Study requirements in China
To study at a university in China, applicants must meet a few requirements:
- One of the prerequisites is attending school for at least twelve years (for Germans this means a high school diploma).
- You should not be older than 25 when you start your studies.
- For admission to the Shuoshi section of the course, a successful bachelor’s degree and a maximum age of 35 years are the basic requirements.
- A master’s degree or the first state examination are required for the doctoral program. The maximum age in this case is 40 years.
Study abroad in China: demonstrate language skills
If you are studying at a purely Chinese-speaking university or studying Sinology, you must demonstrate good language skills through the Hanyu Shuiping Kaoshi exam, or HSK for short. For the social sciences, linguistics and cultural studies as well as for traditional Chinese medicine, a higher language level is usually required than for the natural sciences, engineering sciences and agricultural sciences or the study of western medicine. Many applicants for a full course in Chinese take a one to two-year Mandarin language course before starting their specialist course.
If you are studying in China in English, you have to prove that you have sufficient English skills based on a minimum number of points in standardized tests such as IELTS or TOEFL.
Studying in China: Costs and Financing
According to countryvv, tuition fees have been charged in China since the mid-1980s. They vary depending on the type of university and the chosen subject as well as the desired academic degree. In an international comparison, they are more in the lower field. At state universities, the bachelor’s degree program can be expected to cost around 1,300 to 7,500 euros per year, including accommodation and meals. In addition, there is a one-time admission fee, which is around 75 to 100 euros on average. The most cost-intensive is a degree in economics and finance.
Living as a student in China
Student residences on or near the campus offer single and multi-person rooms. A multi-bed room costs around 150 to 200 euros and a single room 300 to 400 euros. Many dormitories have been modernized specifically with international students in mind. International students are usually housed separately from their Chinese fellow students.
If you are staying in China for a longer period of time, it can be worthwhile to rent a private apartment. The prices vary greatly depending on the city and the equivalent of around 100 to 300 euros per month should be calculated for a single room.
Cost of living while studying in China
The cost of living in China is below the German average, if you do not expect a high standard of living. You can get good and very cheap local dishes in canteens, cookshops and fast food restaurants. Export food, on the other hand, is far more expensive. Traveling by public transport is also very cheap and the connections are good. Driving a taxi is possible for little money in China.
Scholarships and BAföG
As a student visa holder, you are not allowed to work in China. However, various funding programs can be considered for financial support, such as scholarships:
- The DAAD offers, for example, with its China Unit several scholarships, depending on the choice of subject, course and length of stay.
- In some cases, the Chinese government also grants grants and scholarships, for which one should have applied at least one year in advance.
- There are also various private and cultural foundations with their (partial) grants.
- Also, College-Contact.com results twice a year at five particularly motivated students from different disciplines scholarships.
- It is also possible to finance your stay in China with a student loan.
Students who only want to study in China for one or two semesters abroad can also apply for funding under the Auslands-BAföG. The student union in Tübingen is responsible for the foreign BAföG for China.
China visa and entry requirements
If you want to study in China, you need a student visa. Depending on the length of the planned study visit, students must apply for an X-1 or X-2 visa. The application must be submitted to a Chinese Visa Application Service Center.
Study system in China
The academic year in China is divided into two semesters, which last from mid-February / early March to July and from September to mid-January / early February. As mentioned above, higher education is currently in a process of reform and the courses and teaching methods are being modernized and internationalized.
Traditionally, the Chinese education system is heavily schooled and attaches great importance to frontal teaching, student writing and written intermediate and final exams. Attendance at the events and the completion of chores are strictly controlled. However, the students put together the semester schedule themselves. The achievements are credited in a point system.
Xueshi, Shuoshi, Boshi – the degrees
The Chinese course is initially divided into undergraduate studies, which lead to the academic degree Xueshi in four-year courses. This is roughly equivalent to a bachelor’s degree.
On the one hand, the Xueshi enables a direct career entry, on the other hand, the continuation of studies with postgraduate studies. These build on the first course and deepen the knowledge gained so far. In the course of this, the academic title Shuoshi is acquired after two to three years. This is an equivalent to the Master’s. His final examination includes a written thesis, a minimum number of credit points and the presentation of the work to a panel of experts.
If the previous performance is good enough, a doctorate in Boshi, the Chinese doctorate, is possible in a further three to six years. This research-based postgraduate course includes a written dissertation, an oral rigorosum and a certain number of credit points. In special exceptional cases, such as outstanding academic achievements, a direct doctorate is sometimes possible following the Bachelor’s degree.
Junior colleges
In addition to universities, you can optionally study at one of the Chinese junior colleges. The undergraduate studies there end after two to three years with a bachelor’s degree and are very practice-oriented. Some colleges also offer a Master’s or Ph.D. degree program.
