UC Davis and the China Scholarship Council this week signed an agreement to offer up to 20 Ph.D. fellowships annually to students from China, for study at UC Davis.

As many as 80 fellowships may be awarded over the agreement’s initial term of four years, during which time the China Scholarship Council will put up to $8 million toward the students’ fees and expenses.

Ralph J. Hexter, provost and executive vice chancellor, and Jinghui Liu, secretary general of the China Scholarship Council, signed the agreement May 8 during a ceremony in Mrak Hall.

Afterward, Chancellor Linda P.B. Katehi met briefly with Liu, who invited the chancellor to visit the council. 

University Outreach and International Programs, represented by William B. Lacy, vice provost, and Linxia Liang, director of Asian Alumni, International Programs and Development, negotiated the agreement during a visit to the China Scholarship Council in November. The Office of Graduate Studies is also involved in the new partnership.

The China Scholarship Council will cover the first two years of study for each participant (nonresident fees, plus stipends for living expenses), as well as visa application fees, and, for each student, round-trip transportation between China and Davis.

UC Davis will support each student for three additional years. In most if not all cases, research grants and other funding will cover the students’ costs.

Students must first apply to the graduate program of their choice. After admission, they can apply to the China Scholarship Council for funding.

Priority at first will be given to students in 10 programs in the sciences and engineering:

• Agricultural and resource economics
• Animal biology
• Biological systems engineering
• Ecology
• Entomology
• Food science
• Horticulture and agronomy
• Hydrologic sciences
• Plant pathology
• Soils and biogeochemistry

More priority fields could be added, and the entire program can be extended beyond four years, by mutual agreement.

Secretary General Liu also met with Jeff Gibeling, dean of Graduate Studies, and UOIP's Liang.

The delegation from the China Scholarship Council also met with officials of the School of Veterinary Medicine.

Note to graduate program chairs interested in bringing in Chinese students under this new fellowship program: please contact Liang at University Outreach and International Programs, (530) 754-8945 or  lxliang@ucdavis.edu, or Gibeling at the Office of Graduate Studies, (530) 752-2050 or jcgibeling@ucdavis.edu.

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