With a robust economy, manageable living costs and a rich and diverse culture, there are many reasons to study in China. Masters degrees in China usually take between two and three years to complete, with doctoral degrees generally taking three years. China has been investing heavily into its higher education over the last decade and now the quality of education in its universities easily rival those in its neighboring countries.

Universities in China are put into the following classifications: research universities, comprehensive universities, colleges for professional training and higher vocational education providers. Many Chinese universities specialize in one particular subject, although they will of course teach other subjects. This specialism will often be used in a particular institution’s title. For example, the Harbin Institute of Technology, the China Agricultural University and the National University of Defense Technology.

Mainland China has over 2,542 colleges and universities, with around 465 being accredited to accept international students, according to a survey published by the Ministry of Education of the People’s Republic of China in July 2014.

In Hong Kong, there are eight government-funded universities including the University of Hong Kong and Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. You can learn more about them at here.

Photo: Silsnow

Making the Grade

Each institution will have its own requirements for each degree program, so it’s important to check with the university before applying. Programs taught in Chinese will require candidates to display a suitable level of Chinese language ability and a corresponding HSK certificate but there are there a few institutions that offer courses taught in English.

To apply for programs in Hong Kong, check out each individual university’s website for more details. Because universities are run similarly to those in the West, qualifications from Western universities are generally accepted and the application processes are broadly speaking, quite similar.

Tuition Fees

Tuition fees will vary depending on the university so check with each university’s admissions department. Expenses for one academic year vary from 30,000-60,000 RMB.

When applying to study in China you will have to consider application fees, visa fees, travel expenses, tuition fees, living costs and accommodation costs. Studying in China is relatively inexpensive when compared with the US or Europe. Larger cities on the East coast (Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong) will be much more expensive in terms of living costs than inland towns and cities.

In Hong Kong, tuition fees range from 70,000-100,000 HKD per year and living expenses are significantly higher than Beijing and Shanghai.

Financing your Studies

International students with a high HSK level are usually favored for Chinese government scholarships. To find out about the scholarships available for students studying in China, visit the Chinese Scholarship Council. For a list of available scholarships and funding at universities in Hong Kong, click here.

You might want to consider studying at universities in China and Hong Kong through exchange programs via intuitions in your home nation. Many colleges in the West have links to China, so discuss this with your tutor or visit your international office.

The International Association for the Exchange of Students for Technical Experience (IAESTE) offers science, engineering and technology students the chance to embark on 12-week paid placements in the summer and for longer periods at other times of the year. Click here to learn more.

Visas

This is guaranteed to be the least fun part of your studies. Foreign students intending to study on graduate programs in China for longer than 6 months need to apply for a student visa (X-visa). This means you will need to have a passport valid for at least six months after arriving in China, a health certificate accredited by your local Chinese Embassy, a Letter of Admission and Foreign Student Visa Application Form (JW202) issued by the relevant Chinese government unit. More information about visas can be found on the website of your local Chinese Embassy.

You can enter China on a tourist visa (L-visa) but you will need to convert to one of the aforementioned visas to be able to study in China.

For information on visas to study in Hong Kong, click here.

We have also put together a list of some of China’s top universities. All of these universities come from the “C9 League” which is akin to the American Ivy League.

1) Tsinghua University 

Tsinghua is a research university in Beijing with a focus on science and engineering. Tsinghua University is an immensely prestigious university and is highly respected among graduate employers and academics. Its faculty-student ratio is excellent and has a strong reputation as an international university.

2) Peking University

Another Beijing-based institution, Peking University has a generally smaller class size and a high number of international students. Peking University is well known for its beautiful campus, which is known as "Yan Yuan", or the Yan Garden. It’s also famous for its stunning traditional Chinese architecture. The university describes itself as an innovative institution that “embraces diverse branches of learning such as basic and applied sciences, social sciences and the humanities, and sciences of medicine, management, and education”.

3) Fudan University 

Located in China’s most populous city, Shanghai’s Fudan University is particularly influential within the international academic community. Its main weakness is its large classroom sizes. Fudan University was merged with Shanghai Medical University in 2000, creating the Fudan University that we know today, which is characterized by broad set of disciplines: medicine, science and the arts.

4) Nanjing University

Nanjing University is among the top universities in China and has the highest percentage of academic staff members with a PhD out of all the universities listed here. However, it does have a relatively low faculty-student ratio. Despite not having an English language website, Nanjing has a strong reputation as an international university and its humanities departments have an impeccable reputation.

5) University of Science and Technology of China

Based in the city of Hefei, the University of Science and Technology of China was the first institution in China to have a graduate school; the university itself was originally founded in Beijing by the Chinese Academy of Sciences. As you may have guessed, it has a strong focus on research in science and technology and it gets its strongest scores for research productivity. Admittedly, it doesn’t have many international students but it’s been successful at attracting overseas academics.

USTC is the only university in China to operate two national labs: the National Synchrotron Radiation Laboratory and the Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at the Microscale. It also jointly operates two national “big science” facilities: the Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak and the Steady High Magnetic Field of the High Magnetic Field Laboratory.

Studying your master’s abroad has many advantages: employers are increasingly looking for talent with international experiences who are able to function well in international environments. It will help your personal development and offer you the opportunity to explore a new country and culture and gain language skills.

China is a great destination for your postgraduate studies because it is much more affordable than countries like the USA, France, the UK or Italy. It will undoubtedly impress employers and, because of its growing role in international affairs, will likely open many doors for you.

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