Ghent University CSC Preference Programme 2027 — Funded PhD
Fully funded (csc scholarship plus ghent top-up) PhD scholarship in Belgium for China students 2026
Apply now: a CSC PhD place at Ghent with tuition and bench fees waived and a monthly top-up to at least EUR 1,640.
Eligibility
- Chinese candidates seeking a Ghent PhD degree (direct or joint); master's degree held or in progress; PhD admission procedure started by 16 December 2026; Ghent supervisor agreement mandatory; ranked by institution tier and certified bachelor's score.
China Scholarship Council money already funds thousands of Chinese PhD students abroad. What Ghent University adds on top is the part CSC does not cover: through its preference programme, Ghent co-funds about 50 Chinese doctoral candidates a year, waives every tuition and bench fee, and tops the CSC stipend up to a minimum monthly income of EUR 1,640, which is the level Ghent itself considers fair for a doctoral researcher.
What the award actually covers
You hold a normal CSC scholarship, and Ghent pays the difference that matters. Study costs disappear entirely: no tuition, no bench fees, for the full average four years. On top of the CSC stipend, Ghent's Special Research Fund pays a monthly top-up for the entire duration so your income reaches at least EUR 1,640 a month, roughly double what a plain CSC package delivers in most European cities. Around 50 candidates are selected per cycle, out of roughly 55 to 60 who pass Ghent's pre-selection.
Who can apply
The programme is for Chinese candidates who want the PhD degree itself from Ghent, either directly or through a joint PhD with your Chinese university. Exchange students who only want a visiting period in Belgium are not eligible, though they can apply through the separate CSC personal channel. You need a master's degree, or to be in the final year of one, and Ghent's ranking of applicants is unusual: candidates from Double First-Class universities are ranked first, and within each group the bachelor's score decides. That means the transcript of your bachelor's result converted to a 100-point scale, certified by your university, is the single most important document in the file.
A quick self-check before you start the admission procedure:
- Do you want the Ghent degree itself, not just a research visit? - Is your bachelor's score officially convertible to a 100-point scale with a certificate? - Have you found a Ghent professor willing to supervise you, knowing each can back only one preference candidate per call?
The deadline
The Ghent pre-selection deadline is 16 December 2026 at 23:59 Belgian time, and it is strict: your PhD admission procedure at Ghent must already be started by that date, which takes weeks because the Ghent supervisor initiates it. Candidates who pass pre-selection, announced by the end of February 2027, then apply to CSC through the preference channel with the March 2027 CSC deadline. Final results come in the second or third week of June 2027, and the earliest start date is 1 October 2027.
How to apply
The order of operations is the whole game. Find a Ghent professor and get their agreement first, since only they can open the admission procedure in OASIS. Prepare your bachelor's transcript with the official conversion certificate, the application form, and the joint-PhD declaration from your Chinese university if you are applying for a joint degree. Email everything as separate PDFs to BOFapplication@ugent.be with the Ghent supervisor in copy or as sender. If Ghent pre-selects you, you receive the confirmation and letter of admission needed for the CSC step in March.
The official overview, forms and call documents live here:
https://www.ugent.be/en/research/funding/bof/chn/overview.htm
Materials checklist
- Ghent application form, PDF, named as the call requires - Certified bachelor's score on a 100-point scale plus the grading-system certificate - Master's degree certificate or proof of final-year status - Joint PhD statement from the Chinese university, if applicable - Ethics and biosafety questionnaire from the Ghent supervisor - Letter of admission, completed later, for the CSC stage
Common mistakes to avoid
The most expensive mistake is timing: starting the admission procedure in mid-December, a few days before the Ghent deadline, because the procedure needs supervisor action and faculty approval. The second is the score conversion: applicants who convert their own GPA are disqualified, because the rules require the home university to attest the 100-point equivalent. The third is applying through the wrong channel, sending a preference application when you are actually an exchange candidate, which gets the file moved to a track with no co-funding at all.
Tips to win
Email potential Ghent supervisors with a short, specific proposal tied to their own recent papers; the ones who reply will usually tell you within a week whether they have already filled their single preference slot. Get the bachelor's conversion certificate early, because registrars move slowly and the file cannot be considered without it. If your institution is not on the Double First-Class list, compensate with a precise research proposal and a supervisor whose enthusiasm shows in the advice form, since after the ranking split, the quality of the joint proposal is what separates the surviving files. And keep the CSC deadline in March on your calendar from day one, because passing Ghent's pre-selection only earns you the invitation to compete in the CSC round.
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An OEAC advisor can check your supervisor email draft and your transcript conversion plan before the December deadline; just ask.
Last updated: 13 November 2026
Source: https://www.ugent.be/en/research/funding/bof/chn/overview.htm
Always confirm the deadline and eligibility on the official page before you apply. Scholarship dates change between rounds, and this listing is a summary — the provider's own page is the authoritative source. OEAC Network lists scholarships for free and is not an agent for any university or funding body.
