Colleges and universities in various places have started one after another, and some students and parents are concerned about what are the new changes in the scholarship policy for the new semester? At the same time, will the scholarships for other academic stages be adjusted and which types of applicants will benefit? In this regard, a relevant person in charge of the Finance Department of the Ministry of Education accepted an interview with our reporter.

Q: As the scale of graduate training has expanded, will the support for scholarships be increased accordingly?

A: In recent years, with the improvement of social and economic development level and the increase in the number of graduate students, some localities and schools have reported that the number of national scholarship awards involving graduate students should increase accordingly and the standards should be appropriately increased.

The three departments of finance, education, and human resources and social security issued the "Notice on Adjusting the National Scholarship Policy for Higher Education and Higher Schools" in October 2024, and have been optimized and improved:

——Creating standards. Starting from 2025, the central financial support standards for graduate academic scholarships in central universities will be improved. Among them, the number of master's students increased from 8,000 yuan per student to 10,000 yuan per student, and the number of doctoral students increased from 10,000 yuan per student to 12,000 yuan per student. Starting this spring semester, this adjustment will be implemented in central universities.

——Increase the quota. The number of national scholarship awards for graduate students has increased from 45,000 to 90,000 per year. Among them, the number of master's students increased from 35,000 to 70,000, and the number of doctoral students increased from 10,000 to 20,000. This adjustment will be implemented from the fall semester of 2024.

Q: What are the considerations for policy adjustments involving graduate students? Who should I send it to, how to send it, how much, and what directions are there?

Answer: Education, science and technology, and talents are the basic and strategic support for Chinese-style modernization. This policy adjustment will encourage students to study hard and devote themselves to scientific research through greater efforts and to promote the cultivation of top innovative talents and urgently needed talents through greater efforts.

——The award is well-founded. Central universities determine the coverage, grade, and reward standards of graduate academic scholarships based on factors such as graduate academic performance, scientific research results, and social services, and can set reward standards in different tiers. At the same time, dynamic adjustments are made according to actual conditions, the maximum is no more than 20,000 yuan per student per year and 30,000 yuan per student per year.

——Service strategy. The allocation of academic scholarships for graduate students in central universities should be tilted towards basic disciplines and disciplines, majors and directions that are urgently needed by the country, towards top innovative talents, urgently needed and scarce talents, and towards academic graduate students. Local governments can improve local finance support policies for postgraduate academic scholarships for their affiliated universities based on the spirit of this adjustment and in combination with actual conditions.

Q: In addition to graduate students, what other groups of scholarships have changed in the new semester?

A: Starting from the consideration of meeting people's livelihood needs, according to the notice, starting from the spring semester this year, the national scholarship funding standards for general high schools will be increased and the coverage of national scholarships for secondary vocational schools will be expanded.

——The average funding standard for national scholarships for ordinary high schools will be increased from 2,000 yuan per student to 2,300 yuan per year. The specific standards are determined by local governments within the range of 1,200-3,500 yuan based on actual conditions, and can be divided into 2-3 levels.

——The national scholarship for secondary vocational schools (including technical colleges) is not only like ordinary high schools, but the average funding standard has increased from 2,000 yuan per student to 2,300 yuan per year, and the coverage has also been expanded. On the basis of the first and second grade students in the first and second grades of the school and students from non-agricultural majors, the third grade will be included in the funding scope.

——At the same time, 11 formerly contiguous poverty-stricken areas, including Liupanshan District, as well as third-grade rural students (excluding county towns) in Tibet, Tibet, and Tibet prefectures and counties, and four provinces in southern Xinjiang, Xinjiang, are all included in the scope of national scholarship funding.

These adjustments are more in line with the actual needs of students and schools, and will further alleviate the economic pressure of students from families with financial difficulties, ensure that they enter school smoothly and study with peace of mind, and encourage them to achieve success in their studies and develop comprehensively.

Q: How to promote the implementation of relevant policies in the new semester?

A: On the one hand, the three departments of finance, education, and human resources and social security will urge local governments to coordinate the allocation of funds, issue budgets in a timely manner, and supervise and manage the use of funds and policy implementation.

On the other hand, strengthen training guidance. The three departments will conduct extensive business training to all local schools, broaden policy training channels, interpret policy content in detail, ensure that policy implementation is standardized, continuously improve the accuracy of rewards and assistance to the poor, and more effectively promote educational equity, so that good policies can benefit students in a timely manner.