Master's degree in China — Requirements, Cost & Funding

2–3 yearsTypical duration

CNY 14,000–90,000Tuition per year

Under 35Age limit (funded)

45Universities we cover

Positioning

What this level is actually for

The master's is where China's international education actually works. English-taught programmes are plentiful because the cohort is largely international, the teaching is closer to a seminar than a lecture hall, and two to three years is a commitment most people can plan around. Engineering, computer science, business, public health and environmental science all have credible English-medium routes.

It is also the level where the research master's and the taught master's diverge sharply. A taught master's is coursework and a dissertation; a research master's is a supervisor, a lab and a publication expectation. They carry the same name on the certificate and almost nothing else in common, so the question to ask a department is which one you are being admitted to.

The 35 age ceiling for the government scholarship is generous enough that career-changers can still use this route, which is why the MBA and specialised master's cohorts skew older than the undergraduate ones.

The four things that decide it

Two to three years, with professional master's often at the longer end
The widest English-taught catalogue at any level, concentrated in engineering, computing and business
Taught master's and research master's are different products that share a name
The scholarship age ceiling is 35, which leaves room for a career change

Requirements

What the application actually asks for

These are the working requirements rather than the published minimums.

Level	Academic background	Language	Age guidance	Notes
Master's	Bachelor's degree in a related field, usually GPA 3.0/4.0 equivalent	HSK 5 (Chinese) or IELTS 6.0–6.5 (English)	Usually under 35 for CSC	Work experience expected for MBA; research direction matters more than grades.

Language

The route that decides your timeline

The same degree can be a two-year plan or a four-year plan depending on which of these you take.

Route	What it requires
English-taught	IELTS 6.0–6.5 or equivalent. The default for engineering, computing, business and public health.
Chinese-taught	HSK 5 for most programmes, HSK 4 for some science and engineering routes.
Bilingual	Some programmes teach in English but run seminars and supervision in Chinese. Ask which.

Requirements are set by the university, not by the scholarship. Confirm the specific programme.

Funding

What is available at this level

Route or rule	What it means
CSC master's award	Tuition, dormitory, insurance and a 3,000 CNY monthly stipend.
Age ceiling	Under 35 at the point of application.
Supervisor leverage	For research master's, a supervisor who wants you is the strongest single factor in both admission and funding.

Figures are the national scholarship standard. Provincial schemes usually mirror the age rules but check the specific call.

Full funding map →

Fields

What you can actually study at this level

10 of our ten discipline families are taught at this level by the universities we cover.

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Sciences

Taught at this level by 33 universities we cover

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Engineering

Taught at this level by 30 universities we cover

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Business & Economics

Taught at this level by 22 universities we cover

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Medicine & Health

Taught at this level by 17 universities we cover

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Computer Science & AI

Taught at this level by 17 universities we cover

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Humanities & Social Sciences

Taught at this level by 16 universities we cover

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Architecture & Design

Taught at this level by 11 universities we cover

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Chinese Language

Taught at this level by 7 universities we cover

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Law

Taught at this level by 3 universities we cover

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Agriculture & Food Science

Taught at this level by 2 universities we cover

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Universities

Where this level is offered

45 institutions we cover run this level, 41 of which can nominate scholarship students directly. Showing twelve; the comparison page has all 45.

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Huaqiao University

Xiamen · est. 1960 · National overseas-Chinese university · not 985/211

Founded for the Chinese diaspora, with the highest proportion of overseas students in the country.

Tuition: CNY 15,000–28,000 / yr
Chinese: None for English-taught · HSK 4–5 for Chinese-taught
CSC host: yes — Type B

Full profile →

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Beijing Language and Culture University

Beijing · est. 1962 · Double First-Class (language)

The specialist Chinese-language university: the largest intake of language students in the country.

Tuition: CNY 16,000–26,000 / yr
Chinese: Placement test on arrival · HSK 4 for degree entry
CSC host: yes — Type B

Full profile →

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Soochow University

Suzhou · est. 1900 · Project 211 · Double First-Class

Medicine, materials, textiles and law, in a lower-cost city an hour from Shanghai.

Tuition: CNY 18,000–28,000 / yr
Chinese: None for English-taught · HSK 4 for Chinese-taught
CSC host: yes — Type B

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Shandong University

Jinan · est. 1901 · Project 985 · 211 · Double First-Class

Clinical medicine and materials science across several campuses; mid-range tuition for a 985 university.

