How much Chinese must an international graduate student have at entry and by graduation?

For a master's or doctoral programme taught in Chinese, the national Quality Standards put the entry requirement at at least level 4 of the International Chinese Proficiency Standards, and the graduation requirement at level 5 (Quality Standards, section 1.2; Part One). For a programme taught in a foreign language, the Standards require the university to state the foreign-language ability it expects in its admission standards, and set at least level 3 as the Chinese level that master's and doctoral students must reach by graduation (Quality Standards, section 1.2; Part One).

Two things follow immediately. Those are levels of the International Chinese Proficiency Standards — the Standards name that scale and do not equate it with HSK levels, and this page does not equate them either. And a separate document, the Chinese Government Scholarship application guide, does ask for HSK Level 4 for Chinese-taught master's and doctoral programmes; that is a condition of that scholarship, not a general admission rule.

The Standards and the Measures quoted below are published in Chinese; the English wording on this page is this site's own translation.

The two reference points in the Standards

The table covers only the Quality Standards, and only graduate study.

Programme language	At entry	At graduation
Chinese-taught	At least level 4 of the International Chinese Proficiency Standards, in the university's admission standards (section 1.2)	Level 5 of the International Chinese Proficiency Standards (Part One)
Foreign-language-taught	The university must clearly state the foreign-language ability required in its admission standards; the Standards give no numeric level (section 1.2)	At least level 3 of the International Chinese Proficiency Standards for master's and doctoral students (Part One)

The same passage in Part One sets level 4 as the minimum for undergraduates taught in a foreign language, which is why the graduate figure is worth reading on its own.

The Standards are addressed to higher education institutions: they say what a university must set, publish or do. They are trial standards, issued as the attachment to Ministry of Education notice 教外〔2018〕50号. The entry threshold you actually face is the one the university sets out in its own admissions brochure, including what it accepts as proof.

Why the Standards' levels are not HSK levels

The Standards measure Chinese ability in levels of the International Chinese Proficiency Standards (《国际汉语能力标准》). They name that scale for both the entry requirement (section 1.2) and the graduation requirement (Part One), and they do not equate those levels with HSK levels. This page keeps them apart for that reason.

The scholarship guide is written in different terms. Its eligibility list asks applicants to have passed HSK (Level 3) for Chinese-taught general scholar and senior scholar programmes (items 8 and 9), HSK (Level 4) for Chinese-taught master's and doctoral programmes (item 10), and — for a programme taught in a language other than Chinese — to meet the university's own admission requirements on language proficiency and academic ability (item 11).

The same list also sets age limits: under 35 for a master's programme and under 40 for a doctoral programme (items 3 and 4). That is a further sign that item 10 belongs to the scholarship, not to university admission generally. The guide page, as published, carries no publication date or academic year and no application deadline. See /funding/ for how this site treats scholarship conditions separately from admission.

Between entry and graduation

The Standards do not treat Chinese only as a gate at the door. Section 6.2 requires the programme's training plan to include a Chinese proficiency level requirement and a compulsory requirement in China-overview courses, and requires universities to arrange sufficient and suitable Chinese and China-overview courses to meet enrolment demand. The same section states that no national-defence education component and no military courses — including military theory teaching and military skills training — should be set for international students.

Order No. 42 covers the teaching language itself. Article 18 states that the standard spoken and written Chinese language (国家通用语言文字) is the basic teaching language for higher education institutions educating international students, and that a school may provide necessary remedial provision for international students whose level of that language does not meet study requirements. The provisions quoted on this page do not describe the form, length or conditions of such provision.

Where a matter is left to the university — the foreign-language entry requirement, the length of study, the fees, the language proof accepted — that decision is published in the university's own admissions brochure. This page names no university and states no university's requirement.

A planning suggestion, not a rule

One suggestion, offered as planning rather than as a requirement: before preparing for any test, confirm from the programme's admissions brochure whether the degree is taught in Chinese or in another language, since that single fact decides which column of the table applies to you. It is also worth reading the brochure's wording on language proof carefully, because the Standards' levels and the scholarship's HSK requirements are stated in different documents and in different terms.

Questions people ask

Do the national quality standards use HSK levels?

No. The Standards state entry and graduation requirements in levels of the International Chinese Proficiency Standards (section 1.2 and Part One) and do not equate those levels with HSK levels. HSK appears in the Chinese Government Scholarship application guide, which is a different document with its own eligibility list.

Is the scholarship's HSK Level 4 rule the general admission requirement for master's and doctoral study?

No. Item 10 of the guide's eligibility section is a condition of the Chinese Government Scholarship. It is not a general admission rule for self-funded applicants, just as the guide's age limits and document list are not. For applicants outside that scholarship, the language requirement is the one the university publishes in its admissions brochure.

What happens if my Chinese is below what the programme needs at the start?

Order No. 42, Article 18 states that a school may provide necessary remedial provision for international students whose level of the standard spoken and written Chinese language does not meet study requirements. Whether a given university offers such provision, and in what form, is its own decision; the provisions quoted on this page do not cover it.

Are the graduation levels something I can be tested on before I enrol?

The Standards set the graduation level as a requirement of the programme's outcome (Part One), and section 6.2 places a Chinese proficiency level requirement inside the training plan. How achievement is assessed, and when, is the university's to publish; the provisions quoted on this page do not cover it.

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 (moe.gov.cn)
• Quality Standards for the Higher Education of International Students in China (Trial), attachment document — Ministry of Education of the PRC (moe.gov.cn)
• Application Guide for Chinese Government Scholarship — China Scholarship Council (Campus China, campuschina.org)
• 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 — Ministry of Education of the PRC (moe.gov.cn)

Checked 11 October 2026

This page is an unofficial summary, is not published by or affiliated with the Ministry of Education, the China Scholarship Council, CHSI or any university, and is not legal advice; where they differ, the official text and the current notice of the university or authority handling your case prevail.