How a place at a Chinese university actually works

Most pages about studying in China are written by agencies that need you to feel you cannot do this alone. This one is written by teachers. Everything below is traced to an official source, and where no official answer exists yet, we say so instead of guessing.

Language: the HSK

Chinese-taught programmes and most scholarships start at HSK 4. Certificates are valid two years from the test date — plan the test around your deadline, not the other way round. You may register directly for the level you can pass.

Academic: the CSCA

First sat 21 December 2025, mandatory for all international undergraduate applicants from 2026. Humanities applicants take Chinese and Mathematics; science applicants take Science Chinese and Mathematics; English-medium programmes take Mathematics only.

The application

Type A runs through the Chinese embassy in your country; Type B through the university department. The money is identical, the route is not, and you generally cannot pursue both at once. Under 25 for a bachelor's degree.

Enrolment

Pre-admission letter, visa, the foreigner physical examination form — valid roughly six months, so timing it wrong costs a cycle — and arrival.

The CSCA

Everything published, and everything not

Subjects	Professional Chinese (Humanities and STEM versions), Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry Official
Length	Chinese 90 min / 80 questions · Maths, Physics, Chemistry 60 min / 48 questions each Official
Language	Maths, Physics and Chemistry may be sat in Chinese or English Official
Sittings	Asia-Pacific December, April, June · Europe, Africa, Americas January, March Official
Fee	CNY 450 one subject · CNY 700 two or more Official
Results	7 working days online and computer-based · 14 working days on paper Official
Scoring	Each subject out of 100; universities also receive your percentile ranking Official
Registration	On csca.cn — you can do it yourself. If someone charges you for this step, you are paying for something free. Official
Passing score	None published. Universities set their own minimums, and most have not published those either. Not published
Score validity	None published. Do not assume it matches the HSK's two years. Not published

"HSK 4 exempts you from the CSCA" — this is where most guides are wrong

A valid HSK 4 exempts the Chinese proficiency component only for applicants to specific Chinese-language bachelor's majors. At BLCU that list is: Chinese Language, Translation, Translation and Localization, Applied Chinese, International Chinese Education, and Chinese Language and Culture. If your intended major is not on your university's list, HSK 4 will not exempt you.

And it never removes Mathematics. No exemption does, for anyone. Plan for Mathematics from day one.

The scholarship

What the Chinese Government Scholarship actually pays

The full award covers tuition, university accommodation or a subsidy, a monthly living stipend, and comprehensive medical insurance.

Undergraduate	CNY 2,500 a month · HSK 4 for Chinese-taught programmes · under 25
Master's	CNY 3,000 a month · HSK 4 minimum · under 35
Doctoral	CNY 3,500 a month · HSK 4 minimum · under 40
General scholar	CNY 3,000 a month · HSK 3 minimum · under 45
Medical insurance	CNY 800 a year for programmes of six months or longer
Type A vs Type B	Type A through the Chinese embassy in your country; Type B through the university department. Same money, different route — and you generally cannot pursue both at once.
Heritage speakers	Growing up speaking Chinese at home does not exempt you from the certificate. Universities require it regardless.

Timing

Working backwards from a September 2027 start

Autumn 2026

Start HSK study if you are beginning from zero. This is the last point at which HSK 4 by application season is realistic at five sessions a week.

Dec 2026 / Jan 2027

Sit the CSCA. Asia-Pacific has a December sitting; Europe, Africa and the Americas have January. Results arrive in 7–14 working days.

Spring 2027

Scholarship applications close. Your CSCA report, HSK certificate, transcripts, study plan and physical examination form all need to be in hand.

Sept 2027

Enrolment. Miss any step above and the next opening is a full academic year later.

Documents

The checklist, free

The printable version marks which items need notarisation, which need certified translation, and how long each stays valid. The physical examination form catches people out every year: obtaining it too early is as damaging as too late.

Get the printable checklist

Passport copy
Diploma and transcripts, or proof of expected graduation
Language certificates — HSK / HSKK, or IELTS / TOEFL
CSCA score report — undergraduate applications
Pre-admission letter, where applicable
Study plan or research proposal
Recommendation letters — postgraduate applications
Foreigner physical examination form — valid roughly six months
Police clearance certificate

Where you can go

Partner universities

306 partner universities are reachable through BLCU. Three are open for application through us today; the rest open in stages.

Open now	Beijing Language and Culture University · our academic partner
Open now	Peking University
Open now	Tsinghua University
In stages	Zhejiang University · Nanjing University · Shanghai Jiao Tong University, and the rest of the 306

Honest note

We are not an agency

We do not file your application for you, and nobody — us included — can guarantee you a place. What we do is teach you to do it yourself, and show you the whole process for free before you pay us anything.

Read the straight answers

Registration is free. Knowing what to register for is not.

The level check tells you which subjects to sit, which level to target, and by when.

Take the free level check