How difficult is it to get the CIS for an academic study without having studied in the CI?

[wurstm162]

I started learning Chinese on my own and I managed to pass HSK IV with a good score a couple days ago.
I did this to get the scholarship for a one-semester-acadmic study in China. Now I have all the ressources, the letter of recommendation the HSK certificates etc.

But only recently I became aware of how crucial it is that one should have studied Chinese in the CI before. I never did so, mostly because I'm 17 (as of now), but this really takes me down: Especially since someone in a video on YouTube said that the chances of getting accepted as a non-CI-student are close to null.

So, I'm here to ask you if you can verify this claim.

Is it unlikely for me to get accepted, considering the situation of corona and all the other factors?

 

BTW: I havn't gotten my HSKK results yet so I didn't submit my application.

 

[ZhangKaiRong]

What are you referring as "academic study"? Based on your age, I guess you're still in high school, not sure how it would work, given the differences between the Western and Chinese education system. It's more obvious with college / university, though.

 

As for the scholarship part for non-CI students, well, I was awarded with a CIS without ever touching the grounds of a CI before (so does several of my classmates), so I wouldn't call this impossible. Leverage on guanxi with CI teachers can definitely help your case, so I would rather say that odds are slightly against you if there is a competition within CI for a limited number of CIS spots. It differs country by country (or rather city by city), so getting some info beforehand may be useful.