ParisTech - CSC doctoral program: application process

Application process for the 2020/2021 campaign will start on October 20, 2020.
Please carefully read all information below, and contact us if you had any question.
The program offers a limited number of scholarships, and is thus highly selective: provide a file as complete as possible, check all information available on labs and researchers, construct a clear and coherent personal and professional project to enhance your chances of being selected!
Applicants must be citizens of the People’s Republic of China at the time of application.
Applicants should not hold a foreign permanent residence permit.
Applicants should be at least 18 years old at the time of application.
Students eligible to the program can either be, at the time of application:
- Studying in China
- Master's students (last year of Master or recent graduates) in a Chinese University.
- First year PhD students in a Chinese University are only eligible for co-supervised PhDs scholarship. A recommendation from the home university will be required.
- Studying in France
- Second year Master's (M2) students or students graduated within less than a year while applying for the CSC scholarship.
- Applicants who have studied for a “Diplôme d’ingénieur” in France, and especially those who have received funding from the CSC - ParisTech "9+9" Program project are also encouraged to apply to this PhD program.
- Students in one of the 32 partner countries* of the CSC
USA, Canada, Cuba, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Thailand, Israel, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, Czech Republic, Germany, France, Switzerland, Belgium, Austria, Netherlands, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland, United Kingdom, Ireland, Hungary, Serbia.
- Students who graduated within less than a year at the time of application to the CSC scholarship.
The funding period for PhD candidates covers 36 to 48 months. For joint PhD candidates, the funding covers 6 to 24 months.
The CSC provides one-time round-trip international travel expenses by the most economical route, and scholarships for overseas students within the funding period. Scholarship recipients need to pay the registration fee, and other administrative fees, as specified by the doctoral school at which they are registered.
They will be given priority assistance in terms of accommodation and help on visas procedures, and provided with necessary resources and equipment during their PhD studies.
October 20, 2020 | Publication of the Research proposals, start of application process |
Midnight, December 13, 2020 (Paris time) | Deadline for applicants to send all the required documents to china@paristech.fr |
December 25, 2020 | Successful applicants will receive a notification to attend an interview. |
January 2021 | Interviews with the ParisTech Admission Board |
Late January to late February 2021 | Online interviews with potential PhD advisors |
March 2021 | Admitted students will receive a provisional admission letter to apply for the CSC scholarship. |
End of May / Early June 2021 | Announcement of CSC scholarship results |
June to September 2021 | Awarded students will receive the official admission letter, and will be informed by the CSC about all the administrative procedures to follow before departure for France |
September / October 2021 | Arrival in France and beginning of the PhD |
You will find below the full list of all PhD proposals. You can click on the PhD research proposal to check all information about it (supervisors, lab, content…).
Candidates can either apply to:
- specific PhD research proposals (up to 3),
- and / or an entire research field: in this case we strongly encourage you to check the database of ParisTech publications to identify potential PhD supervisors and mention them in your application.
Please note that you are encouraged to contact supervisors during the application process, either:
- to make sure the research proposal corresponds to your project,
- or in the case you found a lab or supervisor you were interested in pursuing a PhD with, to define a thesis subject with them.
You can also download the booklet of all Research Proposals for 2021 and the Excel table, with subject listed according to the Research Fields covered by ParisTech.
Download the presentation:
Watch the webinar 2020 on YouTube or Bilibili : presentation of the program, of the labs and PhD proposals
Full list of 2021 PhD Research Proposals
Application is a 6-step process:
Step 1: Providing all application documents to ParisTech
If you want to be considered for a PhD at ParisTech schools, the following documents are required, and should be send to: china@paristech.fr
All documents must be submitted in English or in French, translated version is also acceptable.
All documents marked with * are mandatory:
- A completed application form (to be downloaded here)*
Please fill in the application form online, and save it in pdf format.
- Two completed and signed recommendation forms (to be downloaded here)*
Please note that it is the responsibility of the applicants to ensure that the recommendation forms are returned duly completed.
- Student ranking certificates (ranking by major or department at bachelor and master level)*.
If your university cannot provide all ranking certificates, please explain why on your application form (in the section dedicated to GPA and rankings).
- Academic transcripts (at bachelor and master level)*
- An English summary of your master thesis*.
If you are currently studying outside of China, and cannot provide a summary of a master thesis, please explain it in the application form, in the section dedicated to the master thesis).
- A personal statement including motivation and rough research plan (1-2 pages)*.
Please outline why you wish to pursue a PhD at ParisTech, and do not hesitate to provide any additional information about yourself (interests, work experience, professional project, etc.) that may support your application.
- A research plan (one page)*.
The research plan should describe the areas you are interested in, and some research work you have done that makes you consider pursuing a PhD in the domain you wish to apply to.
- Any evidence of French or English proficiency
We strongly suggest you to meet the CSC requirements on Foreign Language Proficiency.
- Any further document proving your academic or scientific achievement / excellence (ex. university prize, published work, previously awarded scholarship).
- A scan of your passport or resident ID card*.
The deadline to receive the full application is at midnight (Paris time) on December 13, 2020.
N.B. Your application will be considered only upon receipt of all required materials. Please do not combine all the above documents into one single PDF file. All documents will be reviewed by Professors from ParisTech “Grandes Ecoles”.
Step 2: Interview with the ParisTech Admission Board
If your application file meets all ParisTech criteria, you will receive a notification to pass an interview on December 25, 2020. The interview aims at evaluating applicants’ motivation, communication skills, and research projects.
Interview are to be held from January 11, 2021 to January 22, 2021 in Shanghai, Beijing, Paris, or online for candidates neither in China or France.
NB: Due to the pandemic, interviews might be partially or all held online.
Step 3: Interview with potential PhD advisors
These interviews will be held online from late January 2021 to late February 2021.
If at this stage you still haven’t contacted any potential advisors, we strongly encourage you to do so.
Step 4: CSC application
Once all interviews taken, and / or once a supervisor agrees to deliver you a conditional admission letter, you should apply for the CSC – Paris PhD scholarship.
- All applicants should log in to the CSC study abroad platform (http://apply.csc.edu.cn) in March each year, to complete an online application and upload relevant materials.
- The China Scholarship Council entrusts the following institutions to be responsible for the applicants’ selection:
- Relevant universities and institutions in China are responsible for accepting applications from their own students;
- For applicants currently abroad, the relevant department of the Chinese Embassy is responsible for accepting applications.
- The China Scholarship Council does not directly accept individual applications.
- After completing the online application, applicants should submit the materials to the institutions responsible for their application as soon as possible. These institutions should then review the completeness of the applicant's materials, and submit an official letter, and the list of recommended applicants to the Eurasian and African Affairs Department of the China Scholarship Council before an annually set date (in April), and submit the applicant's materials through the CSC platform.
Step 5: Evaluation by the CSC and admission
Applications will be reviewed by the CSC.
Once the results published, recipients of the scholarship will receive an unconditional admission letter from the relevant school.
Step 6: Dispatch
The dispatch time of admitted students is generally September / October. Admitted students are responsible for contacting their research unit, and for their visa procedure. The exact time of dispatch is determined in the admission letter.