China's university education system

How a bachelor's degree is structured

Under the Degree Law in force since 2025, a bachelor's degree is awarded to a student who has received undergraduate education, passed the required course assessments or earned the required credits, and passed the graduation stages such as a thesis or design project (Art. 19). The student must have a good command of the basic theory, knowledge and skills of the field and an initial ability for research or professional practice.

Courses are compulsory (必修) or elective (选修). Each programme's teaching plan sets the credits per course and the total needed to graduate; the number of credits is not fixed nationally.

Courses and language of instruction

International students follow the university's curriculum and teaching plan and take the required graduation exams or assessments. Chinese language and "Introduction to China" (中国概况) are compulsory in degree education; political theory is compulsory only for international students of philosophy and political science (MOE Order 42, Art. 16).

Chinese is the basic language of instruction for international students; universities may offer remedial support to students whose Chinese is not sufficient (Art. 18). Qualified universities may offer programmes taught in a foreign language such as English; students in these programmes may write their thesis in that language, with an abstract in Chinese (Art. 19).

Internships and practical training are organised by the university under the teaching plan (Art. 20). With the university's approval a student may change major; the university sets the conditions (Art. 17).

Academic calendar

Each university publishes its own calendar (校历); public holidays follow the State Council's annual holiday notice. Example: Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 2024–2025.

New students' registration date is given in the admission letter; for example, XJTU's 2027 guide sets registration in early September 2027.

Grading scale

Grades are given in three ways: a 100-point scale (60 passes, below 60 fails; a 60 earns the course credits), a five-level scale (excellent 优, good 良, average 中, pass 及格, fail 不及格) and pass/fail. The table below is USTB's conversion to grade points.

There is no single national table; each university uses its own (MOE Order 41, Art. 13). For applications or recognition, the university's official table applies.

How GPA is calculated

Each course grade on the transcript is first converted to grade points, then weighted by credits (USTB rules, Art. 35):

GPA = Σ (grade points × credits) ÷ Σ credits

Some universities use a finer table. Example: Fudan University (Fanhai International School of Finance) GPA table. For scholarships and rankings, universities often also use a credit-weighted average on the 100-point scale (USTB, Art. 34).

Exams, resits and retakes

Every course ends with an assessment; final exams are held in exam weeks. Whether a failed course is followed by a resit (补考) or a retake (重修) is decided by the university (MOE Order 41, Art. 13). Grades obtained by resit or retake are marked on the transcript (Art. 18).

Example: at USTB a standard exam lasts 2 hours. The course grade combines coursework (attendance, homework, quizzes; usually at least 20%) and the exam. A student who fails a compulsory course may take a resit before the next semester or retake the course; a passed resit is recorded as 60, while a retake is recorded with the actual grade. A failed elective may be retaken or replaced with another elective. A passed course with a low grade may be retaken once. Grade appeals are possible within one month of publication.

A student who misses an exam through illness can apply for a deferred exam (缓考). Cheating makes the grade invalid and leads to disciplinary action (MOE Order 41, Art. 18).

Attendance and registration

Students must attend all activities in the teaching plan; absence requires prior approval (MOE Order 41, Art. 19). A student absent without approval for two consecutive weeks may be dismissed (Art. 30).

Students register at the start of each semester; a student who has not paid tuition is not registered (Art. 12). A student who does not meet a course's attendance, homework or lab requirements may be barred from its exam; the requirements are announced in the first class (USTB rules, Art. 13).

Study duration, suspension and extension

Students may complete their studies in stages but must finish within the maximum period set by the university, including any suspension (MOE Order 41, Art. 25). The university sets how often and how long studies may be suspended; students must apply to resume before the suspension ends (Art. 29).

A student who completes the required courses and credits early may apply to graduate early, under the university's conditions (Art. 32).

Graduation and degree certificates

In China the graduation certificate and the degree certificate are separate documents. A student who completes the teaching plan within the maximum period and meets the graduation requirements receives a graduation certificate (毕业证书); one who also meets the degree requirements receives a bachelor's degree certificate (学士学位证书) (MOE Order 41, Art. 32). The Degree Law states that foreign applicants are awarded degrees under the same academic requirements (Art. 44).

A student who completes the teaching plan but does not meet the graduation requirements receives a certificate of completion (结业证书); the university decides whether a diploma can be obtained later through resits, retakes or a thesis defence (Art. 33). A student who withdraws receives a record of study.

Universities register international students' enrolment and graduation certificates in the national electronic system (MOE Order 42, Art. 21), so the diploma can be verified.

Campus rules for international students

Universities assign advisers to international students and brief them on Chinese law, university rules and culture (MOE Order 42, Art. 25). International students generally do not take part in military training or political activities (Art. 26).

Students may do on-campus work-study (勤工助学) but may not take up employment or run a business (Art. 30). Students living off campus must register promptly with the local police (Art. 24).

Frequently asked questions

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