Program Overview

Introduction to the CSC-UPM Cooperative PhD Programme

The China Scholarship Council (CSC) and the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM) have jointly launched the CSC-UPM Scholarship Programme. This program offers scholarships to Chinese citizens applying to complete a PhD at the UPM. The CSC provides scholarship holders with a living stipend and roundtrip airfare, while the UPM waives tuition and research fees.

General UPM PhD Programme Entry Requirements

• Candidates should hold a master's degree or equivalent qualifying the holder for admission to a PhD programme in the country of issue at the start of their CSC-UPM scholarship.
• English proficiency for PhD applicants: IELTS (Academic) 6.5 or TOEFL (iBT) 90. This requirement is waived if English is the only language of instruction for your current or previous level of studies.

CSC-UPM Scholarship Programme Research Lines and Supervisors

The following is a list of research fields with supervisors offering research positions for PhD students under the CSC-UPM cooperative PhD programme:

• Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering
• Applied Mathematics
• Architecture and Civil Engineering
• Biomedical Engineering
• Chemical Engineering
• Earth Science
• Electrical & Electronic Engineering
• Environmental Engineering & Energy
• ICTs
• Industrial Management
• Materials Engineering
• Mechanical engineering
• Mechatronics
• Operations Research & Operations Management
• Physics
• Sports Science
• Transportation Engineering

2026 Application Procedure

• Candidates should contact a potential supervisor working in the field of their research interest to discuss their PhD research project.
• Candidates should complete the application for admission, including English copies of their transcript of records, CV, English proficiency, list of publications (recommended), and research proposal signed by supervisor, by 15 February 2026 (2 February 2026 for applicants for the PhD in Physical Activity and Sport Science Programme) at the latest.
• Qualified candidates will receive a letter of acceptance signed by the Vice Rector for Internationalization for submission to the CSC together with their application for their CSC scholarship.
• Accepted candidates will be added to the list of candidates submitted to the CSC by the UPM for appraisal for a scholarship under the CSC-UPM PhD Scholarship Programme.

Important Dates

• Applications will be accepted until 15 February 2026.
• Applicants for the PhD in Physical Activity and Sport Science Programme should submit their applications by 2 February 2026.

Program Details

• The program is for full-time PhD students who meet the above entry requirements and are awarded a CSC scholarship.
• Qualified applicants will be admitted and registered as PhD students at UPM for 48 months.
• The UPM waives tuition and research fees for scholarship holders.
• The CSC provides scholarship holders with a living stipend and roundtrip airfare.