Recommendation letter: who must send one and who must write it
Unofficial entry · Sources checked
A recommendation letter is a written reference from a named referee that an applicant submits with a scholarship application. The term is used in the Application Guide for Chinese Government Scholarship, published by the China Scholarship Council, and in the Application Guidelines for International Chinese Language Teachers Scholarship 2025, published by the Center for Language Education and Cooperation (CLEC). Each scholarship sets its own rules, so the two are described separately below. See also Admission and documents on this site.
Definition
A recommendation letter is a letter from a referee that an applicant submits with the scholarship application. The referee type, the number of letters and the language are set by each scholarship's own document.
What the official text says
Chinese Government Scholarship
Item 9 of section VI, Application Documents, of the Application Guide for Chinese Government Scholarship states that an applicant for a postgraduate program or for academic education as a senior scholar shall submit two recommendation letters in Chinese or in English from professors or associate professors. Item 9 names no letter requirement for bachelor's applicants.
International Chinese Language Teachers Scholarship 2025
Appendix 2 of the Application Guidelines for International Chinese Language Teachers Scholarship 2025 lists the letters that apply to this scholarship. The table below gives each provision in the order the appendix prints them.
| Provision | Who must write | Number | Language |
|---|---|---|---|
| Appendix 2, section A, item c (all applicants) | Head of the Recommending Institution | A reference letter | Appendix 2 names no language |
| Appendix 2, section B, item e (Doctor's degree in International Chinese Language Education) | Professors or associate professors, or experts with equivalent professional titles in relevant fields | Two reference letters | Appendix 2 names no language |
| Appendix 2, section B, item f (Master's degree in International Chinese Language Education) | Professors or associate professors | Two reference letters | Appendix 2 names no language |
| Appendix 2, section C (in-service Chinese language teachers) | Employer | A reference letter from the employer | Appendix 2 names no language |
The letters in Appendix 2 are conditions of the International Chinese Language Teachers Scholarship. They are not conditions of the Chinese Government Scholarship.
Related terms
- Scholarships
- Admission and documents
- Pre-admission document (Application Guide for Chinese Government Scholarship, section VI, item 7)
- Study or research plan (section VI, item 8)
- Recommending Institution (Application Guidelines for International Chinese Language Teachers Scholarship 2025, section III)
- Host Institution (Application Guidelines for International Chinese Language Teachers Scholarship 2025, section III)
Sources
- Application Guide for Chinese Government Scholarship - China Scholarship Council (Campus China)
- Application Guidelines for International Chinese Language Teachers Scholarship 2025 - Center for Language Education and Cooperation (CLEC)
Checked 11 October 2026 (Chinese Government Scholarship guide) and 10 October 2026 (International Chinese Language Teachers Scholarship guidelines).
This entry is an unofficial summary, is not legal or immigration advice, is not published by the bodies named, and the official text and the instructions of the body handling your case prevail if they differ.