Bachelor in China for international students: general entry conditions
To enter a bachelor's programme in China as an international student, you need to meet the minimum education requirement, the language requirement, and the university's entrance examination or assessment. The national rules set these as general conditions, and each university sets its own specific conditions in its admissions brochure.
Order No. 42 and the Quality Standards are Chinese texts. The English wording on this page is this site's translation of the Chinese text.
| Requirement | Where it is stated | What it says |
|---|---|---|
| Category of study | Order No. 42, Article 9 | Undergraduate is one of the degree-education categories |
| Minimum education | Quality Standards, section 1.1 | High-school graduation or equivalent |
| Language | Quality Standards, section 1.2 | Level 4 of the International Chinese Proficiency Standards for Chinese-taught programmes |
| Examination or assessment | Order No. 42, Article 12; Quality Standards, section 2.2 | The university examines or assesses the applicant |
| Specific conditions and procedures | Order No. 42, Article 11 | Set in the university's admissions brochure |
Where the bachelor's programme sits
Order No. 42, Article 9 says that universities admit international students into degree education in these categories: junior-college (associate-level) students, undergraduates, master's students and doctoral students. The same article lists three non-degree categories: preparatory students, advanced students and research scholars. An undergraduate is therefore one of the four degree-education categories.
Minimum education
Quality Standards, section 1.1 sets the minimum education for junior-college and undergraduate entry as high-school graduation or equivalent. The section gives this in reference form: the requirement refers to successful completion of ISCED 2011 level 3 or level 4 that leads to higher education.
Section 1.1 also says that where an intergovernmental agreement on mutual recognition of academic qualifications sets entry conditions for students from the other country or region, that signed agreement is carried out.
Section 1.1 states no minimum age.
Language ability
Quality Standards, section 1.2 has two parts.
- For programmes taught in Chinese, Chinese ability must reach at least level 4 of the International Chinese Proficiency Standards.
- For programmes taught in a foreign language, the university must state the foreign-language ability it requires in its entry standards.
Section 1.2 names the International Chinese Proficiency Standards. It names no test and no score.
Examination or assessment
Order No. 42, Article 12 says the university must examine or assess applicants who apply. Article 12 also says that admission of international students is decided by the university, and that a university must not admit an applicant who does not meet the admission conditions.
Quality Standards, section 2.2 adds the following.
- The university must hold an entrance examination or assessment, so that the students it admits reach the set entry standard.
- The university is encouraged to develop and run its own entrance examinations, alone or together with other universities.
- The university must set its academic requirements and assessment methods on the basis of its study of the education of its main source countries.
- The university must assess an applicant's academic level using, among other bases, the applicant's academic record and achievements, results in Chinese national education examinations, and results in credible foreign education examinations.
Section 2.2 names no examination subject and no pass mark.
Documents the university reviews
Order No. 42, Article 12 says the university must review two things for each foreign applicant: admission eligibility and proof of financial guarantee. Article 12 gives no amount for the financial guarantee proof.
What the university decides
Order No. 42, Article 10 says that each university decides its international enrolment plans and programmes itself, based on its conditions and its training capacity, unless other national rules provide otherwise.
Order No. 42, Article 11 says that each university formulates and publishes its own admissions brochure under national admission rules, and admits international students under the conditions and procedures in that brochure.
The subjects, scores and dates for a given programme are set by that university in its brochure. The national texts quoted above do not set them.
Suggestion, not a rule
Read the admissions brochure of each university you are considering next to the provisions above. Check that the brochure states the conditions and procedures that apply to your programme.
Sources
- Measures for the Administration of Schools Recruiting and Educating International Students (Order No. 42), Ministry of Education of the PRC
- Quality Standards for the Higher Education of International Students in China (Trial), Ministry of Education of the PRC
Checked 11 October 2026
This page is an unofficial summary. It is not published by or affiliated with the Ministry of Education, the China Scholarship Council or any university, and it is not legal advice. If the official text differs from this summary, or if the current notice of the university or authority handling your case differs, the official text and that notice prevail.