China university fees for international students: the publication and refund rule

Yes. Article 14 of Order No. 42 requires universities that recruit international students to publish their fee items, their fee standards and their refund rules for withdrawal and transfer. Article 14 states no amount, so the publication duty tells you where to find the figures but does not set them.

This page is an English translation by this site of two Chinese texts: Order No. 42 and the Quality Standards. The quoted wording is the site's own rendering. The official Chinese text prevails.

What Article 14 says

Article 14 has two paragraphs. The table below takes them one provision at a time.

Provision	What it says
Order No. 42, Article 14, first paragraph	Fee items and fee standards for international students follow national provisions.
Order No. 42, Article 14, second paragraph	The university shall publish its fee items, its fee standards, and its refund rules for withdrawal and transfer.
Order No. 42, Article 14, second paragraph	Charging and refunding are priced in RMB.

Article 14 states no amount. It also gives no refund deadline and no refund formula.

What happens if fees are not published

Article 44 lists six kinds of act that can lead to action by the education authority. Item 3 (三) is "failing to publish fee items and standards, or not charging by them." Item 3 therefore covers two situations: the university does not publish its fee items and standards, and the university does not charge by the items and standards it has published.

For the acts listed in Article 44, the education authority shall order the university to rectify. Article 44 also says the authority shall pursue legal liability under the relevant provisions of the Education Law of the PRC, and that the authority may restrict the university from recruiting international students.

Article 44 gives no time limit for rectification and names no fine.

Refunds when a programme is cancelled or suspended

Section 17.5 of the Quality Standards for the Higher Education of International Students in China (Trial) covers a different situation: a university cancels or suspends a programme for international students. Section 17.5 says the university shall act on the principles of respecting student wishes, fairness and reasonableness, and appropriate compensation. It says the university shall settle matters including the refund of fees, compensation for losses, and transfer placement, and shall handle the necessary stay and residence formalities.

Section 17.5 sets no refund amount and gives no deadline for the refund.

Where the fee policy sits in the Quality Standards

Section 13.1 of the Quality Standards says that universities shall provide sufficient funding for the teaching, management and services for international students. It also says that universities shall formulate fee policies for international students, and their specific management measures, in line with national provisions.

Section 13.1 names no fee item and no fee amount.

Suggestion, not a rule

Ask the university for its published fee items, fee standards and withdrawal and transfer refund rules in writing before you plan your budget. Article 14 is the provision that makes these documents the university's to publish.

Questions people ask

Does Order No. 42 set a fee amount for international students?

No. Article 14 states no amount. It says fee items and standards follow national provisions, and that the university shall publish its own.

Are fees and refunds charged in RMB?

Article 14 says that charging and refunding are priced in RMB.

What can the education authority do if a university does not publish its fees?

Under Article 44, item 3, failing to publish fee items and standards, or not charging by them, is one of the acts for which the authority shall order rectification. Article 44 also says the authority may restrict the university from recruiting international students.

Sources

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 or the current notice of the university or authority handling your case differs from this page, the official text and that notice prevail.