Visiting scholars generally refer to people visiting China, and there are no special restrictions on their academic qualifications and age. Accepting domestic visiting scholars in colleges and universities is an important form of cultivating academic leaders and academic backbones in ordinary colleges and universities, and it is also a way to carry out inter-school academic exchanges. In foreign countries, visiting scholars are divided into public schools and self-funded schools. The former is funded by the state, local governments, industries or units; The latter is mostly funded by the inviting unit.

A postdoctoral fellow refers to a person who engages in scientific research in an institution of higher learning or research after obtaining a doctorate, usually in a postdoctoral mobile station or a postdoctoral research center. It should be noted that postdoctoral fellows are not degrees, but work experience.

Therefore, the extension of visiting scholars is wider than that of postdoctoral fellows. The reason why the National Scholarship Foundation named the project "National Public Visiting Scholar Project (including postdoctoral research)" is also because it believes that postdoctoral research belongs to the category of visiting scholars. Based on the above analysis, if you don't have a doctorate, then obviously you can only apply for a visiting scholar, not a postdoctoral fellow.