Yenching Academy of Peking University

Website: Yenching Academy

Description

The Yenching Academy of Peking University aims to build bridges between China and the rest of the world through an interdisciplinary master's program in China Studies. This initiative brings together young people who have demonstrated a talent for leadership and innovation. At Yenching, they are immersed in an intensive learning environment where they can explore China and its role in the world—past, present, and future. The Academy's goal is to shape new generations of global citizens with a nuanced understanding of China.

The Yenching Academy provides full fellowships to its Scholars, and offers them a wide array of interdisciplinary courses on China within broadly defined fields of the humanities and social sciences. Working closely with their academic mentors, Yenching Scholars create their own study paths by choosing courses from six research areas. They participate in a variety of extracurricular activities and field studies, organized by the Yenching Academy, and designed by scholars themselves. Studying at the Academy is an exceptional opportunity to take part in intercultural exchanges and interdisciplinary learning, developing both personally and professionally.

Scholarship Support:

The Yenching Academy Master’s program in China Studies is two years in duration. All admitted students receive the Yenching Fellowship for the first academic year, which covers tuition, accommodation in the Yenching Academy House, a travel stipend for one round-trip journey between your base city and Beijing (the base city must be a city within the country of your nationality; cost of this round-trip will be estimated and calculated by the Yenching Academy), basic medical insurance, a monthly stipend, and expenses related to research.

Students who maintain a good academic standing, and plan to stay in Beijing during their second academic year can apply for the second-year Yenching Fellowship. This will cover the tuition, accommodation support (on-campus housing or off-campus housing stipend), basic medical insurance and a monthly stipend.

Yenching Fellowships are funded by Yenching Academy’s endowment, as well as donations from both governmental and non-governmental sources. At present, major sponsors include the China Scholarship Council, the Beijing Municipal Education Commission, the Bai Xian Asia Institute, and the International Confucian Association. 

Learn about the curriculum

Learn about admission

FAQs

 

Chinese Language Proficiency

Chinese language proficiency is not a requirement but is highly valued for the Master’s program in China Studies. Applicants who meet the following conditions can be eligible to take China-related courses taught in Chinese offered in other departments at Peking University for academic credit:

  • HSK 6 test taken after September 1, 2024 and with a test report of: 1) a total score of 210 or higher; and 2) a score no less than 65 for writing;
  • Completed a full-time degree program of which the Chinese language was the only language of instruction. Note that applicants will need to provide documentation from the university to certify the language of instruction. 
Eligibility

The Yenching Academy annually enrolls approximately 120 new students from both the Chinese Mainland and abroad, to study, live, and learn together. International students comprise roughly 75% of the student body. 

Applicants should have:

  • Minimum of a Bachelor's degree in any field, or be currently enrolled in a Bachelor degree program and be on track to graduate no later than August 31;
  • An outstanding academic record;
  • Strong interest in interdisciplinary study of China;
  • A record of extracurricular achievement, community engagement, social responsibility, and leadership potential;
  • English proficiency.

*Peking University does not allow students to be enrolled in other degree programs whilst studying at the university.

Yenching Academy does not have a strict age cut-off for applicants, but to date, no person over the age of 29 has been admitted to the program. The average age of students entering the program is 23.

 

For Mainland Chinese Candidates:

Mainland Chinese applicants apply through a different process. Yenching Academy is currently only able to accept application from Mainland Chinese students (PRC passport holders) who are currently enrolled as an undergraduate in a Mainland Chinese university. For more information, please refer to the Peking University Graduate Admissions website. This requirement does not apply to students from the Hong Kong, Macao or Taiwan regions. 

Student Type
  • senior
  • graduate
Citizen Type
  • US Citizen
  • Permanent Resident
  • International or Other Visa Status
Procedure

UW is a partner university

Yenching Academy works with Partner Universities that conduct internal application processes and nominate outstanding candidates for consideration. All students and alumni of Partner Universities are required to apply through their home universities. 

Current UW students and alumni planning to apply need to complete our UW campus application and submit that campus application by our internal UW deadline. The campus application will require the same elements as the national application. A UW nomination committee will review all submitted applications and select applications to be nominated. Nominated applicants will have a very short time to revise and submit final materials for the national application deadline.

Please apply for UW nomination by completing our online application. The application will open in September.

