🇨🇳 How to apply to university in China

There is no central application system: you apply to each institution directly. Programmes usually start: September (main).

Checked on 20 October 2026 against the official sources listed below.

The essentials

Application system: None — apply to each institution on its own website.
When programmes start: September (main).
International applicants: International students apply directly to each university, which admits them under its own published brochure within national rules; the national entrance exam (gaokao) is for Chinese students.
Language: An HSK certificate for Chinese-taught degrees, or an English test for English-taught ones, at the level each university sets.

Key dates

There are no national dates: each university publishes its own international admission brochure with its deadlines for September entry.

The dates for the next intake haven't been published yet. We add them once the official source does.

Your checklist

The usual steps for an international student applying to a bachelor's in China, in order. Tick them off as you go — your ticks stay in this browser, with no account.

1.Choose universities and read each one's admission brochure for international students — it sets the programmes, conditions and procedure.
2.Check the language of instruction: degree programmes are normally taught in Chinese, with some in English.
3.Get proof of Chinese (an HSK certificate) or English, at the level the university asks.
4.Apply online to the university by its deadline, with your documents and proof of financial support.
5.Take the exam or interview the university uses to assess applicants.
6.Receive the admission notice and the visa documents the university sends with it.
7.Apply for a student (X1) visa at a Chinese embassy or consulate in your country.
8.Register at the university and apply for a residence permit within 30 days of arriving.

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Next steps

Sources

Written by CollegeMatcher in our own words from these official pages, checked on 20 October 2026. Dates change every year.

Ministry of Education, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Public Security — Order No. 42 on admitting and training international students (State Council Gazette, 2017)