ASEAN China Young Leaders Scholarship Programme (ACYLS): Eligibility and Benefits

Why China Set Up ACYLS

China announced the ASEAN-China Young Leaders Scholarship Programme when Premier Li Keqiang unveiled it at the 21st ASEAN-China Summit in Singapore on 14 November 2018. The programme funds postgraduate study in China for young leaders from ASEAN member states, with the goal of building a pool of officials and professionals who understand both regions well. It sits within China's wider public diplomacy efforts in Southeast Asia, alongside other scholarship and exchange schemes run by Chinese ministries and provincial governments, and it specifically targets people already on a leadership track rather than school leavers choosing their first degree.

Who Can Apply

ACYLS targets two main groups: young and mid-career government officials nominated by their home ministries, and outstanding university graduates from ASEAN member states who want to pursue a Master's degree in China. Nomination usually runs through your national Ministry of Foreign Affairs or the Chinese embassy in your country, rather than a direct application to a university's international office.

If you work in government or the public sector, ask your ministry's international cooperation or human resources unit whether it takes part in ACYLS nominations before you look for an application form yourself.

What the Scholarship Covers

ACYLS is a fully funded Master's scholarship. It pays your tuition at the host Chinese university, provides accommodation, a monthly living stipend, and medical insurance for the length of your degree, which typically runs two to three years depending on the program you enter.

Where You Study

You are placed at a Chinese university selected as an ACYLS partner institution, usually in programs connected to public administration, international relations, economics or development studies. The exact roster of partner universities and available fields changes by intake, so confirm the current list with your embassy or the ASEAN-China Centre before you apply.

How to Apply

Applications run through your government's nomination process or your national Chinese embassy, not a general open portal you can apply to directly as an individual in most cases. Contact your Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Education, or the Chinese embassy in your country for the current application window, required documents and language requirements, since these details change between intakes.

Building a Strong Nomination

Most successful applicants already hold a mid-level government post or have a strong record of leadership in their field, since ACYLS is designed to accelerate people already moving into leadership roles rather than to launch a career from the very start. If you are applying as an outstanding graduate rather than through a government post, check with your national Ministry of Education or the Chinese embassy directly, since the outstanding-graduate track is coordinated separately from the official-nomination track in most countries.

Prepare a clear personal statement connecting your intended field of study to a real role you expect to play in your country or in ASEAN-China cooperation after you finish. Selection panels weigh this connection heavily, since the programme exists to build a specific pool of future leaders rather than to fund general postgraduate study.

Language and Preparation

Check whether your intended program teaches in English or Mandarin, since this affects which language test result you need to submit and how much preparation time you should plan for before your intake begins. Some programs run partly or fully in Mandarin even when the wider university offers English-medium options elsewhere, so confirm this detail for your specific course rather than assuming based on the university's general reputation.

Staying Informed on Changes

Scholarship terms tied to bilateral agreements like ACYLS can shift as China and ASEAN renew their cooperation commitments, so treat any figure you read about scholarship numbers, stipend amounts or partner universities as a starting point to verify, not a fixed fact. Check directly with your Ministry of Foreign Affairs or the Chinese embassy in your country each cycle rather than relying on older articles or unofficial summaries.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Do not wait for a public, individual-facing application portal to appear, since ACYLS runs mainly through government nomination and embassy coordination rather than an open call you can apply to directly in most cases. Contacting your ministry or the embassy early, even before a formal announcement, puts you ahead of candidates who wait for a public notice that may never come in the form they expect.

Also avoid assuming your English proficiency alone is enough if your target program teaches in Mandarin. Confirm the language of instruction for your specific course before you commit time to an application built around the wrong assumption.

Comparing ACYLS With Other China-Funded Scholarships

ACYLS sits alongside other scholarship routes into Chinese universities, including the broader China Scholarship Council awards and university-specific scholarships that ASEAN students can apply for directly without a government nomination. If you do not hold a government post and are not selected as an outstanding graduate under ACYLS, these direct university or Chinese government scholarship routes remain worth researching separately.