The different Chinese university degrees and study requirements for foreigners
Foreign students, as well as Chinese Students, can choose between three different university degrees in which they visit certain courses that are relevant for their subjects and pass exams to collect credits. After having collected a sufficient amount of credits, they will receive their degree. HSK requirements vary by university and program, but a common benchmark is HSK Level 4 for Chinese-taught undergraduate programs and HSK Level 5-6 for master's and doctoral programs, since lectures are usually held in Chinese. (Note: China's HSK proficiency test was restructured from an 11-level scale to a 6-level scale in 2010, and again to a 9-level "3.0" standard rolled out from 2021, so applicants should check the current scale required by their specific university.) Foreign students who don’t speak Chinese will have to take Chinese language courses during their whole stay and will not be able to visit university lectures. The three different university degrees are:
Undergraduate Program: Students are required to complete the curriculum between 4 to 6 years and fulfill the designated number of credits. Upon graduation, students will receive a graduation certificate along with the bachelor's degree.
Master's Program: As a non-obliged improvement to the Bachelor’s degree, Students are required to complete the curriculum between 2-3 years, fulfill the designated number of credits, complete the master's thesis and defend of it in front of a panel of experts. After completion, graduates will receive a graduation certificate along with the Master's degree.
Doctorate Program: After having received their Master’s degree, students have the choice to habilitate. Then students are required to complete the curriculum between 4-6 years (in normal circumstances), fulfill the designated number of credits, conduct research, complete the doctoral thesis and defend it in front of a panel of experts. Graduates will receive a graduation certificate with the doctoral degree.
Application procedure
Students, who want to apply at a Chinese university by them and not via a student exchange program, usually find all the necessary information and forms on the homepage of the university they chose. After downloading and filling out the necessary forms, the application can be sent via mail. After a while, the university will reply and tell the students if they were picked or not.
General information about the academic schedule at Chinese universities
In China, university schedule is divided into two semesters, the autumn semester from September to January and the spring semester from February to June. Summer vacation usually lasts two months, winter vacation 4 weeks.
Visa
Under China's current student visa system (reformed in 2013), students studying in China for more than 180 days need an X1 visa, which must be converted into a residence permit within 30 days of arrival; the application requires a valid passport, the university's admission notice, and a health certificate. Students studying for 180 days or less should apply for an X2 visa, which governs the stay directly and does not require conversion to a residence permit. Commonly, the Chinese universities take care of these formalities for the foreign students.
Health Insurance
Most Chinese universities require the students to have a health insurance for foreign countries. Some offer health insurances as an extra service in their price package, but mostly students have to look after it for themselves. There are two possibilities to get a health insurance for foreign countries: Either students can book the insurance as an additional option to their existing health insurance at their insurance company, or they subscribe to a short-termed health insurance at another insurance agency for the length of their stay.
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