If you’re an international student looking at Zhejiang province for your degree, you’ve probably come across both Zhejiang University of Technology (ZJUT) in Hangzhou and Zhejiang Normal University (ZJNU) in Jinhua. They’re the two provincial schools that show up most often in search results and agent recommendations.
Both take international students. Both have scholarships.
But once you dig into the actual numbers, the two schools are offering very different deals. Depending on your situation, the gap could be tens of thousands of yuan.
At a glance
| ZJUT | ZJNU | |
|---|---|---|
| Location | Hangzhou (provincial capital) | Jinhua (smaller city, ~2h from Hangzhou) |
| Self-funded scholarship types | 4 tiers | 3 tiers + provincial government + 4 national/international programs |
| Full-ride (CSC) available? | Not on scholarship page | Yes, 3 CSC sub-programs |
| Living stipend included? | No | Only through CSC |
| Accommodation covered? | No | Only through CSC |
| Application fee | 400 RMB (non-refundable) | 400 RMB or 70 USD (non-refundable) |
| Application deadline | End of May | Varies (as early as Feb 20 for CSC) |
| Annual review required? | Yes (Excellence Scholarship) | Yes (provincial & university scholarships) |
ZJUT: four tiers, all tuition-based
ZJUT keeps things clean. You get one of four scholarship levels, all tied to how much tuition they’ll cover:
| Scholarship tier | What you get | Estimated value |
|---|---|---|
| Excellence | Full program tuition: 4 years (UG/PhD) or 3/2.5 years (Master’s) | ~60,000-80,000 RMB total |
| Merit | 1 year of tuition | ~15,000-20,000 RMB |
| Friendly | 1 semester of tuition | ~7,500-10,000 RMB |
| Encouragement | Flat 3,500 RMB | 3,500 RMB |
How it actually works
The application is built right into ZJUT’s admission portal. Fill out the form, check the box that says you want a scholarship, done. No separate application.
The catch is in how the money moves.
For undergraduates: you pay full tuition before you even register. Then, once you’re on campus and have a Bank of China account set up, the scholarship gets wired to your card. In practice, you’re fronting the cash and waiting for reimbursement. I’ve heard from students at other Chinese universities that this refund can take anywhere from a few weeks to a couple of months, so budget accordingly.
For graduate students: you don’t pay upfront. You register, open an ICBC account, and sign a direct debit agreement. The university deposits the scholarship money, then automatically pulls tuition from that same account. Cleaner, but you still need to cover living costs from day one.
The bigger issue: none of these scholarships cover housing, food, or insurance. In Hangzhou, you’re looking at 3,000-5,000 RMB a month for basic living. Even with a full tuition waiver, four years of rent and meals adds up fast.
Who ZJUT makes sense for
- You already have money for living costs and just need tuition help
- You specifically want Hangzhou (tech jobs, startup scene, Alibaba is headquartered there)
- You’re an undergrad and can lock in the 4-year Excellence Scholarship
ZJNU: stacking multiple funding sources
ZJNU’s approach is messier but potentially more generous. Instead of one scholarship ladder, they let you stack different funding sources.
University scholarships
| Type | Coverage | Eligible |
|---|---|---|
| Type A | Full tuition waiver | UG, Master’s, PhD |
| Type B | 50% tuition waiver | UG, Master’s, PhD |
| Type C | Flat 4,500 RMB | UG, Master’s, PhD |
Same deal as ZJUT here: tuition only. No stipend, no dorm, no insurance.
Zhejiang provincial government scholarship
| Category | Amount | Eligible |
|---|---|---|
| Type A | 30,000 RMB/year | Graduate students |
| Type B | 20,000 RMB/year | Undergraduates |
This one’s interesting because it’s cash, not a waiver. You get the money and spend it on whatever you need. 30,000 RMB a year won’t cover everything in Jinhua, but combined with a Type A tuition waiver, you’re suddenly looking at a pretty manageable situation.
CSC scholarships (the real difference maker)
This is where the two schools diverge hard. ZJNU is a CSC host institution and runs three Chinese Government Scholarship programs. ZJUT’s scholarship page doesn’t list any.
The one you want is the High-Level Postgraduate Program. It covers tuition, a dorm room on campus, medical insurance (800 RMB), and a monthly living stipend. Under standard CSC rates, that’s 3,000 RMB/month for Master’s students and 3,500 RMB/month for PhD students.
That’s a full ride. You show up, you study, you don’t pay anything.
The requirements are steep, though:
- Bachelor’s degree (for Master’s) or Master’s degree (for PhD)
- Two recommendation letters from professors
- A 1,000+ word study plan in Chinese or English (PhD applicants need their supervisor to sign it)
- PhD applicants also need a supervisor acceptance letter before applying
- Under 35 for Master’s, under 40 for PhD
- HSK certificate for Chinese-taught programs; IELTS or TOEFL for English-taught
- Clean bill of health and no criminal record
Deadline is early: February 20, 2026. Most other ZJNU scholarships don’t close until July 15.
