As part of our new China Scholarship Initiative, some of our Scholarship Ambassadors share their study abroad experiences in China, as well as their tips and advice for prospective Scholarship applicants who want to study in China. In the first part of this series, Thabiso Donald Mphelane introduces the Yenching Academy Fellowship.
What is the Yenching Academy Fellowship?
The Yenching Academy offers a highly customizable Master’s program in China studies for English speakers with varied levels of Chinese language competency. At the core of the program lies its emphasis on interdisciplinarity and the value it assigns to thinking about China; past, present and future – from both Chinese and international perspectives. I read for a Master of Law in China Studies specializing in Politics and International Relations at the Yenching Academy of Peking University in 2019 and graduated in 2021 Summa Cum Laude.
The scholarship is called the Yenching Academy (YCA). The scholarship is fully funded 2-year Masters program in China Studies with 6 concentrations/ Majors to choose from namely (Politics & IR, Economics & Management, History & Archeology, Law & Society, Literature & Culture and Philosophy & Religion). Upon graduation, you will receive a degree titled Master of in China Studies with your chosen concentration/ major as stipulated above.
The scholarship is open to every discipline of study, however, applicants are encouraged to be strategic when they choose their concentration, for example, when one chooses Economics and Management – do they have an Economics background either from their previous degrees/ studies or did they work in consultancy space whereby they were exposed to economics training(s)/ methods or did they do a exchange program that dealt with economic issues – the same is applicable to all the other concentrations/ majors.
Fun fact, the is no age limit, however, in the 10th anniversary of YCA, they have never admitted someone above the age of 28 – so, break that record! If selected, you will be funded by YCA studying at the Yenching Academy Jingyuan Courtyard at Peking University in Beijing, China.
My personal experience
Upon completion of my undergraduate studies in South Africa, I made it a point that I want to peruse my graduate studies abroad. However, I did not know where, up until I stumbled across the YCA Scholarship was when I was an exchange summer student at Fudan University 2017 in Shanghai, China where I got to learn about the BRICS bloc and its mandate – this is where the love and passion for China began and that’s when I said, “I am going to study graduate studies in this country”.
After the Fudan Summer exchange program, I did research about studying in China and came across the Yenching Global Symposium (YGS) which is a signature program of YCA and wanted to apply for it, however, back in the day, the policy was, if you are selected for YGS, you become illegible for the YCA Scholarship and I opted to apply for the scholarship instead.
I urge every potential applicant to apply for the YCA Program because it is very prestigious, and it will open many doors for you. Through YCA, I had the opportunity to be at Stanford University, engage with students who come from IV League Universities such as Havard, Yale, Oxford, Cambridge and the likes. Peking University is one of the best Universities in the world being ranked 2nd in China (called the Havard of China) and 13th in the World according to Times Higher Education.
- My favourite courses taken at YCA include:
- Chinese Perspective on Global Migration
- Reform and Development in China
- China’s Diplomacy and Global Governance in the New Era
- Social Stratification and Mobility in China
Fun fact, I became the first YCA Scholar/ graduate of Colour (Black) from the University of the Witwatersrand and the University of Johannesburg since they were established.
Application Information
The application process is straight forward from their website whereby applications for the 2025 intake https://yenchingacademy.pku.edu.cn/ADMISSIONS.htm are open till the 1st of December 2024 at 11H59 Beijing Time.
To ensure that your application stands out, make sure that you are a rounded applicant whereby you do not excel only on your grades, however, you are involved in community engagement projects either on campus or in your community, sell yourself on the personal statement section and make sure that your proposal makes a connection with China and China studies and lastly but not least, ensure that you have excellent Professors who are going to vouch for you in the recommendation letters.
And what comes next?
The Future is China especially if you are an African, you can see China’s influence in Africa through its various infrastructure projects across the continent and other domains such as cultural diplomacy through Confucius Institutes, learn and understand China’s influence not only from an African perspective but also in the world and how it is trying to change the world order.
The best way to do that is to study in China not only through YCA but through additional avenues, including the following:
- Belt and Road Initiative Scholarships
- Schwarzman Scholars Program
To make sure you always receive the latest information, subscribe to resources like Africademics, Opportunity Desk, Opportunities for Youth, and the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) in South Africa for updates on scholarship opportunities – it has a plenty of resources about studying abroad.
Good luck!
