Studying in China

What a year costs

Tuition is set by each university and each programme. There is no national fee. Xiamen University's published schedule is a fair picture of a well-known public university:

• Bachelor's: RMB 24,000-90,000 a year, the top of the range for medicine and specialist programmes
• Master's: RMB 26,000-45,000 a year
• Doctoral: RMB 30,000-55,000 a year
• Chinese language programme: RMB 26,000 a year

Xiamen notes that fees are subject to change on approval by price regulators, so check the fee page for your intake year. Application fees are separate and non-refundable: RMB 400 at Xiamen, RMB 800 for undergraduate applications at Tsinghua.

Living costs vary sharply by city. Xiamen's own estimates are a useful floor: meals RMB 1,000-1,500 a month, course materials RMB 400-700 a year, and on-campus accommodation from RMB 35 a day per bed on the main campus. An off-campus room near that campus is about RMB 2,500 a month. Beijing and Shanghai cost noticeably more for housing.

Health insurance is compulsory. The Ministry of Education's rules require every international student to be insured, and a university may refuse to register you or dismiss you if you do not buy cover in time. Xiamen charges RMB 800 a year for its student scheme.

Budget for the residence permit too. It costs RMB 400 for up to one year, RMB 800 for one to three years, and RMB 1,000 for three to five years.

The visa

For a programme longer than 180 days you need an X1 visa, then a residence permit after arrival. Short programmes of 180 days or less use the X2 visa and need no residence permit.

The paperwork comes from the university first. Your university issues an admission letter and a JW201 or JW202 visa application form. You take both to the Chinese embassy or consulate, or its visa application service centre, in the country where you live.

The fee depends on your nationality. China has cut regular visa fees temporarily and extended the cut until 31 December 2026. At Chinese missions in the United States, a single-entry visa costs US$140 for US citizens and US$23 for most other nationalities, plus US$25 for express service. Some nationalities pay different reciprocal rates, and every country's mission publishes its own table, so check the one where you will apply. Visa service centres charge their own service fee on top.

The money. No national proof-of-funds figure exists for the X1 visa. Universities and scholarship bodies set their own evidence requirements, commonly a bank statement or a sponsor's guarantee. Follow your university's instruction exactly.

The 30-day rule is the one that catches people. The National Immigration Administration requires you to apply for a residence permit within 30 days of entry when your visa says one is needed, and X1 visas say so. Processing takes up to 15 working days once your file is complete. For a permit valid longer than one year, Shanghai's official guidance says you need a health certificate from a recognised local health and quarantine authority or hospital. Your university's international office normally books this for you in the first weeks.

Working while you study

You have no general right to work. Article 30 of the Ministry of Education's rules, in force since 1 July 2017, says international students may take part in work-study but "shall not get employed, do business or engage in other operational activities."

Two routes exist, both needing approval:

• Work-study. Universities set their own limits. Peking University allows students who have finished their first year to work up to 8 hours a week and 40 hours a month in term, and 16 hours a week and 80 hours a month in vacations, with departmental approval.
• Off-campus internships. You need your university's approval and the employer's documents, then an internship annotation added to your residence permit by the local exit-entry authority. Shanghai's official guidance is plain: without the annotation, you may not work or intern outside the school.

Working without the annotation is a breach of immigration rules, not a technicality. It can cost you your residence permit.

After you graduate

There is no post-study job-seeking visa. When your studies end, your residence permit is tied to your enrolment. Shanghai's guidance says graduates who want to remain briefly can apply for a stay permit before the study residence permit expires.

The main route to work is the 2017 notice on outstanding foreign graduates, issued jointly by the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Education. It lets you apply for a work permit without the usual two years of work experience if you:

• hold a master's degree or above from a Chinese university, and graduated within the last year
• have a grade average of at least 80 out of 100, or B+ or above, with no disciplinary record
• have a job offer in a field that matches your study
• will be paid at least the local average urban wage

The first permit under this route is for one year and can be extended. Bachelor's graduates do not qualify under this notice and normally need work experience before an employer can sponsor them.

Language

English-taught programmes are common at master's level and in medicine, business and engineering. Requirements are set per university: Tsinghua asks for a high level of English and accepts TOEFL, IELTS or other recognised tests.

Chinese-taught programmes use the HSK exam. Tsinghua's Chinese-English taught undergraduate programmes ask for HSK Level 5 or above, with each section over 60 points. Other universities and programmes set their own levels, some lower than this. Check the requirement on the programme page.

Even on an English-taught degree, you will deal with the exit-entry authority, landlords, banks and doctors, and most will expect Chinese. Mobile payment apps and government services are designed around Chinese-language interfaces.

When to apply

The main intake is September, with a smaller spring intake at some universities.

Deadlines are set by each university, and competitive ones close early. Tsinghua's undergraduate admissions for 2027 entry run in two rounds:

• First round: 30 September to 20 November 2026, results in January 2027
• Second round: 21 November 2026 to 28 February 2027, results in early May 2027

Chinese Government Scholarship applications go through a Chinese embassy or directly through a university, and each publishes its own dates. Scholarship deadlines commonly fall well before ordinary admission deadlines, so look them up first.

Work backwards from September: admission letter and JW202 by May or June, visa in July, arrival in late August with enough time to register for the residence permit within 30 days.

What to watch out for

The 30-day residence permit deadline. Treat it as fixed. Arrive, register your address with the local police (hotels do it for you, private landlords often do not), book the health check, and file. Missing the deadline can mean a fine.

Your address registration. If you live off campus, you must register your accommodation with the local police station shortly after moving in, and again each time you move. Your international office will tell you the local deadline. A landlord who refuses to help with this is a warning sign.

Agents who promise work. Any offer that includes paid work alongside study, without mentioning university approval and a residence permit annotation, is offering something the rules do not allow.

Fee pages that are out of date. University English-language pages can lag behind the Chinese versions. Confirm fees and deadlines by email with the international admissions office before you pay a deposit.

Degree recognition at home. Check with your own country's recognition body that your chosen degree, especially medicine, is recognised for professional practice where you intend to work.

Where these numbers come from

Rules change, sometimes at short notice. Every figure above carries the date we checked it. Check the official source before you rely on it, and check the visa fee with the Chinese mission in the country where you will apply.