The other two CSC programs are the Bilateral Program (full or partial, depends on what your home country negotiated with China) and the Silk Road Program (for students from Belt and Road countries).
Everything else
ZJNU also offers an International Chinese Language Teachers Scholarship, a MOFCOM Scholarship for professionals from developing countries, and a Jinhua Sister City Scholarship. These are niche, but if you qualify, they’re another layer on top of the university and provincial awards.
Who ZJNU makes sense for
- Graduate students with strong enough profiles to compete for CSC (the payoff is massive)
- Students from Belt and Road countries (the Silk Road Program is built for you)
- Anyone who can’t afford to study without a living stipend
- Budget-conscious students: Jinhua’s living costs are noticeably lower than Hangzhou’s
Three scenarios, side by side
Strong undergraduate applicant
| ZJUT | ZJNU | |
|---|---|---|
| Best internal scholarship | Excellence (4-year full tuition waiver) | Type A (full tuition waiver) or Provincial Type B (20,000 RMB/year) |
| Tuition covered? | Yes (4 years) | Yes (with Type A) |
| Living costs covered? | No | No |
| Estimated out-of-pocket (4 years) | ~120,000-200,000 RMB | ~80,000-150,000 RMB |
| Edge | ZJUT (4-year lock-in is rare) |
ZJUT wins here but it’s close. The 4-year lock-in matters because most Chinese scholarships require annual review, and there’s always a risk of losing funding if your grades slip. Jinhua’s lower living costs narrow the gap, but if you can handle Hangzhou expenses, the guaranteed 4-year waiver is hard to beat.
Strong graduate (Master’s) applicant
| ZJUT | ZJNU | |
|---|---|---|
| Best internal scholarship | Excellence (full tuition waiver) | Type A (full waiver) + potentially Provincial Type A (30,000 RMB/year) |
| CSC full-ride available? | Not listed | Yes, High-Level Postgraduate Program |
| Living stipend? | No | Yes (via CSC: ~3,000 RMB/month) |
| Estimated out-of-pocket (3 years, no CSC) | ~120,000-180,000 RMB | ~90,000-150,000 RMB |
| With CSC | N/A | ~0 RMB |
| Edge | ZJNU |
This isn’t close. If you get the CSC scholarship at ZJNU, your costs drop to zero. Even without CSC, combining a Type A tuition waiver with the provincial 30,000 RMB/year grant puts you in better shape than anything ZJUT offers at the graduate level.
Budget student (any level)
| ZJUT | ZJNU | |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly living costs | 3,000-5,000 RMB | 2,000-3,500 RMB |
| Scholarships with stipend | 0 | 3+ (CSC programs) |
| Flat cash scholarships | Encouragement (3,500 RMB, one-time) | Provincial Type A/B (20,000-30,000/year), University Type C (4,500), Sister City |
| Edge | ZJNU |
If money is the main concern, ZJNU wins on every count: cheaper city, more cash grants, and the only path to a full ride with living stipend.
What I’d actually tell someone choosing between these two
For graduate students, especially PhD, pick ZJNU. The CSC full scholarship changes the entire math. Even if you don’t get it, the provincial grant plus a tuition waiver still leaves you better off than ZJUT’s best offer. And honestly, Jinhua is a more pleasant place to be broke than Hangzhou.
For undergraduates, it’s trickier. ZJUT’s 4-year tuition lock-in is genuinely good, and Hangzhou has real advantages if you want to work in tech after graduation. But you need to be honest about whether you can afford 3,500+ RMB a month in living costs for four years with no stipend. The upfront tuition payment before registration is also a real barrier that the official pages don’t emphasize enough.
If you’re from a Belt and Road country, ZJNU’s Silk Road Program tips the scale. ZJUT doesn’t have an equivalent.
One thing worth mentioning that official pages won’t tell you: CSC scholarships are brutally competitive. Don’t plan your life around getting one. Apply early, apply to both schools, and have a budget that works with university-level or provincial funding as your fallback.
Before you apply: what to check
| Question | ZJUT | ZJNU |
|---|---|---|
| Can I afford living costs without a stipend? | Budget at least 3,500 RMB/month (Hangzhou) | Budget ~2,500 RMB/month (Jinhua) |
| Do I have cash for upfront tuition? | Required for undergraduates | Not required |
| Am I eligible for CSC? | Check campuschina.org | Check campuschina.org (ZJNU code: 10345) |
| Do I meet the age limit? | Not specified on scholarship page | Under 35 (Master’s), under 40 (PhD) for CSC |
| When do I apply? | By end of May | By Feb 20 for CSC; by July 15 for others |
Application links
- ZJUT Scholarship Application: zjut.at0086.cn/StuApplication/Login.aspx
- ZJUT Scholarship Inquiries: ischolarship@zjut.edu.cn
- ZJNU Admissions Portal: admission.zjnu.edu.cn
- ZJNU Admissions Inquiries: admission@zjnu.edu.cn
- CSC Online Application: campuschina.org
Numbers are from each school’s official scholarship pages as of May 2026. Policies can change between academic years. If you’re actually applying, email the international student office to confirm current amounts before committing.
