Tuition free universities in China: what 'free' means in official texts

Articles 14, 32 and 34 of Order No. 42 do not create a class of tuition-free universities. Article 14 says universities charge international students by published items and standards, Article 32 sets up the Chinese Government Scholarship, and Article 34 allows universities to set up scholarships. Section III of the Chinese Government Scholarship guide lists tuition fees among the items that scholarship covers.

This article draws on two documents. Order No. 42 is published in Chinese, so its English wording here is this site's translation of the Chinese text. The Application Guide for Chinese Government Scholarship is an English original.

What Article 14 says about charges

Order No. 42, Article 14, first paragraph, says universities charge international students by charge items and standards set under the relevant national rules.

Article 14, second paragraph, says universities shall publish their charge items, their charge standards, and their refund rules for withdrawal and transfer. Charges and refunds are in renminbi (RMB).

Article 14 states no tuition amount. It states no refund amount.

What Articles 32 and 34 say about scholarships

Order No. 42, Article 32, first paragraph, says the Chinese government sets up the Chinese Government Scholarship for international students receiving higher education. The same paragraph says the government encourages local people's governments to set up international student scholarships.

Article 32, second paragraph, says the management measures for the Chinese Government Scholarship are formulated by the relevant administrative departments of the State Council.

Order No. 42, Article 34, first paragraph, says universities may set up scholarships for international students.

Article 34, second paragraph, says enterprises, institutions, social organisations and individuals are encouraged to set up international student scholarships, but must not attach unreasonable conditions.

Article 32 names no amount and no number of places. Article 34 names no amount.

What the scholarship guide covers

Section III of the Application Guide for Chinese Government Scholarship, titled Scholarship Coverage, lists four items:

1. Tuition fees.
2. A free university dormitory or an accommodation subsidy.
3. A stipend. The guide gives monthly amounts by level in this item.
4. Comprehensive medical insurance. The guide gives annual and per-person amounts in this item.

The amounts in items 3 and 4 are set out in the guide and are not repeated here.

Section III, item 1 names tuition fees as covered. Section III does not state what share of tuition fees the scholarship covers. Section III does not call tuition free.

The guide's introduction says the China Scholarship Council, entrusted by the Ministry of Education, is responsible for the admission, enrollment and administration of Chinese Government Scholarship recipients.

The guide's eligibility rules belong to the Chinese Government Scholarship.

What 'free' means in these texts

In the texts cited here, the word "free" appears in one place: section III, item 2 of the scholarship guide, which refers to a free university dormitory or an accommodation subsidy. Tuition is listed as a covered item. It is not described as free.

Reading the provisions one at a time

Article 14 sets charges by each university's published items and standards.

Section III, item 1 of the scholarship guide lists tuition fees as a covered item of the Chinese Government Scholarship.

Article 34, first paragraph, allows a university to set up a scholarship for international students.

No single provision above states who pays tuition. Our reading, which is not a provision, is that tuition is paid either from a scholarship or by the student.

Suggestion, not a rule: when you compare published charges, look for the items, standards and refund rules that Article 14 requires each university to publish. Then check whether a scholarship you are considering covers tuition fees, using the scholarship's own text.

Sources

• Measures for the Administration of Schools Recruiting and Educating International Students (Order No. 42), Ministry of Education of the PRC
• Application Guide for Chinese Government Scholarship, China Scholarship Council (Campus China)

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. 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.