Which majors can admit international students: section 4 of the Quality Standards
A major can admit international students only if it meets the conditions in section 4 of the Quality Standards for the Higher Education of International Students in China (Trial). Section 4 names no list of majors that are open or closed to international students, so each major has to be checked against those conditions and against the university's own admissions brochure.
The Quality Standards and Order No. 42 are Chinese texts. The English wording on this page is this site's translation of them.
What section 4 requires
Section 4 has two paragraphs. The first says:
- Universities shall set and adjust majors for international students in accordance with national provisions.
- The length of study for international students in higher education shall meet the provisions of the national basic system of higher education.
The second paragraph says:
- A major admitting international students shall belong to a discipline (or professional degree category) that has the corresponding degree-awarding power.
- The major shall be one that the state permits to be open to foreign students.
- For medicine and similar majors, which directly concern personal health and the safety of life and property, the university shall meet the state's specific provisions, standards or norms for international student education in the corresponding major.
What Article 10 of Order No. 42 says
Article 10 of Order No. 42 says that universities independently determine their enrollment plans and majors for international students according to their own conditions and training capacity, unless national provisions state otherwise.
Order No. 42 is a separate document from the Quality Standards. The two provisions are stated here one at a time, as each document states them.
Medicine and similar majors
Section 4 names medicine as an example of a major that must meet the state's specific provisions, standards or norms. It names no other major.
What section 4 does not list
Section 4 names no list of open or closed majors. It gives no number of majors, and it names no degree-awarding discipline by name.
A suggestion for checking a major
This is a planning suggestion, not a rule. Ask the university which majors its own admissions brochure opens to international students, and check each major against the conditions in section 4 above.
Sources
- 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）), Ministry of Education notice 教外〔2018〕50号, Ministry of Education of the PRC
- 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), Order No. 42 of the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Public Security, 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. The official text and the current notice of the university or authority handling your case prevail if they differ.