The African Development Bank will pay for your fisheries degree in China — tuition, a place to live, meals and a monthly stipend — and you have five days left to apply. The 2027 African Development Bank Group–Shanghai Ocean University (AfDB–SHOU) Scholarship Programme is open now and closes on 12 November 2026. It funds Bachelor’s, Master’s and PhD degrees in fisheries, aquaculture, marine science and related fields at one of the world’s leading marine universities.
Read this first, because it decides whether this post is for you: this scholarship is for nationals of African Development Bank Regional Member Countries only. If you are an Indian reader, you are not eligible for this particular programme — but the same university runs a separate Chinese Government Scholarship (CSC Type B) that is open to international students including Indians, with a 1 February 2027 deadline, linked at the bottom of this post. For African fisheries graduates, though, the AfDB–SHOU programme is one of the best-funded routes into a marine degree anywhere in the world — and the deadline is five days away.
The scholarship at a glance
| Scholarship | 2027 African Development Bank Group–Shanghai Ocean University Scholarship Programme |
| Funders | African Development Bank Group (AfDB) and Shanghai Ocean University (SHOU), China |
| Levels | Bachelor’s (4 years), Master’s (3 years), PhD (4 years) |
| Fields | Fisheries, aquaculture, marine science, food science, engineering, economics, foreign languages and related disciplines |
| Study starts | September 2027 |
| Application deadline | 12 November 2026 |
| Who can apply | Nationals of an African Development Bank Regional Member Country |
| Application fee | None stated on the official page |
What the scholarship actually pays
The AfDB page is explicit about the package, and it is genuinely full — not a partial fee waiver. Every successful candidate receives:
- Full tuition fees — covered for the whole programme.
- Accommodation — housing provided for the duration of study.
- Meals — covered as part of the award.
- Monthly stipends — a living allowance paid every month. The AfDB page does not publish the stipend amount, so this post claims no figure — confirm the amount in the programme brochure or with SHOU before you budget.
- Access to experienced faculty and state-of-the-art academic and research facilities at SHOU.
- Specialised academic and professional training relevant to your programme.
One cost is yours: successful candidates are responsible for their own flight tickets and visa fees. Budget for the return flight to Shanghai and the Chinese student-visa fee yourself — the scholarship covers everything once you arrive, but not the journey there.
Why this matters for fisheries and the Blue Economy
This is not a generic scholarship that happens to include fisheries. The programme exists to build Africa’s capacity in sustainable fisheries, aquaculture, marine science and resource management, aligned with the African Development Bank’s Ten-Year Strategy (2024–2033) and its Blue Economy priorities. SHOU is a research university specialising in marine science, aquaculture and ocean governance, collaborating with more than 40 international institutions and global organisations.
For an African fisheries graduate, that combination is rare: a funder whose core mission is African development, and a host university whose core mission is the ocean. The degrees on offer map directly onto the jobs Africa’s Blue Economy needs — fishery resource assessment, aquaculture production, marine environmental management and fisheries economics. A Bachelor’s in marine fishery science and technology, a Master’s in fisheries or aquaculture, or a PhD in fishery resources all sit squarely inside this call.
Who can apply: eligibility by level
| Citizenship | Must be a national of an African Development Bank Regional Member Country (all levels) |
| Bachelor’s | No older than 25 years as of 1 September 2027; HSK Level 4 with a score above 180, obtained within the last two years; must also take the China Scholastic Competency Assessment (CSCA). All Bachelor’s programmes are taught in Chinese. |
| Master’s | Hold at least a bachelor’s degree; no older than 30 years as of 1 September 2027; IELTS 6.0 or TOEFL 80 for English-taught programmes, HSK Level 5 with a score above 180 for Chinese-taught programmes. Programmes available in English and Chinese depending on the course. |
| PhD | Hold a relevant master’s degree; no older than 35 years as of 1 September 2027; research experience with at least one published paper; IELTS 6.0 or TOEFL 80. |
| Language catch-up | Applicants who do not meet the Chinese-language requirements may be eligible for a Chinese-language programme of up to two years before starting their academic programme, subject to the applicable conditions. |
Additional academic and professional requirements vary by programme, and the official page directs applicants to the programme brochures — available in English and French — for the detailed requirements of each degree. Read the brochure for your exact programme before you apply; the table above is the headline eligibility, not the full list.
How to apply, step by step
- Check your nationality first. Confirm your country is an AfDB Regional Member Country — this is a hard requirement, and applying without it wastes your time and the reviewers’.
- Pick your level and programme. Choose Bachelor’s, Master’s or PhD, then find the fisheries, aquaculture or marine science programme that fits your background in the official brochures on the AfDB opportunity page.
- Check your age against 1 September 2027. The limits are 25 (Bachelor’s), 30 (Master’s) and 35 (PhD) — measured on that date, not on the application date.
