A funded route to China —
confirm your entry first.

Route A — Apply directly with BGCSE confirm first

Xiamen and Tsinghua ask for a senior high-school diploma, plus the CSCA (or an international test) and a language result. At Xiamen, a Form 5 student can apply with a letter from the school saying when they expect to graduate. No Chinese university names BGCSE yet, so get each university's answer before you count on this route.

Route B — University Foundation Year, straight from BGCSE safe route

Many Chinese universities run a 6-month to 1-year foundation / preparatory programme that feeds you into the bachelor's. Several are taught in English, so you can start before you speak any Chinese. Students on a Chinese-taught scholarship usually do a 1-year Chinese preparatory course first.

You generally need to be at least 18 (under-18s need a guarantee statement from a guardian in China).

Route C — Cambridge A-Levels first strongest signal

A-Levels are recognised as senior-secondary completion and give you a competitive edge at Chinese universities. Tsinghua (2027) accepts A-Level and IB results alongside the CSCA, and Zhejiang lets A-Level or IB results replace an English certificate. A-Levels are the most portable bridge you can build — the same A-Levels also open South Africa, the UK, Australia and Japan. (See the A-Levels in Botswana page — you can study them at home.) The grades each university wants vary, so confirm with each one.

The test gate — CSCA, then HSK or English

• CSCA (China's new entrance test): the China Scholastic Competency Assessment, set by the China Scholarship Council. Maths is compulsory; the other papers are Physics, Chemistry and (Chinese-taught only) Professional Chinese. Xiamen asks every undergraduate applicant for it. You can sit it online at home with a live proctor. Next sitting 14–15 November 2026 — register 15–21 October 2026; more sittings follow in December, January, March, April and June. Fee about RMB 450 for one paper, RMB 700 for two or more (per the Shanghai government's guide — confirm when you register at csca.cn).
• Chinese-taught degrees: Xiamen (2027) asks for HSK 5 (score 210+) for humanities, business, law and arts, and HSK 4 (210+) for science, engineering and medicine. Tsinghua asks for HSK 5. The Confucius Institute at the University of Botswana is the natural place to start learning Chinese.
• English-taught degrees: no HSK — usually IELTS 6.0 / TOEFL 80 (Zhejiang asks IELTS 6.0–6.5). English-taught bachelor's are limited but real, clustered in medicine (MBBS), engineering and business.
• Good news: Xiamen exempts applicants from countries where English is an official language — that includes Botswana. Other universities may not, so ask each one whether you need IELTS or TOEFL before you book a test.

The money, the scholarship and the visa

Flights, test fees and personal spending are extra.

• The Chinese Government Scholarship (CGS/CSC) is fully funded — tuition, a dorm (or housing subsidy), a stipend of RMB 2,500 a month for undergraduates, and insurance. Bachelor's applicants need a high-school diploma and must be under 25. Apply through the Chinese Embassy in Gaborone (Type A) or through a university (Type B). About 52 Batswana (all levels) reportedly won it in 2024.
• Scholarship applicants may have to sit the CSCA — check the current scholarship call and your university's rules.
• Universities and provinces run their own awards too — for example the Fujian Provincial Government Scholarship at Xiamen (RMB 30,000 for one year, renewable; closes 30 April 2027).
• Programmes over 180 days use an X1 student visa. The consular section of the Chinese Embassy in Gaborone issues it directly. It costs P300 (single entry) until 31 December 2026 — normally P400. Bring your admission letter, a JW202 (self-funded) or JW201 (scholarship) form, and the Foreigner Physical Examination Form if your university asks for it. First-time applicants also show proof of money (a bank certificate and 6 months of statements). Convert the X1 into a residence permit within 30 days of arrival.
• If you are not staying in a hotel, register your address with the police within 24 hours of arriving. Since 21 September 2026 you can do this online.

Your action plan

1. Enter your subjects in ACRON to see your real BGCSE profile first — free.
2. Ask the universities you like whether they accept BGCSE as your high-school diploma. If not — or you want the safe route — choose a 1-year English-taught foundation year (fastest) or Cambridge A-Levels at home (highest ceiling).
3. Book the CSCA: registration for the 14–15 November 2026 sitting runs 15–21 October 2026, and you can sit it online at home.
4. Pick your degree language: start HSK early (Confucius Institute, UB) for Chinese-taught, or for English-taught medicine/engineering/business ask whether the university exempts Botswana from IELTS/TOEFL (Xiamen does).
5. Chase the funded route. At Xiamen, applications open 1 December 2026; the scholarship-via-university route closes 20 February 2027 (self-funded: 31 May 2027); a Form 5 student can apply with an expected-graduation letter. The embassy route usually runs January to early April — ask the Chinese Embassy in Gaborone for this year's date.