Application components:

  • UW campus application form; available starting in September
  • Latest official transcript and transcripts from all previous universities (for the campus application, unofficial transcripts are fine)
  • Two letters of recommendation. Peking University has very strict requirements:
    • Peking University will only accept recommendation letters written by full professors or associate professors (or equivalent titles).
    • Letters of recommendation must be submitted by professors in the applicant’s intended field of study. 
    • Please provide your recommenders with the Yenching Academy Recommendation Cover Form.
  • Personal statement: The personal statement, not to exceed 750 words in English, should include a self-introduction and well-articulated explanation of how you would make the most of the Yenching Academy program experience, as well as how it would benefit your career.
  • Statement of Research Interest (maximum 1,500 words, excluding citations): This statement should include your: 1) key research question(s); 2) background to study and/or summary of literature, and 3) study design that could reflect the applicant's academic training. Please note that applicants are not committed to making this proposed project their Master's thesis topic. The Yenching Admissions Committee uses this proposal as a way to judge how applicants formulate and write about academic topics.
  • Curriculum Vitae (CV): limited to two pages, plus an additional page for Awards, Recognitions and/or Publications (if applicable).
  • English proficiency demonstrated through one of the following scores:
    • IELTS (Academic): Overall 7.0
    • TOEFL (iBT): Overall 100
    • Cambridge English Scale (Advanced): Overall 185
    • Submission of English scores: For IELTS, TOEFL, and Cambridge tests, we will only accept scores sent directly to us from these organizations. Please choose "Yenching Academy of Peking University" as the designated recipient of the scores. For TOEFL, use the institution code: C488.
    • TOEFL and IELTS English proficiency tests must be taken after September 01, 2024. Currently, Yenching Academy does not accept TOEFL MyBest Scores, TOEFL iBT Home Edition, IELTS Indicator test, IELTS Online, or IELTS One Skill Retake.
    • Native English speakers and students or alumni of an English-taught Bachelor's degree program are not required to provide English proficiency test scores.

Applicants selected as UW nominees will have a very short time to continue to revise and polish their application materials for the international selection process. Nominees' final application materials must be submitted through Yenching Academy's online application system by the official deadline date (usually in early December). Recommendation letters will be forwarded to Yenching Academy on behalf of nominees, so will not need to be uploaded through the online system.

Finalists for admission to Yenching Academy will be interviewed (remotely). All admissions decisions are final.

Applicants from Chinese Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan (HMT)

Applicants from these regions are required to submit two online applications, and send the application materials in hardcopy to the admissions office. Specific deadlines can be found below:

Failure to complete the Peking University Graduate Admissions application will result in incomplete and unsuccessful application to the Yenching Academy.

Applicants Born in the Chinese Mainland or HMT Regions Intending to Apply as an International Candidate

An applicant who intends to apply as an international candidate must be a non-Chinese citizen with a valid passport. Former citizens of the Chinese Mainland or HMT regions, who have emigrated to other countries and are applying to Peking University as an international student, must present valid passport or citizenship documents dating from before April 30 in 2020, along with proof of nullification of Chinese nationality.

Additionally, applicants who were born in the Chinese Mainland and later renounced their Chinese citizenships will also need to provide the following documents to yca-submissions@pku.edu.cn before December 1, 2025:

  1. A non-PRC passport and/or a naturalization document valid before April 30 in 2020, as well as a PRC passport with a “cancellation” stamp;
  2. A document that proves the cancellation of their record of household registration within the Chinese Mainland. This is issued by the police station in which they had their household registration in China.
  3. Applicants may provide the items outlined in no. 1 above (non-PRC passport, naturalization document, and invalid PRC passport) during the application stage, and submit the household registration  cancellation document during the pre-admission stage.
  4. Without providing the above documentations, applicants born in the Chinese Mainland will not be recognized as an international student by Peking University, which will lead to ineligibility for admission.
  5. The National Immigration Administration of the Public Security Bureau in the P.R.C. is responsible of the determination of Chinese citizenship for foreign nationals applying as international students. In circumstances where the Chinese citizenship has been identified by the relevant authorities, candidates’ application, admission offer, registration and/or enrollment status will be nullified by Peking University. 

Chinese Language Proficiency

Chinese language proficiency is not a requirement but is highly valued for the Master’s program in China Studies. Applicants who meet the following conditions can be eligible to take China-related courses taught in Chinese offered in other departments at Peking University for academic credit:

  • HSK 6 test taken after September 1, 2024 and with a test report of: 1) a total score of 210 or higher; and 2) a score no less than 65 for writing;
  • Completed a full-time degree program of which the Chinese language was the only language of instruction. Note that applicants will need to provide documentation from the university to certify the language of instruction. 
Contact Information

UW Seattle undergraduate students and alumni:

Robin Chang

Office of Merit Scholarships, Fellowships & Awards
171 Mary Gates Hall
Phone: 206-543-2603
Email: robinc@u.washington.edu

 

UW Seattle graduate students and alumni:

Graduate School Office of Fellowships & Awards
G-1 Communications
Phone: 206-543-7152
E-mail: gradappt@uw.edu

 

UW Bothell students of all levels:

Natalia Dyba
UW Bothell Student Success Center
UW1-160
Phone: 425.352.3261
E-mail: nataliak@uw.edu
http://www.uwb.edu/studentservices/merit-scholarships