Home Future Students Higher Education in China General Entry Requirements

General Entry Requirements

International students who want to study in Chinese universities must meet the following requirements from both the Chinese government and the university applied to:

Requirements by Chinese Government

1.    Applicant must be a real student, must hold a student or visitor visa;
2.    No criminal record. Applicants from some countries are requested to provide a non-criminal certificate notarized and certified by the Chinese Embassy;
3.    Some official sectors restrict the number of applicants from certain countries;
4.    Applicant should have the appropriate qualifications and be able to meet all the requirements (in accordance with the school requirements), be in a reliable financial state and have a guarantor in China;
5.    Transfer students need to provide the agreement certificate between the two schools.

For more information regarding the requirements of Chinese Government, please visit the Ministry of Education or China Scholarship Council.

Requirements by China's Universities

In accordance with different levels of degree, Chinese universities set up different requirements for all enrollees. Before applying, you must carefully review these requirements.

Usually, non-degree language and culture courses have the minimum requirements; as long as you have obtained a high school diploma, you can apply for admission.

Chinese-medium degree courses (i.e. degree courses taught in Mandarin Chinese) require the applicant to provide HSK examination results to prove their Chinese language proficiency. Applicants for master's degrees also need to provide a copy of transcripts and recommendation letters.

English-medium courses do not require HSK exam results. Instead, applicants for English-medium courses should provide recognized English proficiency tests such as TOEFL or IELTS. (English native speakers or those who hold an academic degree taught in English need not provide test scores).

More and more universities are starting to offer international programs taught in English. These programs will no longer require HSK examination results and are suitable for international applicants.

This is a list of requirements for different programs: (Applicant may search for degree courses by degree level according to your personal educational background and the following requirements.)

Type of Student	Application and admission requirements	Required Chinese language level	Study time
Short-term student	High school graduate or the equivalent (e.g. A-level). In some of China's universities, any education background is accepted.	No requirement	1 - 20 weeks
Language student	High school graduate or the equivalent (e.g. A-level).	No requirement	1 - 2 years
Undergraduate or associate student	High school graduate or the equivalent (e.g. A-level). A passing grade on China's college entrance examination may be required. Please notice that GCSE holders would not be admitted into the degree programs by China's universities; those students should apply for one year program of Pre-College (or International Foudation Year program) in wishing university.	HSK level 4-6 (for Chinese-medium courses)	Undergraduate student: 4 - 5 years; Associate students: 2 - 3 years
Master's degree student	Possession of a Bachelor's degree, at least two letters of recommendation from professors. A passing grade on China's college entrance examination may be required.	HSK level 5-8 (for Chinese-medium courses)	2 - 3 years
Doctoral student	Possession of a Master's degree, at least two recommendations from professors. A passing grade on China's college entrance examination may be required.	HSK level 5-8 (for Chinese-medium courses)	3 years
Transfer student	Student who is learning in another Chinese university should provide a sealed transfer letter from the Foreign Student’s Office of current university; and meet other requirements according to degree level.	Depending	Depending

Note

Required Chinese language level: For more on HSK/Chinese Proficiency Test, please click here. Each school has individual requirements.
China's college entrance examination: Test subjects are decided by each individual school. In addition to Chinese proficiency; for example, humanities students will usually be tested in mathematics, science and engineering students will be tested in chemistry and biology. Some universities have special review classes before testing to help students prepare. Students that received a academic degree from a Chinese institution may be allowed to skip the entrance exam.