The Northwest A&F University (NWAFU) 2027 PhD Scholarship is one of the most generous doctoral funding packages in China this season: a 985 / Double First-Class university in Yangling — the birthplace of Chinese agricultural civilization — offering 50 PhD programs across 15 colleges, most of them taught in English, with five funding routes: the Chinese Government Scholarship University Program (Type B), CSC Type A, the “Five Central Asian Countries” Scholarship, the NWAFU University Scholarship, and self-funded places. NWAFU’s Agricultural Sciences rank #2 in the world (ARWU), with Water Resources #5, Food Science & Technology #7 and Veterinary Sciences #7. The CSC Type B deadline is 28 February 2027; all other routes run until 31 May 2027.

🏛️ About NWAFU

Northwest A&F University, located in Yangling, Shaanxi Province — the birthplace of Chinese agricultural civilization and a national agricultural high-tech industry demonstration zone — is directly affiliated with China’s Ministry of Education, a key university of the “Project 985” and “Project 211” initiatives and one of the first selected for the “Double First-Class” construction. It has become one of the country’s leading universities in agriculture with complete programs covering agriculture, forestry, water resources and related disciplines. NWAFU ranks #69 in the 2026 Best Chinese Universities Ranking and 301–400 in ARWU 2026, with Agricultural Sciences #2 in the world, Water Resources #5, Food Science & Technology #7 and Veterinary Sciences #7 in the 2026 Global Ranking of Academic Subjects — while US News ranks its Agricultural Science #3 and Water Resources #1 globally. It is especially renowned for wheat breeding, entomology, plant protection, food science (enology — it has a dedicated College of Enology!), forestry, veterinary medicine and agricultural water conservancy.

🎓 PhD Programs — 50 majors across 15 colleges

Most programs are taught in English (a few in Chinese or both); the standard duration is 4 years. Highlights by college:

• College of Agronomy: Plant Genetics & Breeding; Crop Cultivation & Farming System
• Plant Protection: Plant Pathology; Agri-entomology & Insect Control; Pesticide Science
• Horticulture: Pomology; Vegetable Science; Tea Science; Protected Horticulture; Ornamental Horticulture
• Animal Science & Technology: Animal Genetics, Breeding & Reproduction; Animal Nutrition & Feed Science; Special Animal Breeding; Hydrobiology
• Grassland Agriculture: Grassland Science (English/Chinese)
• Veterinary Medicine: Basic / Preventive / Clinical Veterinary Medicine; Animal Biotechnology
• Forestry & Landscape Architecture: Forestry; Ornamental Plants & Horticulture
• Natural Resources & Environment: Pedology; Plant Nutrition; Land Resources & Spatial Information Technology; Resource Microbiology; Environmental Science; Environmental Engineering
• Soil & Water Conservation: Soil & Water Conservation and Desertification Combating
• Water Resources & Architectural Engineering: Hydrology & Water Resources; Hydraulics & River Dynamics; Hydraulic Structure Engineering; Hydraulic & Hydro-Power Engineering
• Mechanical & Electronic Engineering: Agricultural Water-Soil Engineering; Agricultural Mechanization; Agricultural Electrification & Automation; Agri-biological Environment & Energy Engineering
• Information Engineering: Computer Science & Technology (Chinese)
• Food Science & Engineering: Food Science & Engineering
• Enology (Wine): Viticulture & Enology
• Life Sciences & Science: Botany; Microbiology; Genetics; Cell Biology; Biochemistry & Molecular Biology; Bioinformatics; Biophysics
• Chemistry & Pharmacy: Chemistry (Chinese)
• Economics & Management: Agricultural & Forestry Economics and Management; Agricultural Economics & Management
• Humanities & Social Development: Sociology

The full list may be adjusted — refer to the NWAFU International Education College website for the final 2027 catalog (《2027年博士研究生招生专业目录》).

📅 Five Funding Routes & Deadlines

💳 Fees, Insurance & Accommodation

CSC scholarship recipients are funded per the CSC standard (tuition, accommodation, stipend CNY 3,500/month for PhD, and insurance). Special program tuitions may vary — final tuition is stated in the Admission Notice.

