The Department of Higher Education and Training (the Department) is offering scholarships to South African students to study at Changchun Technical University of Automobile starting in the October 2025 academic year.
The programme is targeting Youth Not in Employment, Education and Training. The scholarship programme is for English-taught three year higher vocational education programmes in various priority fields of study.
This fully funded scholarship programme will cover tuition, travel, accommodation, monthly stipend, settlements allowance and a full suite of student support services. The Department is responsible for nominations and awards of this scholarship programme.
The Department has identified Changchun Technical University of Automobile, China as one of the four Chinese institutions for prospective students to apply to for a targeted programme as part of the China NEET Scholarship.
More information about Changchun Technical University of Automobile is available at https://www.caii.edu.cn
The scholarship is for a three-year diploma in Hydrogen Energy Technology Application Major. Click here for more information about the programme.
The Department will cover the following under this scholarship programme:
Successful scholarship awardees will be required to sign a contract, abide by the scholarship rules and return to South Africa upon completion of their studies.
Supporting Documents Checklist: All documents must be in PDF format and named accordingly
5 September 2025
Applications will be assessed by the Department of Higher Education and Training as follows:
Stage one: All applications will be screened based on the minimum requirements for eligibility for the scholarship.
Stage two: Applications will be ranked according to academic performance and a limited number of applications will move forward to Stage three.
Stage three: Applicants who pass the second stage will be invited to attend an online interview conducted by DHET. Candidates may also be required to complete a questionnaire at the time of the interview. No interviews will be done telephonically. Any candidate who does not arrive or join online on time for their confirmed interview without informing the Department in advance, will immediately be disqualified, regardless of the reason. Candidates who cannot be contacted on the phone number provided will be disqualified.
Stage four: Final selection of recommended candidates based on the application documents and outcome of the interview. Nominated candidates will have a limited amount of time to submit documents such as passports if not available at the time of application. All other documents must be submitted by the application closing date. The Institution reserves the right to request an online or telephone interview. You will be advised accordingly.
Stage five: Nominated candidates will be reviewed by the University for final selection.
Please note that nominations are based on a competitive process due to the limited number of available scholarships.
Unsuccessful applicants will be notified by email by 10 October 2025. Unfortunately, individual feedback cannot be provided to unsuccessful applicants.
Successful candidates will be informed by end of September 2025, and all students who accept the scholarship will be required to attend an orientation in online or in-person in Pretoria before departure. Orientation is meant to assist successful candidates with preparation for departure and provide necessary information.
Tentative Timelines:
Applications due date – 5 September 2025
Selection outcome due date – end of September 2025
Orientation date – 10 October 2025
Students’ departure date from 27 – 29 October 2025
Academic start date – 1 November 2025
All queries should be forwarded to ChinaNEET@dhet.gov.za.
Alternatively, refer to Frequently Asked Questions.
Hydrogen Energy Technology Application Major - Programme Outline
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Application Form: Changchun Technical University of Automobile