Applying for a Master's in China: The Steps and the Papers, From the Official Guide

The short version: you apply to a university, not to a central admissions office. Each university publishes its own brochure and decides admission itself. If you also want the Chinese Government Scholarship, you apply for it in parallel through the body that handles your programme, and you will need a pre-admission document from the university first.

Who decides, and by what rules

China's rules for international students are set out in Order No. 42, issued jointly by the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Public Security. Four of its articles shape a master's application:

• Universities enrol international students in degree education as junior-college, undergraduate, master's and doctoral students (Article 9).
• Each university sets its own enrolment plan and majors (Article 10) and publishes an admissions brochure, admitting students by the conditions and procedure in it (Article 11).
• The university examines your entry qualifications and proof of financial support and tests or assesses you. Admission is the university's decision (Article 12).
• The basic teaching language is Chinese, and universities that are able to may offer degree courses taught in a foreign language (Articles 18 and 19).

So the first document to read is always the brochure of the university you are interested in. It tells you the teaching language, the entry requirements and the dates.

The papers, as the scholarship guide lists them

The China Scholarship Council's application guide is the clearest official list of what a graduate application contains. For postgraduates it asks for:

1. The online application form.
2. A scan of your passport information page. If the passport has less than 12 months left counted from the expected start of study, renew it first.
3. A notarized photocopy of your highest diploma. Students still at university submit a certificate of expected graduation.
4. Academic records, with notarized translations if they are not in Chinese or English.
5. A language certificate: an HSK score report for a Chinese-taught programme, or the certificate the university asks for, such as IELTS or TOEFL, for other teaching languages.
6. A pre-admission document from the university: a pre-admission notice from the international admissions office, or an invitation letter from the school or a professor.
7. A study or research plan in Chinese or English, at least 1,000 words for postgraduates.
8. Two recommendation letters from professors or associate professors.
9. A photocopy of the Foreigner Physical Examination Form if you will study for more than six months. Results are valid for six months.
10. A certificate of no criminal record, usually issued within the six months before you submit.

A university's own list for self-funded applicants may be shorter or different. Use the brochure.

A workable order

1. Shortlist programmes and read each brochure.
2. Check your passport and book the language test you need.
3. Write to the admissions office, and to possible supervisors if the programme is research-based, to obtain the pre-admission document.
4. Draft the study plan and ask your referees for letters.
5. Do the physical examination and police certificate close to the submission date, since both are time-limited.
6. Submit to the university, and to the scholarship body if you are applying for funding.
7. When the admission notice and the JW201 or JW202 form arrive, apply for the X1 visa.

The planner on the home page turns this order into months for your start date.

Frequently asked questions

Is there a single national deadline for master's applications?

No official text read for this page sets one. Universities admit by their own brochures. For the Chinese Government Scholarship, an English page on the Ministry of Education site dated 2009 gives the recruiting period as normally the beginning of January to the end of April, with details settled locally; the current application guide prints no dates.

What are the scholarship's eligibility rules for a master's?

A bachelor's degree or equivalent, under the age of 35, a citizen of a country other than China, and in good health. A Chinese-taught master's programme also needs HSK Level 4.

Do I need to find a supervisor before applying?

The scholarship guide requires a pre-admission document, and an invitation letter from a professor is one of the forms it accepts. Whether a particular programme expects supervisor contact is stated in that university's brochure.

Can I change major after I enrol?

Order No. 42 allows a change of major on application and with the university's consent, under conditions the university sets (Article 17).

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Sources (all read on 11 October 2026)

• China Scholarship Council, Application Guide for Chinese Government Scholarship (Campus China): https://www.campuschina.org/content/details3_74776.html
• Ministry of Education, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Public Security, Measures for the Administration of Schools Recruiting and Educating International Students, Order No. 42 (in Chinese), Articles 9 to 12 and 17 to 19: http://www.moe.gov.cn/srcsite/A02/s5911/moe_621/201705/t20170516_304735.html
• Ministry of Education (English site), Application for the Chinese Government Scholarship, page dated 17 September 2009: http://en.moe.gov.cn/cooperation_exchanges/201506/t20150626_191373.html

This page is an unofficial summary. Universities and scholarship bodies set their own requirements and dates.