✅ Eligibility Requirements

• ✔️ Be a non-Chinese citizen holding a valid foreign passport.
• ✔️ Be under 40 years of age.
• ✔️ Hold a Master’s degree.
• ✔️ Be physically and mentally healthy, well-behaved, with no criminal record, and friendly toward China.
• ✔️ Former Chinese citizens: must have obtained foreign nationality before 30 April 2023 and resided outside China for at least 2 years (minimum 9 months per year) between 30 April 2023 and 30 April 2027.
• ✔️ Applicants born with foreign nationality but with one Chinese-citizen parent: must have acquired foreign permanent residency before birth and meet the same residence requirements.
• ✔️ Applicants still holding Chinese nationality at application or after admission → admission eligibility revoked.

📄 Required Documents (upload to the NWAFU system)

• ✔️ Application form (generated in the NWAFU International Student Application System).
• ✔️ Supervisor’s acceptance letter — REQUIRED.
• ✔️ Highest academic diploma or certificate of expected graduation (official diploma must be submitted before enrollment).
• ✔️ Complete undergraduate and postgraduate transcripts.
• ✔️ Two letters of recommendation.
• ✔️ Research proposal / study plan.
• ✔️ Copy of valid passport.
• ✔️ Language proficiency certificate.
• ✔️ Certificate of non-criminal record.
• ✔️ Physical examination report.
• ✔️ Academic papers or research achievements (if any).

Acceptance Letter Guide

Watch this video for CV making

Watch this video on writing an email to the supervisor

Watch this video for an interview with the supervisor

🚀 Selection, Admission & Registration

1. Preliminary review of all application materials → qualified applicants proceed to an interview.
2. Admission decision based on a comprehensive evaluation of research ability, academic performance, language proficiency, and interview results.
3. The Visa Application Form for Study in China (JW202) is emailed to you through the system; check your admission status in the application system.
4. Registration: late August or early September 2027, as specified in the Admission Notice. Original copies of academic certificates and language proficiency scores must be presented — failure = revocation of admission.

☎️ Official Contact

❓ FAQs — Northwest A&F University PhD Scholarship 2027

1. What are the deadlines?

CSC Type B: 28 February 2027. CSC Type A, the Five Central Asian Countries Scholarship, the NWAFU Scholarship, and self-funded applications: 31 May 2027. All applications and the RMB 400 fee go through the NWAFU system.

2. Are programs taught in English?

Most of the 50 PhD programs are English-taught (only Computer Science & Technology and Chemistry are Chinese-taught; Grassland Science is English/Chinese) — a huge advantage for international applicants.

3. Is a supervisor required before applying?

Yes — the supervisor’s acceptance letter is a mandatory document. Contact your intended supervisor in advance.

4. Is there an application fee?

Yes — RMB 400, non-refundable, payable to the university’s designated bank account; upload the remittance receipt (with your application number and name in the transfer note).

3. Can Master’s students apply?

This particular guide is for PhD admissions (Master’s degree holders, under 40). NWAFU offers separate Master’s programs — check the International Education College website.

6. How strong is NWAFU in agriculture?

Among the strongest on Earth: Agricultural Sciences #2 globally (ARWU), Water Resources #5, Food Science & Technology #7, Veterinary Sciences #7 — and US News ranks its Water Resources #1 and Agricultural Science #3 in the world.

🏁 Conclusion

The Northwest A&F University 2027 PhD Scholarship is a standout offer for doctoral candidates: a 985 university with world #2 agricultural sciences, 50 PhD programs — mostly in English — plus five parallel funding routes stretching all the way to 31 May 2027 (with CSC Type B closing 28 February). The non-negotiables: secure your supervisor’s acceptance letter first, pay the RMB 400 fee and upload the receipt, complete everything in one submission (no supplements allowed), and bring originals to registration. Whether your passion is crops, wine, veterinary medicine, soil and water, or agricultural engineering — NWAFU is one of the best places on the planet to do it. Good luck!

🔗 All Important Links

1️⃣ Official 2027 PhD Admissions Guide

2️⃣ NWAFU International Student Application System

3️⃣ CSC Information System (for Type A/B)

4️⃣ NWAFU Official Website

📚 Source: Official “Northwest A&F University 2027 PhD Admissions Guide for International Students”, College of International Education, released 20 October 2026 — gjs.nwafu.edu.cn