Tuition: CNY 18,000–30,000 / yr
Chinese: None for English-taught · HSK 4–5 for Chinese-taught
CSC host: yes — Type B

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Central South University

Changsha · est. 2000 · Project 985 · 211 · Double First-Class

Strong in clinical medicine, mining, metallurgy and rail transport; one of the better value 985s.

Tuition: CNY 18,000–30,000 / yr
Chinese: None for English-taught · HSK 4–5 for Chinese-taught
CSC host: yes — Type B

Full profile →

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Jinan University

Guangzhou · est. 1906 · Project 211 · Double First-Class

Historically the university for overseas Chinese students; a well-established English-taught MBBS track.

Tuition: CNY 18,000–30,000 / yr
Chinese: None for English-taught · HSK 4 for Chinese-taught
CSC host: yes — Type B

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Hunan University

Changsha · est. 976 · Project 985 · 211 · Double First-Class

Descended from the Yuelu Academy of 976; strong in civil engineering, architecture and chemistry.

Tuition: CNY 18,000–30,000 / yr
Chinese: None for English-taught · HSK 4–5 for Chinese-taught
CSC host: yes — Type B

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Harbin Engineering University

Harbin · est. 1953 · Project 211 · Double First-Class

Shipbuilding, marine engineering and nuclear technology — a specialist school with a narrow, deep focus.

Tuition: CNY 18,000–30,000 / yr
Chinese: None for English-taught · HSK 4 for Chinese-taught
CSC host: yes — Type B

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Hefei University of Technology

Hefei · est. 1945 · Project 211 · Double First-Class

Vehicle engineering, mechanical design and materials, tied to Anhui's car and appliance industries.

Tuition: CNY 18,000–30,000 / yr
Chinese: None for English-taught · HSK 4 for Chinese-taught
CSC host: yes — Type B

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Xiamen University

Xiamen · est. 1921 · Project 985 · 211 · Double First-Class

Economics, accounting, chemistry and oceanography on a coastal campus with lower living costs.

Tuition: CNY 20,000–30,000 / yr
Chinese: None for English-taught · HSK 4–5 for Chinese-taught
CSC host: yes — Type B

Full profile →

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Harbin Institute of Technology

Harbin · est. 1920 · Project 985 · 211 · Double First-Class

Aerospace, robotics, civil engineering and materials; unusually generous funding for engineering researchers.

Tuition: CNY 20,000–32,000 / yr
Chinese: None for English-taught · HSK 4 for Chinese-taught
CSC host: yes — Type B

Full profile →

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Tianjin University

Tianjin · est. 1895 · Project 985 · 211 · Double First-Class

China's first modern university; chemical engineering, instruments and civil engineering are its core.

Tuition: CNY 20,000–32,000 / yr
Chinese: None for English-taught · HSK 4 for Chinese-taught
CSC host: yes — Type B

Full profile →

All 45 universities →

Timing

The calendar for this level

Intake	Application window	Decision	Notes
September intake (main)	December – April (CSC), January – May (self-funded)	May – July	The main cycle. Scholarship deadlines are the earliest and are hard cut-offs.
March intake (secondary)	September – December	December – January	Fewer programmes, mostly language courses, MBBS occasionally, some master's.
Rolling / language programmes	Any time, 2–3 months before the semester	2–4 weeks	Chinese language courses accept applications year-round at most universities.

Scholarship deadlines are the real deadlines. A university may accept applications until May while its scholarship shortlist closed in January.

Before you commit

The thing that decides the outcome

A taught master's and a research master's differ in what you spend the two years doing, and employers read them differently. Ask the department which one the programme is, who supervises it, and whether a publication is expected — before you accept.

FAQ

Questions about this level

Yes, and this is the level where the English-taught catalogue is largest — engineering, computer science, business, public health and environmental science all have established routes.

A taught master's is coursework plus a dissertation. A research master's is a supervisor, a lab and usually a publication expectation. They carry the same degree name, so ask which one you are being admitted to.

Not for most programmes. An MBA usually expects two to three years, and some professional master's prefer it, but academic master's take applicants straight from a bachelor's degree.

Think this is the right level?

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