Tsinghua - Illinois - Corporate Fellowship Program

View the Program Brochure (PDF)

Timetable

Total length of study for this program is 5 years, including 3 years at Tsinghua University or China Agricultural University (for Food Science and Human Nutrition majors) and a total of 2 years at University of Illinois that include 11 months of internship with sponsoring corporations.

Detailed timetable is as follows:

  • First 3 years towards BS/BA degree at Tsinghua or CAU (Year I-III)
  • Intensive 2 month English/cultural immersion program at Illinois (July – August, Year III) if needed.
  • Two semesters of academic study towards BS & MS degree in selected field of study at Illinois (September - May, Year IV)
  • First internship at partner corporation (7 months, May – December, Year IV-V or 4 months, May – August, Year IV if such an arrangement matches better with the sponsoring company’s internship program). Students will register as full time student during the period of time carrying out their internship projects.
  • Interim report on work done during the internship for Tsinghua or CAU BS degree (January, Year V)
  • One semester academic study at Illinois (January – May or August – December, Year V depending on the length of the 1st internship)
  • Second internship (China and/or US, 4 months, May – September or 7 months, January - August, Year V)
  • BS (Tsinghua or CAU) and MS (Illinois) awarded (September, Year V)

Application Process and Admission

Applications to the TUC Fellowship program should be submitted by qualified Tsinghua (or China Agricultural University for Food Science and Human Nutrition) students by the end of the first semester of the junior year.

The qualifications include:

  • Students must have a minimum GPA of 3.60/4.00 or higher, and have earned 110 credit hours towards the BS-ME requirements at Tsinghua University at the time of submitting their applications.
  • A special “3+2” BS+MS application along with supporting documents must be submitted to the “3+2” Fellowship Program Office.
  • Engineering students must have a minimum TOEFL score of 613 (paper based), 257 (computer based) or 103 (internet based) to be eligible to apply to the program. This score cannot be older than 2 years from the proposed term of entry. Students in other departments need to refer to individual websites to find out about the minimum TOEFL score requirements.
  • If the Department decides that a 2-month intensive English/culture immersion program is required from a student, the student will be admitted to the MS program after this requirement is completed.
  • The department will pay the application fee ($50 US/$60 International) for these students.
  • Each student is required to be assigned to a graduate advisor and file a graduate course plan in the semester the student is granted formal admission to the graduate portion of the program.
  • Once admitted into the MS program, the Head of Graduate Programs will act as the student’s advisor until a permanent advisor is found.
  • Students will be admitted on “limited status” since they will not hold the BS degree at the time of admission.

The home university will prepare a short list of qualified applicants and sets up interviews by faculty and corporate representatives who will gather in Beijing.

Offers will be made to selected applicants and instructions will be given to apply on-line to the respective department. If the department recommends admission, then the Office of Graduate Admission will generate necessary documents to apply for a J-1 visa and forwards them to the applicant.