What we do, and what we don't
Admissions services for China
Application support for Chinese universities and scholarships, with straight answers about what any consultant can and cannot promise.
Schedule 1 · what the fee buys
What is included, in writing
Anything not listed here is not included, and is quoted separately before it is done. That sentence is in the service agreement you sign, not just on this page.
In every engagement
- Profile and eligibility assessment
- University and programme selection
- Document audit against the university's checklist
- Preparation and correction of application documents
- Submission of the application
- Follow-up with the university until a decision is issued
- A named advisor, and consultation without a cap on exchanges
Where relevant to your file
- Scholarship scheme selection and strategy
- Personal statement and study plan editing
- Supervisor identification and outreach — Master's and PhD
- Research proposal review — PhD
- Guidance through the medical, police and notarisation process
- Visa application guidance
- Pre-departure briefing
Not included: sitting any examination on your behalf; obtaining your medical certificate or police clearance; paying your tuition, platform fees or third-party costs; legal, financial or licensed immigration advice; any guarantee of any outcome.
GradGate was founded by a published researcher and China Scholarship Council nominee. Master's and PhD files here are shaped by someone who has been on the applicant's side of a scholarship committee, which matters most where the work is hardest: supervisor outreach, research proposals, and the difference between a statement that gets read and one that gets skimmed.
Read this before you pay anyone
Three decisions are not ours. Or any agency's.
Decided elsewhere
Admission
Decided by the university's admissions committee. Our assessment that you are admissible is a professional opinion, honestly given. It binds no university.
Decided elsewhere
Scholarship
Decided by the university or the relevant government scholarship authority. We choose the scheme, build the case and chase the committee. We do not hold a vote.
Decided elsewhere
Visa
Decided by the Chinese embassy or consulate in your country. A refusal is their decision, not a failure of the application work. A fixed-fee appeal service exists if it happens.
What we control is the quality, completeness and timing of what the committee sees. That materially improves an application. It cannot determine the outcome, and anyone who says otherwise is selling you a decision that is not theirs to make.
On some programmes, that is the share of students who receive the provincial award — the university's own published figure, not our estimate. We quote it because you should plan around the real number, and because an agency that hides it is planning around your deposit instead.
If any agency guarantees you a scholarship, walk away
They are either misrepresenting their role or charging you for an outcome they do not control. We would rather lose your business to an honest competitor than win it on a promise we cannot keep. That is why our success instalment exists: we carry part of the risk we are asking you to take.
Your documents must be genuine
Every document you give us must be real, complete and unaltered. A forged paper can end an offer, cancel a visa, and bar you from applying again. Tell us about a weak record at the assessment stage instead. Weak is workable; false is final.
Testimonials require separate consent
We publish feedback only with separate written consent. Applicants can remain anonymous, and a personal story is never proof or a promise of the outcome another applicant will receive.
Consultation is not capped
Email, WeChat or a scheduled call, through the life of your engagement, without counting exchanges. It does not extend to legal or licensed immigration advice, and we will say so rather than improvise where a professional is needed.
Scholarship opportunities exist across all programmes. Awards are competitive and decided by the university.