Changing your major at a Chinese university: Article 17

Yes, the rules allow it. Article 17 of Order No. 42 says that after enrolment, an international student may change major, on the student's application and with the university's consent. The conditions and the procedure are set by the university.

Order No. 42 is the Measures for the Administration of Schools Recruiting and Educating International Students (学校招收和培养国际学生管理办法), issued by the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Public Security. The Quality Standards are the Quality Standards for the Higher Education of International Students in China (Trial) (来华留学生高等教育质量规范（试行）). Both are Chinese texts. The English wording on this page is this site's translation of them.

What Article 17 says

Article 17 has three parts:

• The change is possible after enrolment.
• The student must apply for it.
• The university must agree to it.

Article 17 then says that the conditions and the procedure for changing major are set by the university.

What Article 17 leaves open

Article 17 states no deadline for making the request. It gives no grade, language or other academic condition for changing major. It names no fee. It sets no limit on how many times a student may change major. Each of these points is for the university to set, or is not addressed in Article 17 at all.

Who decides which majors exist

Article 10 is a separate provision. It says that a university decides its enrolment plan for international students and its majors itself, except where the state provides otherwise. Article 10 does not mention changing major. Article 17 does not mention Article 10.

What universities must publish

Section 2.1 of the Quality Standards says that a university must provide international students with at least certain categories of admissions information. One of these categories is programme information, which includes the level of study, the objectives, the length of study, the degree awarded, and the rules on transfer and changing major (转学和转专业规定). So the rules on changing major are part of the information a university must publish.

Section 2.1 is a separate requirement from Article 17. It concerns what the university publishes. It does not set the conditions for a change of major.

Suggestions for planning

These points are suggestions, not rules:

• Before you enrol, find the university's published rules on changing major and read them in full.
• Ask the university in writing for the conditions and the procedure, and keep a copy of its reply.
• Note that Article 17 requires the university's consent, so a request is not a right the student can rely on alone.

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 and the current notice of the university or authority handling your case differ, the official text and that notice prevail.