- Line up your language evidence. English-taught Master’s and PhD applicants need IELTS 6.0 or TOEFL 80. Bachelor’s applicants and Chinese-taught applicants need the HSK score stated above — and Bachelor’s applicants must also take the CSCA. If your HSK is not yet at the required level, note the up-to-two-years language programme option in the official terms.
- PhD applicants: contact a supervisor now. The AfDB page strongly encourages PhD applicants to contact potential SHOU supervisors in advance and submit their CV, research proposal and published paper(s) for pre-evaluation. Do this before 12 November — a supervisor who already knows your work is the strongest asset in a PhD application.
- Complete and submit the online application by 12 November 2026. The official page says applications must be completed and submitted online by that date. Do not leave it to the last day — only shortlisted candidates will be contacted about the next steps, which may include an online interview with SHOU.
- Prepare for the interview. Shortlisted candidates may be invited to an online interview with SHOU. Know your programme, your research interest, and how your degree connects to fisheries or Blue Economy development in your home country.
Key dates — the whole window on one line each
| 7 November 2026 | Today — five days left; applications already open |
| 12 November 2026 | Application deadline — online submission must be complete |
| After 12 November 2026 | Shortlisted candidates contacted; online interviews with SHOU may follow |
| September 2027 | Studies begin at Shanghai Ocean University |
Three things to know before you apply
The deadline is genuinely five days away. This is not a long-window scholarship with months to prepare. If you are eligible, start the application today — gather your degree certificates, language scores and, for PhD applicants, your published paper and research proposal now, and contact a supervisor immediately.
The stipend amount is not published. The AfDB page confirms monthly stipends are paid but gives no figure. Do not trust any third-party site that quotes a number for this programme — the official page is the only source, and it does not state one. Ask SHOU or check the programme brochure for the current figure.
This award is not employment. The AfDB states plainly that the fellowship does not confer employment status with the African Development Bank Group. It is a study scholarship: the value is the degree, the training and the network — not a job at the Bank. Anyone promising AfDB employment through this programme is misrepresenting it.
Frequently asked questions
Can Indian students apply for the AfDB–SHOU Scholarship?
No. Applicants must be nationals of an African Development Bank Regional Member Country. Indian students should look at SHOU’s separate CSC Type B scholarship instead (linked below) — same university, same fisheries and marine science subjects, deadline 1 February 2027.
What does the scholarship cover?
Full tuition fees, accommodation, meals and monthly stipends, plus access to SHOU’s faculty, facilities and specialised training. Flight tickets and visa fees are the student’s own cost.
What is the deadline?
12 November 2026. The online application must be completed and submitted by that date.
Do I need to speak Chinese?
Bachelor’s programmes are taught in Chinese and require HSK Level 4 (score above 180) plus the CSCA. Master’s and PhD programmes are available in English (IELTS 6.0 or TOEFL 80) or Chinese (HSK Level 5, score above 180), depending on the course. A Chinese-language programme of up to two years may be available if you do not yet meet the language requirement.
Do PhD applicants really need a published paper?
Yes — the official eligibility requires research experience with at least one published paper, plus a relevant master’s degree and age no older than 35 as of 1 September 2027.
How are candidates selected?
Only shortlisted candidates are contacted about the next steps, which may include an online interview with SHOU. PhD applicants are strongly encouraged to seek supervisor pre-evaluation before applying.
Related fisheries scholarships on Fisheries India
- Fully Funded Ocean Degree in China — Apply by Feb 1 — Shanghai Ocean University’s CSC Type B scholarship for a Master’s or PhD in aquaculture, fishery resources or marine science; open to international students including Indians; deadline 1 February 2027.
- Commonwealth Funds Your Aquaculture MSc — Dec 8 — Commonwealth Shared Scholarships 2027/28: full tuition, airfare and a £1,712 monthly stipend for a one-year UK Master’s; India is eligible; closes 8 December 2026.
- Fisheries New Zealand Scholarships 2027: NZ$20,000/Year — Master’s and undergraduate scholarships in quantitative fisheries science; note the New Zealand residency requirement.
- $75,000 PhD in Ocean Science? Canada Opens 10 Seats — a funded ocean-science PhD route for international applicants.
Official links and sources
- African Development Bank — 2027 AfDB–SHOU Scholarship Opportunities (official page) (deadline 12 November 2026; eligibility, coverage and application terms, verified 7 November 2026)
- Fisheries India — Fully Funded Ocean Degree in China (SHOU CSC Type B, verified 25 October 2026)
All dates, figures and eligibility rules above are taken from the African Development Bank’s official scholarship page, verified 7 November 2026. The stipend amount is not published on that page and is not claimed here — confirm it in the programme brochure before applying. Images in this post are illustrations.