Former Chinese citizens applying as international students: the four-year and two-year rule
Under section 2.5 of the Quality Standards, a Chinese citizen who has emigrated must meet two tests to apply as an international student for bachelor's or junior-college (associate-level) study. The applicant must hold a valid foreign passport or nationality document for four years or more, and must have a record of actually living abroad for two years or more within the most recent four years. The rule is written for bachelor's and junior-college study only.
The Quality Standards for the Higher Education of International Students in China (Trial) and Order No. 42 are Chinese texts. The English on this page is this site's translation of those texts.
Who the rule is written for
Section 2.5, second paragraph, applies to a Chinese citizen who has emigrated and who applies to enter bachelor's or junior-college (associate-level) study as an international student. It refers to the applicant's own citizenship and emigration. It does not address an applicant whose parents emigrated.
Order No. 42, Article 2, defines an international student as a foreign student who does not hold Chinese nationality under the Nationality Law and who receives education at a school. Article 2 also states that chapters 2 to 5 of Order No. 42 apply to higher education institutions.
Section 2.5, second paragraph, is written for bachelor's and junior-college study. This article does not extend it to master's or doctoral study.
The passport or nationality document test
Section 2.5, second paragraph, requires the applicant to hold a valid foreign passport or nationality document for four years or more.
Section 2.5 does not say from which date the four years are counted.
The residence-abroad test
The second paragraph of section 2.5 sets the following points for the residence test.
| Point | What the paragraph says |
|---|---|
| Period | Within the most recent four years |
| Cut-off date | Counted up to 30 April of the year of enrolment |
| Required residence | Actual residence abroad for two years or more |
| Partial years | Nine months of actual residence abroad in one year may be counted as one year |
| Basis for counting | Entry and exit stamps |
The paragraph gives no rule for a year in which the applicant lived abroad for fewer than nine months.
As a suggestion, not a requirement, keep your entry and exit stamp records together. Section 2.5 names those stamps as the basis for the residence count.
Proof and review by the university
Section 2.5, second paragraph, says the university must ask applicants who meet these situations to provide the corresponding proof, and must examine that proof.
The same paragraph names no particular type of proof document.
Section 2.5, second paragraph, also says a university may set stricter rules on the identity qualifications of international students applying for admission, on top of the rules in that paragraph.
Nationality check with the immigration authority
The third paragraph of section 2.5 covers applicants who are Chinese citizens who have emigrated, and applicants in other situations where they may hold Chinese nationality.
For these applicants, the third paragraph says the university must check nationality with the local immigration and exit-entry administration and confirm it.
The same paragraph says the university must publish information on its proposed admits in an appropriate way and must accept supervision.
The third paragraph does not set a time for the check or for the publication.
Questions people ask
Does the four-year rule apply to master's study?
No provision you can apply here extends it that far. Section 2.5, second paragraph, is written for bachelor's and junior-college (associate-level) study. This article does not apply it to master's or doctoral study.
Can a university set stricter rules than section 2.5?
Yes. Section 2.5, second paragraph, says a university may set stricter rules on the identity qualifications of international students applying for admission. Section 2.5 does not say where the university must publish those rules.
Sources
- Quality Standards for the Higher Education of International Students in China (Trial), Ministry of Education of the PRC
- Measures for the Administration of Schools Recruiting and Educating International Students (Order No. 42), 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 page, the official text and the current notice of the university or authority handling your case prevail.