BEIJING - China will offer national scholarships for 45,000 outstanding graduate students every year, the Ministry of Finance announced on Monday.

The ministry has drafted a set of regulations on managing the national scholarships that went into effect on September 1, 2012, according to a statement on the ministry's website.

The scholarships will be awarded to 10,000 doctoral students and 35,000 postgraduates studying for their master's degrees.

The outstanding postgraduates will each receive 20,000 yuan (3,174.6 U.S. dollars) per year, while award-winning doctoral students will receive 30,000 yuan, the statement said.

The scholarships will be awarded on the basis of moral quality, academic merit and research capacity, according to the statement.