Entrance Requirements

Entrance Requirements

Jul,21 2013

If you want to study a specific course in a Chinese university, you should check whether you are eligible to the application requirements of the course when you are on the page of program details, for each course at different Chinese universities has its own requirements for entry.

According to the degree level of the course, the requirements of most Chinese universities are:



Non-degree courses

Pre-university coursesHigh school diploma or the equivalent (e.g. A-level)
Chinese Language and Culture1. High school diploma or the equivalent (e.g. A-level) 2. The applicant should be at least 18 years old




MOE official requirements for Study in China


To be eligible, an applicant must:

1. be a citizen of a country other than the PRC and in good health both mentally and physically;

2. be an academically excellent holder of high school diploma or its equivalent under the age of 30 when applying for an undergraduate program;

3. be an academically excellent holder of a Bachelor’s degree or its equivalent under the age of 35 when applying for a Master’s program;

4. be an academically excellent holder of a Master’s degree or its equivalent under the age of 40 when applying for a doctoral program;

5. be a holder of a high school diploma (or higher) under the age of 45 when applying for a general scholar program;

6. be a master’s degree holder or an associate professor (or above) under the age of 50 when applying for a senior scholar program;

7. have passed the HSK (Level 4) when applying for a Chinese-taught undergraduate or general scholar program (excluding Chinese language majors);

8. have passed the HSK (Level 4) when applying for a Chinese-taught senior scholar program;

9. have passed the HSK (Level 5) when applying for a Chinese-taught postgraduate program;

10. meet the admission requirements of the university of preference in terms of language proficiency and academic ability, among others, when applying for a program taught in a language other than Chinese.




Chinese Universities’ Requirements for study in China

Actually, only to meet the limitations of the MOE is not enough; different Chinese universities have their own requirements for different courses too. The following are some requirements which are applicable to most universities in China.

Chinese Language Skills is not compulsory for all courses in China

Regarding with the Chinese language skills, Chinese universities have different requirements for different programs.

Generally speaking, English-taught programs and non-degree language and culture programs usually don’t require any Chinese language skills or any HSK exam results. And also, non-degree language and culture programs have the least requirements; if you have obtained a high school diploma, you can apply for admission.

However, if you apply for English -taught programs, your results of TOEFL or IELTS or other equally recognized English proficiency tests results will be required. (You don’t need to provide the above results if you are an English native speaker or you have an academic degree taught in English).

And if you apply for degree courses taught in Chinese, you need to provide HSK examination results to prove your Chinese language proficiency. As for master's degree, a copy of transcripts and recommendation letters are also required.


Application Documents


Different Chinese universities have their own requirements for application documents. 


Basic documents


1.Application Form  (filled in online);


2. A scanned copy of the Passport Information Page. An applicant shall submit a clear scanned copy of the information page of his/her passport.


3. Diploma and certificate of highest education An applicant who is a current university student shall submit the certificate of expected graduation or student status issued by his/her university;

4. Academic transcripts. Transcripts in languages other than Chinese or English shall be attached with notarized translations in Chinese or English;


Additional  documents


5. Certificate of language proficiency. When applying for a Chinese-taught program, an applicant shall provide a valid HSK score report that meets the program’s language ability requirements. When applying for a program taught in a language other than Chinese, an applicant shall provide a certificate of proficiency in the language as required by the designated university, such as the IELTS or TOEFL test report;


7. A study or research plan written in Chinese or in English (no less than 200 words/characters for undergraduates; no less than 500 words/characters for scholars; no less than 1000 words/characters for postgraduates);


8. Recommendation letters. An applicant for a postgraduate program or for academic education as a senior scholar shall submit two recommendation letters in Chinese or in English from professors or associate professors;


9. An applicant for the arts or design program shall provide his/her own works (such as videos and paintings);


10. An applicant under the age of 18 shall submit the legal documents of his/her legal guardian(s) in China;


11.  Foreigner Physical Examination Form. The medical examinations must cover all the items listed in the Foreigner Physical Examination Form. Incomplete records or those without the signature of the attending physician, the official stamp of the hospital, or a sealed photograph of the applicant are invalid. Medical examination results are valid for only six months;


12. An applicant shall submit a valid Certificate of Non-Criminal Record (or Police Clearance Certificate) issued by the local public security (such as the police station), usually issued within six months prior to the submission date of the application.