Chinese government awards full scholarships to UO students

Six University of Oregon (UO) students have been selected as recipients of Chinese Government Scholarships. The awards are part of the Chinese University Program, which helps Chinese universities in specific provinces or autonomous regions to recruit outstanding international students for graduate studies in China. At present, a total of 221 Chinese universities are designated to undertake this program.

The six UO students were awarded different levels of support based on their applications and academic goals. Robert Davis, Janae Bly, and Jeffrey Nitschke were each awarded two-year scholarships. Mecherri Tarver and Roland Lewinski were each awarded one-year scholarships. Erik Thorbeck was awarded a three-month scholarship.

For example, Lewinski, who received a one-year scholarship to study at East China Normal University (ECNU) in Shanghai, plans to improve his proficiency in Chinese and study classical Chinese texts. He hopes to eventually land an internship with a diplomatic institution in China.

“I have lived in Shanghai for a year in the past already, so I wanted to go back to that city in particular,” said Lewinski. “While at the ECNU I hope to monitor Chinese media talking about international political conflicts, and try to find historical information about the diplomatic relation of China and Japan. My main goal though will be to obtain the highest certificate of language proficiency.”

A committee of UO Faculty and Staff with expertise in Asia and China, nominated the students. The committee included: Ina Asim, Maram Epstein, Bryna Goodman, Daniel Buck, Zhuo Jing-Schmidt, and Lan Dai. Each student was judged based on their academic excellence, recommendation from professors, and motivations for pursuing their education or research in China.

Each scholarship recipient receives a waiver for registration fees, tuition, laboratory experiments, internship, and basic textbooks; free on-campus dormitory accommodation; a monthly living allowance; one-off settlement subsidy; outpatient medical service and Comprehensive Medical Insurance and Protection Scheme for International Students in China.

"These highly competitive awards recognize the recipients’ hard work and dedication. These awards provide them a tremendous opportunity for academic and professional growth. It's very rewarding to play a role in the process," said Stephen Wooten, director of UO Study Abroad.

UO students interested in applying to a Chinese Government Scholarship for the Chinese University Program, need to apply to the designated Chinese universities undertaking this program between January and early April.

To be eligible, applicants must be a citizen of a country other than the People’s Republic of China, and be in good health; not be a registered student in Chinese universities at the time of application; or be a graduate from Chinese universities for more than one year; be a bachelor’s degree holder under the age of 35 when applying for master’s programs; be a master’s degree holder under the age of 40 when applying for doctoral programs.

For more details and to receive personal support in this application process, please contact Vinnie Burns at UO Study Abroad.