1) Central Academy of Drama 中央戏剧学院: 139,655 RMB/4 years

 The Central Academy of Drama (CAD) and the Beijing Film Academy produce more stars than any two other universities in China. This year CAD comes in number one on the list of most expensive universities in the country and the only one over 110,000 RMB. Art schools tend to be among the most expensive. CAD has different tuition rates depending on the major the student studies. Every year applications pour in from around the country letting CAD remain one of the most selective schools. Since the tuition is so high, many students work while they go to school to cover some of the costs. When Zhang Ziyi was studying there she would dance on the side to be able to afford the high tuition fees. She was even in commercials while she was learning to act, although she doesn't appear prominently.

2) Central Academy of Fine Arts 中央美术学院: 100,361 RMB/4 years

CAFA is the only art school under the direct supervision of the Department of Education and was once headed up by famous artist Xu Beihong. CAFA was also the first art school in China and is on the cutting edge of Chinese modern art. Every year, prospective students swarm the school to take the entrance exams, but many balk at the high tuition fees. In March, a trial entrance exam was given over the course of two days in Qingdao, but only around 2000 students applied. One of the students said that art majors pay 8 to 10 thousand RMB more in tuition, but CAFA is over 15,000 RMB more than normal schools. This has caused many prospective students to go elsewhere. "If you don't have 100,000 RMB when you're going into the school, you're out of luck." With tuition this high, students from the cities are reluctant to apply, much less those from rural areas. 

3) Central Academy of Music 中央音乐学院: 99,394 RMB/4 years

 If you want to study music in China, CAM is your dream school. But just paying the fees to take the entrance exam can cause students to give up. Zhang Jing, a seventeen year old from Shandong, spent half a year studying in Beijing to prepare for the entrance exam. She spent around 14,000 RMB/month on piano classes, piano practice fees, and music theory classes. Zhang slept on a bed next to her piano. Her parents moved in with their parents and rented out their house to be able to pay for their daughter's prep courses. What happens if she doesn't get in? Zhang Jing only had one answer: "Try again.

4) University of Electronics, Science and Technology of China 电子科技大学: 98,333 RMB/4 years

Located in Chengdu, UESTC was one of China's first seven universities devoted to national defense. Jiang Zemin called it "the vanguard of Chinese technology institutes." Several Chinese leaders in the IT field, including Ding Lei, founder of one of the most popular sites in China, Wangyi, have come out of this school. But if you want to become an IT leader, you'll have to pay the costs. This school is the most expensive non-art school on the mainland.

5) Tongji University 同济大学: 90,625 RMB/4 years 

Shanghai's Tongji University is one of the few top schools directly under the supervision of the Ministry of Education. Originally founded as a medical school taught in German, Tongji started charging per credit hour in 2006.

6) Shanghai Foreign Studies University上海外国语大学: 86,219 RMB/4 years

SFSU is the most expensive liberal arts school in the country. In 2006, six students were unable to graduate because they could not pay their tuition.

7) Shanghai Jiaotong University 上海交通大学: 82,400 RMB/4 years

SJU is known as a major producer of China's engineering corps. At over 20,000 RMB/year, SJU is the second most expensive science-focused school in the country.

8) Fudan University 复旦大学: 80,250 RMB/4 years

Fudan is one of the top schools in the nation and has a price tag to match it.

9) Shanghai University of Finance and Economics 上海财经大学: 78,000 RMB/4 years

SHUFE has produced some of China's leading economists, entrepreneurs, and accountants. But with a price tag this high, it seems that if you want to be rich, you already have to have some money to begin with.

10) Communications University of China 中国传媒大学: 75,588 RMB/4 years

CUC used to be known as the Beijing Broadcasting Institute and has long been pumping out many of China's most famous TV show hosts. The students once got so fed up with the way CUC charges tuition that they wrote an open letter to a TV station revealing bad practices within the university.

Read the original in Chinese at ifeng.com

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