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China Scholarship Council-Yale World Scholars Program

Yale University has a longstanding relationship and deep history of collaboration with China. In 2006, Yale and the Chinese Ministry of Education forged their first major educational partnership in the biosciences, the China Scholarship Council (CSC) – Yale World Scholars Program in Biomedical Sciences. This program recruits top graduates from five premiere institutions in China for enrollment in Yale’s Combined Program in Biological and Biomedical Sciences (BBS), with funding from both the CSC and Yale. The CSC-Yale World Scholars program offers students the same outstanding research training available to all BBS students, and also provides additional specialized professional development programs. The overall goal is to prepare the Scholars to become the next generation of scientific leaders in China, after completion of their graduate and postdoctoral training.

The five partner institutions in China are Fudan University, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Peking University, Tsinghua University, and Zhejiang University. These universities nominate four highly qualified graduating students for admission to BBS and the Yale Graduate School, and up to eight will be admitted as CSC-Yale Scholars each year. Thirteen Scholars from these universities are currently enrolled in Yale.

Please note that applicants from these and other Chinese institutions may apply directly to the BBS Program. As stated elsewhere on this site, however, funding for international applicants is very limited, and only a very small percentage of international applicants receive offers of admission.

High level representatives from the 5 Chinese institutions visit the Yale School of Medicine. From left to right: Ling Sun, Professor and Deputy Director of the Fudan-Yale Center for Education Cooperation; Qiu-dan Sun, Professor and Director of International Cooperation at Peking University; Ding Yi, Professor of Biology at Tsinghua University; He Huang, Associate Dean of Medicine at Zhejiang University; Yi Rao, Dean of the School of Life Sciences at Peking University; Ken Wang, Dean of Huazhong University of Science and Technology; and Guangzhi Xia, Deputy Director of the Office for International Cooperation and Exchange at Tsinghua University.

Specialized Training

The CSC-Yale World Scholars receive special mentoring and guidance during their studies at Yale. Senior faculty in the BBS program will coordinate a series of professional development programs for the Scholars. For example, Scholars will meet with senior members of the Yale administration, including deans, vice presidents, and provosts, to learn about the operations of leading a research university. They will meet with senior faculty to gain insights on how to run a successful research lab. They will receive training in scientific writing and oral presentations and assistance in preparing for their qualifying exams. They will also receive guidance in preparing their CVs and cover letters when they apply for postdoctoral positions upon graduating from Yale. In addition, they will benefit from continued contact with their undergraduate university and a network of mentors in China and at Yale. In sum, the CSC-Yale World Scholars will be introduced to the critical practices, strategies, and conventions necessary to become future leaders in biomedical research.

Admissions Process

Each institution above will select and nominate four students for the CSC-Yale World Scholars Program. The CSC will then notify the BBS Program of the students’ nominations. The students apply to any Track of the BBS Program via the Yale Graduate School’s online application, and should mention in their personal statements that they have been nominated for consideration as a CSC-Yale World Scholar.

Although the BBS application deadline is December 4, 2009, nominees for the CSC-Yale World Scholars program need to submit their application no later than November 2, 2009. Faculty from the BBS Program will travel to China in early December to interview applicants, and the November 2 deadline will provide admissions committees with sufficient time to review application materials before the interviews.

The interview dates in China have not yet been determined but will posted here soon. Applicants will be contacted by email to schedule the interview times. After the interviews have been completed, the BBS admissions committees will select up to eight nominees from the pool of 20 applicants and will recommend to the Graduate School that they be offered admission. These Scholars will be the best candidates in the judgment of the Yale admissions committees and will not necessarily be evenly distributed among the five Chinese universities. The Dean of the Graduate School makes all final admissions decisions, which will be communicated to the students, the CSC and the Chinese universities in writing.

The eight students admitted to Yale will then proceed to apply for a two-year CSC fellowship via an online application, available at http://apply.csc.edu.cn. The CSC will officially announce the selection results to relevant Chinese universities and grantees in official documents. The terms of the CSC fellowship include an obligation to return to China for at least two years following the completion of Ph.D. and postdoctoral training.

Representatives from Yale and the five partner institutions in China meet at the home of Linda Lorimer (front row, center), Vice President of Yale.