Chinese universities recruit international students on their own: Order No. 42, Articles 7 to 12
Articles 7 to 12 of Order No. 42 describe a system in which each university recruits international students on its own, within national rules, and admits them under the admissions brochure it publishes. Order No. 42 is published in Chinese. The English below is this site's translation of the Chinese text.
Article 7: recruiting autonomously
Article 7 says that a university recruiting international students shall have the corresponding teaching conditions and training capacity. It shall recruit them autonomously in accordance with the relevant national provisions.
Article 8: filing, not approval
Article 8 says that a university recruiting international students shall file in accordance with the matters and procedures prescribed by the education administrative department under the State Council. The word in Article 8 is 备案, which means filing for the record. Article 8 uses this term, not 审批 (approval).
Article 9: categories of students
Article 9 sets out two groups of categories.
Degree education (学历教育):
- junior-college (associate-level) student (专科生)
- undergraduate student (本科生)
- master's student (硕士研究生)
- doctoral student (博士研究生)
Non-degree education (非学历教育):
- preparatory student (预科生)
- advanced student (进修生)
- research scholar (研究学者)
Article 9 lists these categories. It sets no entry conditions for any of them.
Article 10: enrolment plan and majors
Article 10 says that a university determines its international enrolment plan and its majors itself, according to its own conditions and training capacity. The exception is where the state provides otherwise. Article 10 names no particular majors.
Article 11: the admissions brochure
Article 11 says that a university formulates and publishes its own admissions brochure (招生简章) in accordance with national admission rules. It admits international students according to the conditions and procedures set out in that brochure.
Article 12: examination, assessment and decision
Article 12 says that a university shall examine the entry qualifications and the economic guarantee certificate of foreign citizens who apply. It shall also hold an examination or an assessment of them. Admission of international students is decided by the university. A university must not admit anyone who does not meet the admission conditions.
Article 12 names no examination subjects and no assessment method.
What this means for an applicant
Article 11 ties admission to the conditions and procedures in the university's own brochure. Article 12 says that the university decides admission. Taken together, the practical result is that you apply to a given university under that university's brochure. This is a reading of Articles 11 and 12, not a separate rule.
As a suggestion, not a requirement, read the university's admissions brochure before you prepare your documents. The brochure is the text that Article 11 gives as the basis for admission.
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. The official text and the current notice of the university or authority handling your case prevail if they differ.