, 2023 to January 20, 2023 in Shanghai, Beijing, Paris, or online for candidates neither in China or France.

NB: Due to the pandemic, interviews might be partially or all held online.

Step 3: Interview with potential PhD advisors

These interviews will be held online from late January 2023 to late February 2023.
If at this stage you still haven’t contacted any potential advisors, we strongly encourage you to do so.

Step 4: CSC application

Once all interviews taken, and / or once a supervisor agrees to deliver you a conditional admission letter, you should apply for the CSC – Paris PhD scholarship.

1. All applicants should log in to the CSC study abroad platform (http://apply.csc.edu.cn) in March each year, to complete an online application and upload relevant materials.
2. The China Scholarship Council entrusts the following institutions to be responsible for the applicants’ selection:

• Relevant  universities and institutions in China are responsible for accepting applications from their own students;
• For applicants currently abroad, the relevant department of the Chinese Embassy is responsible for accepting applications.
• The China Scholarship Council does not directly accept individual applications.

     3. After completing the online application, applicants should submit the  materials to the institutions        responsible for their application as soon as possible. These institutions should then review the completeness of the applicant's materials, and submit an official letter, and the list of recommended applicants to the Eurasian and African Affairs Department of the China Scholarship Council before an annually set date (in April), and submit the applicant's materials through the CSC platform.

Step 5: Evaluation by the CSC and admission

Applications will be reviewed by the CSC.

Once the results published, recipients of the scholarship will receive an unconditional admission letter from the relevant school.

Step 6: Dispatch

The dispatch time of admitted students is generally September / October. Admitted students are responsible for contacting their research unit, and for their visa procedure. The exact time of dispatch is determined in the admission letter.

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