Aerospace, Civil, Electrical, Mechanical: Faculty of Science and Engineering Chinese Scholarship Council (CSC) - School of  Aerospace, Civil, Electrical and Mechanical Engineering (RS929)

Funding provider: Swansea University

Subject areas: Various subject areas

Project start date: 1 October 2026 

Supervisors: Selected at shortlisting stage

Aligned programme of study: PhD

Mode of study: Full-time

Project description:

Swansea University is pleased to support the Chinese Scholarship Council Scheme (CSC) for the 26/27 academic year for full-time doctoral study, commencing in October 2026.  

This year, up to five CSC applications will be supported by Swansea University.  Each include tuition fees and an annual training allowance to support immersive training experiences such as engagement with industry and international collaborative opportunities.   

Each scholarship is offered for a maximum period of three years; CSC students are expected to submit their theses within this timescale. 

Applicants should be aware that faculty-based shortlisting panels are expected to sit in February 2026. Please note that shortlisting panels may contact candidates within this period.  Interviews are expected to take place in late February 2026. 

Please Note that any offers will be conditional upon applicants being successful with their application to the Chinese Scholarship Council for an October 2026 start. For more information click here https://www.csc.edu.cn/ 

The School of Aerospace, Civil, Electrical and Mechanical Engineering is a flagship School developing a vibrant, diverse, inclusive, digital, sustainable and internationally-recognised learning community driven by three underpinning principles:  

1) To be a world-leading research centre supported by publicly funded bodies and world-class industrial partners. 

2) To deliver an innovative pedagogy-based teaching curriculum fit for a new generation of engineers equipped to make a transformative impact in the world. 

3) To be a beacon of knowledge and innovation in Wales by bridging the gap between the School and the community through the continuous advancement of its civic mission. 

The School of Aerospace, Civil, Electrical and Mechanical Engineering is pleased to welcome applications for support with CSC Scholarships, particularly in the areas of: 

1. Aerospace Engineering
2. Civil Engineering
3. Electrical and Electronic Engineering
4. Mechanical Engineering

Project supervisors: all applicants should note that faculties will assess their supervisory capacity for individual applicants at the shortlisting stage of the recruitment process.  The formal offer of a scholarship place to successful applicants is contingent on relevant supervisor capacity and experience having first been confirmed by staff internally.

Due to funding restrictions, this scholarship is – at this time – open solely to applicants who hold Chinese National Status. 

If you have any questions regarding your academic or fee eligibility based on the above, please email  pgrscholarships@swansea.ac.uk, providing details of the scholarship(s) in which you are interested and the accompanying webpage URL. 

International Students – Fully funded if the applicant is successful in being offered a SUIPRES Scholarship as outlined below. Swansea University is pleased to offer the Swansea University International Postgraduate Research Excellence Scholarship (SUIPRES). This is a competitively awarded Scholarship open to overseas PhD and Professional Doctorate applicants eligible for the international rate of tuition fees who can demonstrate excellence in academic achievement. The SUIPRES Scholarship covers the difference between the International and the Home tuition fee for the duration of the PhD/Professional Doctorate programme. Successful candidates will be charged fees aligned to the UK rate per year. The scholarship will be offset against your tuition fee liability. All International applications will be considered for a SUIPRES Scholarship. You will be informed whether a SUIPRES Scholarship will be offered within your offer letter. 

Candidates must have attained, or must be expected to attain, a first-class honours degree and/or a distinction at master’s level. 

• Where applicants have multiple master’s degrees, a distinction must be held in the degree that is most relevant to the intended PhD study. 

• If you are currently studying for a master’s level qualification, ‘award’ is required to take place prior to enrolment and in good time to allow visa application/travel to take place.  

 NB: If you hold a non-UK degree, please see the Swansea University degree comparisons to find out if you meet the eligibility criteria.  

Applicants must be able to begin their course of study in October 2026.  As a cohort-based programme, deferral to an alternative enrolment window within the academic year or to another academic year is not permissible. 

English Language requirements: If applicable – IELTS 6.5 overall (with a score of at least 5.5 in each individual component) or equivalent that is recognised by Swansea University.  Details on the Swansea University English Language entry policy can be found here.  

Please note that the programme requires some applicants to hold ATAS clearance, further details on ATAS scheme eligibility are available on the UK Government website.  

ATAS clearance IS NOT required to be held as part of the scholarship application process. Successful award winners (as appropriate) are provided with details as to how to apply for ATAS clearance in tandem with a scholarship course offer.

This scholarship covers the full cost of tuition fees. 

Additional research expenses of up to £1,000 per year will also be available. 

To apply, please complete the entire application form, following this link: Complete your application here in Learner Gateway (hyperlink) 

Aerospace Engineering 
 
Civil Engineering 

Electronic and Electrical Engineering, PhD 

Mechanical Engineering, PhD 

In order to be considered for this scholarship award the following steps are also required. 

1) In section ‘Programme Related Information’ please input the relevant RS Code for the scholarship award i.e. RS929 

2) In section ‘Research’ you will see ‘Proposed project title/studentship title’* (Mandatory) 

• In ‘Proposed project title/studentship title’ please input both:  

• the RS929 Code, and 

• the scholarship title.   

• Please leave Proposed Supervisor field blank 
• Please leave Research Project (if applicable) blank 
• In ‘Do you have a proposal to upload?*’(Mandatory) Please select Yes 
• Then upload copy of advert (you can save the advert by clicking print, and then print to pdf) 

3) In section ‘Funding information’ please choose the option ‘Scholarship Funding’ only. Please ensure no other options are selected.  

*It is the responsibility of the applicant to list the above information accurately when applying, please note that applications received without the above information listed will not be considered for the scholarship award. 

If you’ve previously applied for this programme, the system will display an “Application Submitted” warning and block a new submission. In this case:  

1. Apply for the same course with the next available start date (e.g., select January if October is unavailable).  
2. Email pgrscholarships@swansea.ac.uk with your student number and the relevant scholarship RS code, requesting the start date be amended to match the advert.  
3. Admissions staff will then update your application accordingly. 

One application is required per individual Swansea University led research scholarship award; applications cannot be considered listing multiple Swansea University led research scholarship awards. 

NOTE: Applicants for PhD/EngD/ProfD/EdD - to support our commitment to providing an environment free of discrimination and celebrating diversity at Swansea University you are required to complete an Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Monitoring Form in addition to your programme application form.    

Please note that completion of the EDI Monitoring Form is mandatory; your application may not progress if this information is not submitted. 

As part of your online application, you MUST upload the following documents (please do not send these via email): 

• CV 

• Degree certificates and transcripts (if you are currently studying for a degree, screenshots of your grades to date are sufficient) 

• A cover letter including a ‘Supplementary Personal Statement’ to explain why the position particularly matches your skills and experience and how you choose to develop the project. 

• One reference (academic or previous employer) on headed paper or using the Swansea University reference form. Please note that we are not able to accept references received citing private email accounts, e.g. Hotmail. Referees should cite their employment email address for verification of reference. 

• Evidence of meeting English Language requirement (if applicable). 

• Copy of UK resident visa (if applicable) 

• Confirmation of EDI form submission 

Informal scholarship enquiries from applicants to prospective supervisors – prior to the application deadline – are warmly encouraged; please direct these to the relevant member/s of faculty staff.

*External Partner Application Data Sharing – Please note that as part of the scholarship application selection process, application data sharing may occur with external partners outside of the University, when joint/co- funding of a scholarship project is applicable.