How to Apply to a University in China

To apply to a university in China, you’d have to go through a number of steps, the first of which is to register at a Chinese university. However, there are procedures for carrying out.

Questions like how to apply to a university in China and what documents are necessary is what we will be covering in this article. Firstly, to apply to a university in China, you’d follow these steps:

Choose the appropriate course

Before starting the registration process at a university in China, it’s necessary to choose the program that matches with your aspirations. Also, fits your previous studies i.e. diploma or a bachelor.

Generally, there are many programs available in English from which you can choose such as Master of Computer Science, Master of International Economics, and Master of Engineering.

Choosing the right university in China to apply to

Chinese universities offer majors that differ from one to the other. This is why you have to check all the available majors of the various universities in China carefully before applying to a university.

Also, you check out the cost of studying in China to learn more.

Prepare well before registering

Don’t be in a hurry when choosing a university or the major you want to study in. Similarly, take your time thinking well and read all the information.

Ensure that your qualifications are in accordance with what the university requires. Not to mention, your admission to a Chinese university is based on having a degree at a good success rate like GPA.

Moreover, Chinese universities have a certain age for students wishing to register for a bachelor’s degree, which must not be above 30 years or 40 years for those wishing to register for a master’s degree.

Tip: apply to three universities of your choice to multiply your chances of admission.

Requirements to study in China for international students

International students who want to apply in China’s universities have to meet requirements set by the Chinese government, as well as those of the university they apply to. 

Requirements of the Chinese government

These can be found on the website of the Chinese Ministry of Education or the website of the China Scholarship Council, the organization who manages the government scholarships in the country. 

To apply to Chinese universities, applicants must, first and foremost, hold a student or visitor visa. They should have the appropriate qualifications, be in a reliable financial state and have a guarantor in China. Moreover, they should have a clean criminal record proven by a non-criminal certificate notarized and certified by a Chinese embassy. 

Some official disciplines restrict the number of international students from certain countries. So, make sure you check out if your country is eligible and if you can get a spot in the sector you are applying to. 

Learn also the types of scholarship you can apply for in China

Requirements of Chinese universities

These requirements depend mostly on the institution you apply to. You can check below the list of the documentation you might be asked to provide. Furthermore, the requirements are in accordance with the level of degree you enroll in (like for a bachelor, you need a high school diploma, for a master a bachelor and so on). 

 If you apply for programs in Mandarin Chinese, you need to provide your HSK examination results to prove your proficiency in the Chinese language. The same for courses in English, where you need a IELTS or a TOEFL examination scores. But those who already hold an academic degree taught in English don’t need to provide their IELTS/TOEFL test scores.

Where and how to apply to Chinese universities?

China offers the following options to choose from for registration:

• Registration directly through the official website of the university.
• Registration by CUCAS, which allows you to enroll in any Chinese university. Basically, it acts as a mediator between you and the university.

CUCAS is an online registration system that allows international applicants to apply for admission to a specific university degree in China. To complete the online process, you can follow the instructions below.

Fill out the application form

Basically, in this section, you can fill the application form which includes the student’s personal information, the certificates or majors and the languages that the student knows.

Required documents for registration

A set of documents necessary for registration at a university in China must be provided. These documents are as follows:

Other documents may be requested depending on each university separately.

Moreover, documents for the language proficiency test, apply when you want to enroll in an English course.

Documents accepted for Proficiency in English:

• TOEFL
• IELTS

Learn our best tips to succeed your IELTS

All the documents have to be uploaded to the university forum in MS-Word format (.doc, .docx), Adobe PDF documents, image files (.gif, .jpg, .png).

Finally, after downloading the necessary documents, the registration fee is paid directly through the website. The registration fee varies according to each university in China.

Request approval

After downloading and filling the documents and paying the registration fees, the application will be approved. Basically, you will receive the approval via email, and you may wait for a week to two.

For more information on Studying in China in English, consult our article.