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HSK requirement for a master's or PhD in China: the scholarship rule and the admission rule

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If you are applying for the Chinese Government Scholarship, the rule is explicit: a Chinese-taught master's or doctoral programme requires HSK Level 4 passed, and a valid HSK score report is one of the documents you submit. If you are applying to a university outside that scholarship, the national quality standards set the entry level for Chinese-taught programmes at least level 4 of the International Chinese Proficiency Standards — a different scale, not an HSK level — and the certificate a university accepts is the one named in its own admissions brochure. Those are the two rules, and they answer the question in different ways.

The English renderings of the Chinese provisions quoted on this page are this site's translation of the Chinese text.

The two rules at a glance

What applies Where it is stated
Chinese Government Scholarship, Chinese-taught master's or doctoral programme HSK Level 4 passed; a valid HSK score report submitted among the documents Application Guide for Chinese Government Scholarship, section IV item 10; section VI item 5
Chinese Government Scholarship, Chinese-taught general scholar programme HSK Level 3 passed, excluding Chinese language majors section IV item 8
Chinese Government Scholarship, Chinese-taught senior scholar programme HSK Level 3 passed section IV item 9
Admission to a Chinese-taught programme At least level 4 of the International Chinese Proficiency Standards, set by the university in its entry standards Quality Standards, section 1.2
A programme taught in a language other than Chinese The university states the language requirement; scholarship applicants meet the university's requirements and submit certificates such as IELTS or TOEFL reports Quality Standards, section 1.2; scholarship guide, section IV item 11 and section VI item 5

Rule 1: the scholarship asks for HSK Level 4

Section IV (Eligibility) of the Application Guide for Chinese Government Scholarship lists what an applicant must meet. Item 10 requires that the applicant have passed HSK (Level 4) when applying for a Chinese-taught master's or doctoral programme. Items 8 and 9 set HSK (Level 3) for Chinese-taught general scholar and senior scholar programmes, with item 8 carrying the exclusion of Chinese language majors.

Section VI item 5 turns that into paperwork: applicants for master's, doctoral, general scholar and senior scholar programmes taught in Chinese must submit a valid HSK score report that meets the corresponding Chinese language proficiency requirement. For programmes taught in other languages, the guide requires relevant language proficiency certificates, such as IELTS or TOEFL score reports, in accordance with the requirements of each university.

These are conditions of the Chinese Government Scholarship. They are not general admission rules for students who apply to a university and fund their own studies. The page the guide is published on carries no publication date and no academic year, and gives no application deadline, so the version you read should be the one linked from the current scholarship notice you are applying under.

Rule 2: the admission standards use a different scale

The Quality Standards for the Higher Education of International Students in China (Trial), issued as Ministry of Education notice 教外〔2018〕50号, are addressed to higher education institutions. Section 1.2 states that, in the entry standards for international students, the Chinese proficiency requirement for disciplines and programmes using Chinese as the language of instruction should reach at least level 4 of the International Chinese Proficiency Standards. For disciplines and programmes taught in a foreign language, the section requires the institution to specify clearly, in its entry standards, the foreign language proficiency required.

The standards set this requirement by reference to the International Chinese Proficiency Standards. They do not name HSK.

Because they are written for institutions, they say what a university must set and publish, not what a particular applicant will be asked for. Which certificate satisfies that standard at a given university, and what score it must carry, is stated in that university's admissions brochure.

Why the two numbers are not interchangeable

HSK Level 4 and level 4 of the International Chinese Proficiency Standards are levels on two different sets of standards. Nothing in the provisions quoted on this page converts one to the other, equates them, or states that a result on one scale satisfies the other. Treat them as two separate requirements: the scholarship's HSK condition when you apply for the scholarship, and the university's stated entry standard when you apply for a place.

A practical consequence follows from that. Meeting HSK Level 4 does not tell you what a university's own entry standard says, and meeting a university's stated entry standard does not tell you that the scholarship's HSK condition is met. Read both documents for the route you are taking.

If your Chinese is below the level

Order No. 42 of the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Public Security — the Measures for the Administration of Schools Recruiting and Educating International Students — was signed on 20 March 2017 and came into force on 1 July 2017 (Article 48); chapters 2 to 5 apply to higher education institutions (Article 2). Article 18 states that the common national language is the basic language of instruction for higher education institutions educating international students, and that for international students whose level of the national common language does not meet the study requirements, the institution may provide the necessary remedial conditions.

The article says the institution may provide remedial study. It does not say that it must, and the provisions quoted on this page do not cover who receives it, how long it lasts, or whether it is offered before or alongside enrolment. Whether remedial study is available, and on what terms, is the university's decision as published in its own materials.

What is decided by the university, not by these documents

Language proof for a programme taught in a language other than Chinese, the certificate a university accepts, its entry standards, its programmes, its dates, its fees and the length of study are all the university's decisions, published in its admissions brochure. The scholarship guide itself points back to that: section IV item 11 requires applicants to a programme taught in a language other than Chinese to meet the admission requirements of the university of preference in terms of language proficiency and academic ability, among others.

This site does not publish admission rates, does not rank or recommend universities, programmes, agents or services, and does not state any university's requirements.

A planning suggestion

The following is a planning suggestion, not a rule. Work out which of the two routes you are on before you book a test. If you intend to apply for the Chinese Government Scholarship for a Chinese-taught master's or doctoral programme, HSK Level 4 is the level named in the guide, so plan your test date against the scholarship cycle you are applying in. If you are applying to universities directly, read the language requirement in each admissions brochure and prepare whatever certificate it names; the quality standards' reference to the International Chinese Proficiency Standards does not tell you which certificate that is. Keep the valid score report the scholarship asks for, since section VI item 5 requires it as a document, not only as a result.

Questions people ask

Do I need HSK Level 4 for a master's degree in China?

For the Chinese Government Scholarship, yes: section IV item 10 of the Application Guide requires HSK (Level 4) passed for a Chinese-taught master's or doctoral programme, and section VI item 5 requires a valid HSK score report among the documents. For admission outside the scholarship, the requirement stated in the Quality Standards, section 1.2, is at least level 4 of the International Chinese Proficiency Standards for Chinese-taught programmes, and the certificate that meets it is the one named in the university's admissions brochure.

Is HSK Level 4 the same as level 4 of the International Chinese Proficiency Standards?

Nothing in the provisions quoted on this page says so. The scholarship guide names HSK levels; the Quality Standards, section 1.2, names levels of the International Chinese Proficiency Standards. They are levels on two different standards, and the quoted provisions do not convert between them.

Can I be admitted if my Chinese is not yet at the required level?

The Quality Standards, section 1.2, state the entry standard a university must set for Chinese-taught programmes; they do not state what a university does with an applicant below it. Order No. 42, Article 18, says that where an international student's level of the national common language does not meet the study requirements, the institution may provide the necessary remedial conditions. Whether it does so is the university's decision.

Do I need HSK for a programme taught in English or another language?

The scholarship guide, section IV item 11, requires applicants to a programme taught in a language other than Chinese to meet the university's admission requirements for language proficiency and academic ability, among others, and section VI item 5 requires language proficiency certificates such as IELTS or TOEFL score reports in accordance with each university's requirements. The Quality Standards, section 1.2, require the university to specify the required foreign language proficiency in its entry standards for programmes taught in a foreign language.

Sources

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; the official text and the current notice of the university or authority handling your case prevail if they differ.

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