Accommodation

Jul,21 2013

Living on Campus

Life on campus is very convenient and safe. Most Chinese students will choose to live in the dormitories on campus because of its reasonable prices, complete facilities and safe surroundings. Most of china’s universities provide international students dormitories for foreign students. Usually there are single-room, double-room and three-room dormitories for foreign students. The students can choose what they like. Most of the dormitories are equipped with necessary facilities including internet access, TV, basic furniture, toilet, telephone or even kitchens. Universities in the north also provide heaters in winter. As to the fees it is quite reasonable. However, the prices vary greatly from 30 RMB/day to 100 RMB/day determined by different universities and different types of dormitories.

SICAS Reminder:


You can find out specific costs for each university's on campus accommodation on the university's SICAS page (click on the 'Accommodation' button on the left navigation bar).
Besides, you can get all kinds of services such as shopping, dining, laundries, entertainment, ATM etc while living on campus.



Living off campus

Rent a House/apartment/flat

Some universities will allow foreign students to live off campus while you have to inform the university and get the permission from the university first before you make the arrangement. Some schools may have strict accommodation regulation for the sake of students’ safety so you may be required to go through some official forms to get the permission for living off campus. However, some universities will not allow the international students to live off campus due to some security consideration, especially when you are in your first year or you r younger than 18 years old. 

There are many ways for you to get housing information; you can check some renting websites. There are certain columns on the local newspaper for renting and you can also find something useful from the billboard on campus.

Just be aware that most housing ads you find are posted by agents who may charge an agent fee when you sign the contract (typically one month’s rent) and who may not speak English. The rents also vary a lot according to the location and condition of the apartment. If you want to rent an apartment at a reasonable price, you can turn to a letting agent or you can visit some house renting website. If you need help from SICAS, please email to service@sicas.cn.


Average Rents for off-campus living

Depending on different cities, here is the general rang of the price for renting:
One-bedroom apartment: RMB 800-2500 per month
Two-bedroom apartment: RMB 1000-4500 per month
Three-bedroom apartment: RMB 1500-8000 per month
What’s more, the price varies depending on the condition of the apartment, facilities/furnishings, and especially the location

On campus accommodation vs. off campus accommodation

In China, university dormitories mainly range from one to four people, with some suites mainly consisting of double rooms. Most of them have independent bathrooms, but there is no separate kitchen, and the washing machine is for public use.

The supporting facilities of off campus apartments are better than those of school dormitories. Most apartments are equipped with indoor independent washing machines, televisions, and no shared laundry room or kitchen is required.

Today, we will provide a comprehensive comparison from multiple dimensions to provide guidance for your future accommodation.

NO1. Compare from position

In most cases, apartments for off campus accommodation can be accommodated anywhere you want. The outside of the school is usually a residential area, and there are many available housing options

In terms of location, some off campus apartments are even close to the distance from the on campus dormitory to the classroom.

NO2. Residential Area Comparison

Most schools have double rooms for on campus accommodation, with an average area of approximately 5-8 square meters per person.

The area of off campus apartments is almost between 60 and 120 square meters, and the average per capita area can range from 20 to 60 square meters. In addition to the larger area, it also brings more personal privacy and space than the dormitory

03 Community Safety Comparison

Each apartment in the school has a dedicated apartment administrator, and there is also access control on the first floor to prevent people from entering and leaving at will. There will also be 24-hour security patrols on campus.

Every community in China also has guards and security guards on patrol. China is also one of the safest countries in the world. Both on campus and off campus accommodation are very safe

04. Price comparison

Off campus accommodation in Beijing and Shanghai may be more expensive. But in most cities in China, the cost of off campus accommodation is similar to that of on campus accommodation, and may be cheaper. Let`s take shenyang city as example.

On campus accommodation, double room is 8000RMB per year,  off Campus, if two students share one apartment  with single room, each one only need to pay 6000RMB per year.