The invention discloses an emulsion type carbon fiber sizing agent, which comprises main size, an emulsifier, an aid and deionized water. The aid comprises a diluent and a penetrant, wherein the emulsifier is 5 to 15 mass percent of the main size, the diluent is 0 to 120 mass percent of the main size, the penetrant is 1 to 5 mass percent of the main size, and the mass ratio of the deionized water to the main size is 50-90:10-50. The invention also discloses a preparation method and application of the sizing agent. The sizing agent is suitable for unsaturated polyester resin and solves the problem of poor adhesion of the unsaturated polyester resin and the carbon fiber. After the sizing agent is used for sizing, the wear resistance of the carbon fiber is improved, and the broken filament amount is reduced, the post-processing performance of the fiber is improved, the interface adhesion of the carbon fiber and matrix resin is better, the shear strength between layers is improved, and the performance of composite materials is also improved.