Studying at a university in China: frequently asked questions (2026)

When you apply on the site you pay a $50 application fee; your application is sent to the university once this fee is paid. The service fee depends on the programme and is sent to you by email after your application fee is received. The service fee is paid only when you receive an admission letter, and the $50 you paid is deducted from it. The service fee is not refundable once the admission letter is issued. Some universities also charge their own application fee; this is shown on the university page.

Yes. Many universities offer English-taught programs, and Chinese-taught programs can be preceded by a Chinese language preparatory program. The language of each program is listed.

For the September 2027 intake, most universities accept applications between November 2026 and June 2027. Some review applications as they arrive, others after the deadline; the admission letter and visa form (JW202) are usually sent in summer, before the semester starts. See each university’s dates on our application calendar page; your advisor follows your application.

Chinese universities do not generally exclude any nationality; anyone with a valid foreign passport can apply. The one rule concerns former Chinese citizens: those who later took another citizenship must have held a foreign passport for the last 4 years and lived abroad for at least 2 of them. Programme-specific requirements (language, age, CSCA) are on each university page.

Yes, there are several options. The Chinese Government Scholarship (CSC) is a full scholarship: it covers tuition and accommodation, provides health insurance and pays a monthly stipend (¥2,500 for bachelor's, ¥3,000 for master's, ¥3,500 for PhD students). Applications usually run from December to February, through the Chinese embassy in your country or directly through the university. There are also provincial government scholarships and the universities' own scholarships and tuition discounts. From 2026, CSC applicants must also take the CSCA exam. Your advisor will work out with you which scholarships you can apply for.

After receiving your admission letter and visa form (JW201 or JW202), you apply at a Chinese consulate for a student visa: X1 for programmes longer than 180 days, X2 for shorter ones. With an X1 visa you must obtain a residence permit from the local immigration office within 30 days of arrival; your university will help you.

Under a 2022 regulation, students who have completed at least one year of a degree programme may work part-time for up to 8 hours a week (16 in the holidays) with the approval of their university and the immigration office. Internships and off-campus work are recorded on the residence permit; working without permission is illegal. See "Careers and job opportunities" on the home page for details.

It depends on the city. A campus dormitory usually costs ¥700–1,800 a month, and food, transport and personal expenses about ¥1,700–4,000 a month; Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou are more expensive. Compulsory health insurance is about ¥800 a year. See dormitory fees by university on the "Cost of living" page and the total cost by programme in the cost calculator.

According to QS 2027, the highest-ranked Chinese universities on this list are Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU), Nanjing University, Wuhan University, Tianjin University (TJU), Beijing Normal University. The rankings page shows QS, THE, ARWU and Leiden side by side.

Bachelor's programmes are taught in English or Chinese. 191 of the 1,921 programmes listed are taught entirely in English and require IELTS/TOEFL; Chinese-taught programmes require HSK. Students without Chinese can start with a one-year language preparation.

Annual bachelor's tuition ranges from 13,800 ¥ to 180,000 ¥, with a median of 22,000 ¥. Medicine and some international programmes cost more; housing and living costs are separate.

Choose a programme, fill in the online application form and upload your passport, diploma and transcript. Many universities require a CSCA result from 2026. Your adviser forwards the application; the admission letter and visa form (JW201/JW202) come from the university.

Yes. The Chinese Government Scholarship covers tuition, accommodation, a monthly stipend and insurance; provincial, city and university scholarships also exist. Bachelor's applicants need a CSCA result.

For the autumn 2027 intake most universities open applications between October and December 2026 and close them in May–June 2027. Currently open: Guangdong University of Foreign Studies (GDUFS), Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU), Northwestern Polytechnical University (NPU/NWPU), Sichuan University, Tianjin University (TJU), China Agricultural University, Nankai University, University of Science and Technology Beijing (USTB), Dalian University of Technology, Xi'an Jiaotong University (XJTU), Beijing University of Chemical Technology (BUCT), Beijing Jiaotong University (BJTU).

