China welcomes international self-financed students to study in China and there are 465 institutions of higher education in China qualified to accept international students.
China has a long tradition of providing higher education to foreigners. An international students administration system, with "distinct Chinese characteristics" has played an active role in enhancing political, diplomatic and economic ties and as early as 1950, 33 students from Eastern Europe studied in China.
Numbers of foreign students dropped following the SARS crisis, but the 2003-2007 Action Plan for Rejuvenating Education policy to "expand the size, raise the level, guarantee the quality and regulate the management" of education in China has helped raise numbers. Latest figures from the Ministry of Education show the annual number of foreign students studying at degree level or above as over 70,000 from 175 countries in 353 Chinese higher education institutions with around 6% of these on Chinese government scholarships and the remainder self financed.
Educational qualifications obtained in China for some subjects may not be accepted in some countries and you should check with the relevant authorities abroad. The information below is from the Ministry of Education, but you should check directly with the institution you are interested in for more specific details, requirements and local variations.
The Ministry of Education published fees range from as low as RMB15,000 per annum for liberal arts undergraduate courses to RMB68,000 per annum for doctorial sciences courses.
1). Applicants may apply to the China Scholarship Council (CSC) through overseas educational institutions or non-governmental organizations.
2). Applicants may apply to CSC directly.
3). Applicants may apply to Chinese institutions of higher education directly.
2. Categories of Applicants and Duration of Study
The duration of study of different categories' students:
1). --Undergraduates: 4 to 5 years
2). --Master's degree students: 2 to 3 years
3). --Doctoral degree students: 3 years
4). --There is no limit of study duration for Chinese language students, visiting scholars and senior visiting scholars.
1). Applicants must be non-Chinese nationals in good health.
2). Educational qualifications required:
a. Undergraduate applicants must hold high school certificate.
b. Master's degree applicants must hold bachelor's degree.
c. Doctoral degree applicants must hold master's degree.
d. Chinese language students must hold high school certificate.
e. Visiting scholars must have completed two years of undergraduate studies.
f. Senior visiting scholars must hold master's degree or hold academic titles of associate professor or higher.
1). Applicants shall fill out the Application Form for Self-financed Study in China (in duplicates).
Students who apply to CSC through overseas educational institutions or non-governmental organizations or individually must fill in and present this form, which can be obtained from Chinese diplomatic missions, or downloaded from the website of CSC (http://www.csc.edu.cn).
2). Highest diploma (notarized photocopy). If applicants are university students or already employed, applicants shall also submit documents of being university students provided by universities or on-post employees provided by employers.
3). High school transcripts for bachelor's degree applicants or transcripts for other categories' students (notarized photocopy).
4). Photocopy of Foreigner Physical Examination Form (printed by Chinese quarantine authority). The medical examinations must cover all the items listed in the Foreigner Physical Examination Form. Incomplete records or those without a sealed photograph of the applicants are invalid. The medical examination results will be valid for 6 months. All applicants are kindly requested to take this factor into consideration while determining the time to take the medical examination.
5). Applicants for master's or doctoral degree studies and senior visiting scholars must submit two letters of recommendation in Chinese or English by professors or associate professors. Applicants who apply in China for Master's or Doctoral degree studies must submit the Admission Notice of the hosting university.
6). Applicants for studying music are requested to submit one cassette recording of the applicants' own work. Applicants for fine arts must submit six color photographs of personal works (two sketches, two colored paintings and two other works).
