China student aid development report 2017

1.2 High standards of national grants for doctoral candidates

As per the requirement to raise the standards of national financial aid for doctoral candidates in the 2017 Government Work Report, since the spring semester of 2017, national scholarships for local doctoral students have been raised from not less than 10,000 yuan ($1,580) to 13,000 yuan per annum. National grants for doctoral students from central universities have also been raised from 12,000 yuan to 15,000 yuan per annum.

1.3 Enhanced support for filed and tracked students from impoverished families

In 2017, colleges and universities continued to improve relevant policies and increased the financial aid to filed and tracked students from impoverished families, ensuring targeted financial aid and full coverage of the policies for the benefits of all the students.

1.4 Ongoing improvements in the policy system

With the support from schools and people of all walks of life, China has established a government-led financial aid policy system that covers from pre-school education to postgraduate education.

The full coverage has been extended in three ways: (a) all educational stages; (b) both public and private schools; (c) all students from impoverished families. Particularly in higher education, students are freed from worries before, during and after their studies.

For preschool education, the general principle is that local governments should provide funding first and then use the central government's subsidies.

Local governments will provide financial aid to children from impoverished families, orphans and children who have disabilities in kindergartens that are set up for the benefits of the general public and approved by the administrative departments for education at the county level or above.

For compulsory education, the same policy is adopted in exempting tuition and miscellaneous fees, offering free textbooks for both urban and rural students, and in providing a subsistence allowance for impoverished resident students. Nutritional meal plans are also provided for rural students in special poor areas.

For secondary vocational education, a supporting system has been established where students are generally eligible for tuition exemptions and national grants, supplemented with aid from schools and social sponsors as well as workplace internships.

For regular high school education, a supporting system has been established where needy students can receive national grants, filed and tracked students from impoverished families are eligible for tuition exemptions, and local governments provide aid projects, supplemented with aid from schools and social sponsors.

For undergraduate education, a multifaceted aid policy system has been set up.

The system includes national scholarships, grants and student loans, tuition and loan compensation for grass roots employment, subsidies for enlisted military service, free education for students enrolled in teaching programs, freshmen enrollment aid, tuition subsidies for retired soldiers, work-study programs, school scholarships and grants, subsidies for students from impoverished families, meal subsidies, tuition reduction and exemptions, and a "green channel" that allows freshmen to register at colleges or universities even when they are unable to pay their tuition fees in full. For postgraduate education, student aid comprises national scholarships, grants, achievement scholarships and allowances for graduate assistantship positions (teaching, research, and administration), national student loans, tuition and loan compensation for grassroots employment, subsidies for enlisted military service, school scholarship and grants, and the green channel as detailed above.