Each university sets its own deadline. For the universities on this page deadlines range from December 2026 (spring intake) to June 2027; scholarship applications close earlier.

Early enough to receive your score before your chosen university's deadline. Next sessions: 14 November 2026; 19 December 2026; 23 January 2027.

Some universities also accept bachelor's applications for a March intake, usually with a December deadline. They are marked 'Spring' in the calendar.

CNY 450 for one subject and CNY 700 for two or more, paid at registration by card, WeChat Pay or Alipay.

Yes. You can take it at home with a Windows computer and a phone. The list of test centres is shown on csca.cn after you log in.

Not if you apply without a scholarship. If you apply for the Chinese Government Scholarship, Professional Chinese is compulsory even for English-taught programmes.

Two years from the test date. You can take the test as many times as you like; universities usually accept your best valid score.

No. Each subject is scored out of 100, and each university sets its own requirements for its programmes.

No. The home-test client runs only on Windows. If you only have a Mac, use a Windows laptop or choose a test centre.

You can cancel before the admission ticket is generated; sessions cannot be transferred. After the ticket is generated, cancellations are not accepted.

Once results are out, download the PDF score report from csca.cn and add it to your application. CSCA also offers a score verification service to universities.

Most bachelor's degrees take 4 years; some fields such as medicine take longer. Each programme's duration is shown on its TasselWay programme page. The maximum period, including suspension, is set by each university.

The autumn semester starts in September and the spring semester in February. Each semester lasts about 18 weeks, usually with the last two weeks for exams. There is a winter break of about 4 weeks covering Chinese New Year and a summer break of about 8 weeks. Exact dates are in each university's calendar.

60 on the 100-point scale; a student who scores 60 earns the course credits. On the five-level scale, "pass" (及格) or above is a passing grade.

Course grades are converted to grade points with the university's table, each multiplied by the course credits and divided by the total credits. For example, at USTB 90–100 = 4.0, 85–89 = 3.7, 80–84 = 3.4; there is no single national table.

Depending on the university, you take a resit (补考) or retake the course (重修). At USTB a student who fails a compulsory course may take a resit before the next semester; a passed resit is recorded as 60. Resit and retake grades are marked on the transcript.

Yes. Under Ministry of Education rules, Chinese language and "Introduction to China" are compulsory for international degree students, even when the programme is taught in English.

The graduation certificate (毕业证书) is awarded on completing the teaching plan and meeting the graduation requirements. The bachelor's degree certificate (学士学位证书) is awarded separately to students who also meet the degree requirements of the Degree Law. A student who does not meet the graduation requirements receives a certificate of completion (结业证书).

Yes. Students need prior approval for any absence; a student absent without approval for two consecutive weeks may be dismissed.

At the 47 universities on our site, annual bachelor's tuition ranges from 13,800 ¥ to 180,000 ¥, with a median of 22,000 ¥ (about $3,100). Medicine and some international programmes cost more.

The lowest annual tuition is at China University of Mining and Technology (CUMT): 13,800 ¥. 41 universities offer at least one bachelor's programme under 25,000 ¥ a year.

Usually slightly more than Chinese-taught programmes. English-taught bachelor's programmes start from 14,600 ¥ a year.

Annual MBBS tuition ranges from 20,000 ¥ to 75,000 ¥; the programme takes 6 years including the internship.

The Chinese Government Scholarship is a full scholarship: tuition is waived and it includes a dormitory or housing allowance, a monthly stipend and health insurance. Some universities also reduce tuition with their own scholarships.

It depends on your goal: QS and THE also measure reputation and internationalisation, while ARWU and Leiden measure research strength.

33 partner universities that appear in at least one of the four rankings.

No. The application process is conducted entirely online; you can submit your documents through our website and consult our advisors by WhatsApp, phone or email.

TasselWay's application and service fees are paid only into our company's bank accounts. Tuition, housing and visa costs are paid directly to the institution concerned.

We have served students from 82 countries. We advise all candidates eligible to apply to Chinese universities as international students; our website is available in nine languages.