Changing major after admission in China: Order No. 42, Article 17 and the university's own rules

Yes, and the decision is not yours alone. Article 17 of the Measures for the Administration of Schools Recruiting and Educating International Students (Ministry of Education Order No. 42) says that after an international student has enrolled, the student may change major on the student's application and with the university's consent, and that the conditions and procedure for changing major are set by the university. The national text therefore fixes the shape of the decision — you apply, the university agrees — and leaves the substance to the university's own rules.

The Chinese provisions referred to on this page are quoted as published; the English wording is this site's own translation of them.

What Article 17 of Order No. 42 says

Rendered in English, Article 17 reads: after an international student has enrolled, on the student's application and with the university's consent, the international student may change major; the conditions and procedure for changing major are set by the university.

Two points follow directly from that wording. A change of major starts with your application, so nothing moves unless you ask. And the university's consent is a separate requirement, so an application that meets the conditions still has to be granted.

Order No. 42 was signed on 20 March 2017 and entered into force on 1 July 2017 (Article 48); Chapters 2 to 5 of the Measures apply to higher education institutions (Article 2).

The Ministry of Education's press Q&A of 2 June 2017, published alongside the Order, lists this as one of the provisions that give universities more autonomy: the conditions and procedure for international students changing major are set by the university. The Q&A explains the Order; it is not itself a rule.

Where the university's rules should appear

The Quality Standards for the Higher Education of International Students in China (Trial), issued with Ministry of Education notice 教外〔2018〕50号, are addressed to higher education institutions and say what a university must set, publish or do.

• Section 2.1 (admission information and counselling): the admission-related information a university provides to foreign students must include at least the educational programmes, giving the level, training objectives, length of study, degree awarded, and the rules on transfer and change of major.
• Section 10.1 (student status and qualifications management): a university shall improve its student status management in accordance with relevant national provisions, standardise the student status management of international students in China, implement the electronic registration of their student status and qualifications, and stipulate the conditions and procedure for international students changing major.

These are trial standards written to universities, not a timetable or a quota for applicants. Their practical value for you is narrow but real: the rules on changing major should exist in writing, and they should be findable in the material the university publishes for applicants.

The general national rule, applied by reference

Order No. 42 is not the only text in the picture. The Provisions on the Administration of Students in Regular Higher Education Institutions (Ministry of Education Order No. 41) are written for students in regular degree education in general, and Article 21 sets the general rule on changing major:

• A student who develops an interest and a strength in another major during study may apply to change major.
• A student admitted through a special admission form may not change major where the state has relevant provisions on it, or where there was a clear agreement with the university before admission.
• A university shall formulate specific measures for students changing major, establish fair and just standards and procedures, and maintain a sound system of public disclosure.
• Where a university needs to adjust its majors because of changes in society's demand for talent, it shall allow students already enrolled to transfer to other related majors.
• Where a student who suspended study to start a business, or who resumed study after military service, needs to change major because of their own situation, the university shall give priority consideration.

For international students this operates "by reference". Order No. 41 Article 66 has schools managing international students by reference to those provisions, and Order No. 42 Article 31 has universities managing the student status of international students by reference to the rules for Chinese students. Order No. 41 entered into force on 1 September 2017 (Article 68).

The consequence is the one that matters for planning: for an international student, the general rule in Article 21 is the frame, while the actual periods, standards and procedure come from the university's own published rules for international students.

If you hold a Chinese Government Scholarship

The Ministry's 2009 page on applying for the scholarship — the page is dated 17 September 2009 and is partly written for an earlier intake, so read its dates as historical — says that finalized placements, specialties and duration of studies are in principle not to be changed. The same page describes applications being forwarded to institutions, with the final admission decision made by the institutions.

Treat that as a separate layer from Order No. 42. Even where a university's own rules would allow a change of major, the placement recorded for a scholarship student is described as fixed in principle, so the change has to be raised with whichever authority handles your scholarship as well. The authority that receives your application sets the dates that apply now.

How to plan the request

None of the following is a rule; it is a planning suggestion.

Read the university's published admission information first, and look specifically for the rules on transfer and change of major that section 2.1 of the Quality Standards says should be there.

Compare what you find with Article 21 of Order No. 41, since that is the general rule the university applies by reference, and note any case in which the two could point in different directions.

If you are a scholarship student, ask the authority that administers your scholarship before you file anything with the university.

Put the request in writing to the office named in the university's rules, and keep your own record of what you send and when.

Whether a change of major affects your fees, the length of your programme or your expected graduation date is a matter for the university's own rules; the provisions quoted on this page do not cover it.

Questions people ask

Can an international student change major after enrolling?

Yes. Order No. 42 Article 17 allows an international student to change major after enrolling, on the student's application and with the university's consent.

Who decides whether the change is allowed?

The university. Article 17 gives the conditions and procedure to the university, and the Ministry's press Q&A of 2 June 2017 lists that among the provisions giving universities more autonomy.

Does the university have to publish the rules?

The Quality Standards say so. Section 10.1 requires a university to stipulate the conditions and procedure for international students changing major, and section 2.1 requires its admission information to include the rules on transfer and change of major.

Are there cases where a change of major is not allowed?

Under Article 21 of Order No. 41, the general rule applied by reference, a student admitted through a special admission form may not change major where the state has relevant provisions on it or where there was a clear agreement with the university before admission.

Can a Chinese Government Scholarship student change specialty?

The Ministry's 2009 page says that finalized placements, specialties and duration of studies are in principle not to be changed. That page is dated 17 September 2009; the authority that receives your application sets the dates that apply now.

Sources

• Measures for the Administration of Schools Recruiting and Educating International Students (Order No. 42), Ministry of Education of the PRC (moe.gov.cn)
• Ministry of Education press Q&A on Order No. 42, Ministry of Education of the PRC (moe.gov.cn)
• Quality Standards for the Higher Education of International Students in China (Trial), Ministry of Education of the PRC (moe.gov.cn)
• Provisions on the Administration of Students in Regular Higher Education Institutions (Order No. 41), Ministry of Education of the PRC (moe.gov.cn)
• Application for the Scholarship of Chinese Government (page dated 17 September 2009), Ministry of Education of the PRC, English website (en.moe.gov.cn)

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, CHSI or any university, it is not legal advice, and the official text and the current notice of the university or authority handling your case prevail if they differ.