Costs and Financial Aids for International Students in China - Part 1
China attracts a huge number of foreign students each year because it has the best universities and colleges in a wide number of disciplines. Another reason why foreign students prefer Chinese higher educational institutions is because studying in this nation is extremely inexpensive.
Budgeting
Studying in China is quite affordable compared to other nations such as the US, Japan, South Korea and EU nations. CUCAS (China’s University And College Admission System)has estimated that international students in China can incur annual expenses of $6000-9000 with some variance based on the location of the university that they are studying in. Larger cities are more expensive when it comes to tuition and accommodation. Small towns and cities especially those in western or central parts of China cost less.
As per information provided by CUCAS, application fee at most Chinese universities reaches around $90 to 150 and does not exceed $200. The visa fee charged depends upon the nationality of the student as well as estimations of the local Chinese embassy/consulate. Travel expenses are also critical while estimating expenses. If you are coming from EU, the US or Africa, airfare would be costly. A one way trip from the US to China costs $600.
If your home country is located in Asia, airfare is generally cheaper. Students from Korea can reach China in $100 via air. CUCAS estimates the tuition fees in China to be around $2000 to 4000. The textbooks cost around $100 which is charged by the university at the commencement of the course. Accommodation expenses total around $3000.
Living cost is around $2000 depending upon the lifestyle you opt for.
If you are on a limited budget, the tuition fee varies depending upon which city you are living in and you can opt for a small city. Smaller cities in western China such as Xi’an, Urumqi, Lanzhou, Dalian, Wuhan, Chengdu, Qingdao, Shenyang, Chongqing and Changsha are ideal if you want to cut costs by as much as 30%, according to CUCAS.
Certain programs are also more expensive. For instance, medical courses that are English medium cost more than other programs in China. The lowest cost for an MBBS course in China is the one offered by Jiangsu University in Zhenjiang. More expensive MBBS courses totaling annual tuition fees of over 50000 RMB are available in major cities such as Shanghai.
Students can also get scholarships if they demonstrate good proficiency in Chinese by obtaining high scores on the HSK test. This is ideal for international students who are limited in their financing and want aid. The tuition fees of a university also depend upon its location and average cost of living. It is also influenced by the number of classes and the curriculum of the course. More complex courses with greater number of classes cost more.
Chinese universities require that students pay tuition in person after registration. They also allow payment of tuition through bank transfers. Several universities in China only accept payment in cash and Chinese currency (RMB), according to CUCAS. Some universities also take payment in the form of credit card or traveller’s cheques.
If the admission notice of the university specifies that you have to make a deposit, the payment has to be made as per the guidelines. Chinese universities generally only ask for tuition fees once a student arrives for the course.
CUCAS Application Charges
If you are applying to a Chinese university through CUCAS, you are charged a service fee. You can apply for up to 6 courses after paying the service fee. The universities also charge individual application fees which are collected by CUCAS for them. Paying the application fee of around $35-135 is necessary for ensuring the enrolment of students.6 As universities in China accept payment in Chinese currency only (RMB), the responsibility for commission of foreign exchange and remittance rests solely on CUCAS.
Acceptance of a student’s application depends solely on the admission officer of the university. However, CUCAS does provide facilities such as consultation, quick response and free express delivery of admission packages.
Tuition and accommodation charges
The fees for tuition and accommodation are collected by the university upon arrival and registration. The mode of payment is specified in the admission letter. Tuition cost largely depends on the type of university program you chose to study. Professional programs may cost on higher side than the General courses like language and literature etc.
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