Portfolio-dependent. Architecture is five years and studio-intensive; design schools increasingly run English-medium master's programmes aimed at international students.
Architecture and design are portfolio-dependent fields, and that changes the application entirely. Architecture is five years and studio-intensive; design schools increasingly run English-medium master's aimed at international students. The work, not the transcript, is what gets you in. The studio culture runs in Chinese even when the programme is labelled English-taught, and reviews are conducted in the local idiom. A student who can present and discuss work in Mandarin gets more from the studio than one who cannot.
Duration, teaching language, annual tuition band and the language certificate each track asks for.
| Programme | Level | Duration | Language | Tuition / yr (CNY) | Language requirement |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Architecture | Bachelor | 5 years | English or Chinese | 22,000–40,000 / yr | Portfolio · HSK 4 if Chinese-taught |
| Urban Planning | Bachelor / Master | 5 / 3 years | Chinese mostly | 22,000–38,000 / yr | HSK 5 |
| Industrial Design | Bachelor | 4 years | Chinese or English | 20,000–34,000 / yr | Portfolio |
| Visual Communication | Bachelor / Master | 4 / 3 years | Chinese mostly | 20,000–35,000 / yr | Portfolio |
Each card opens the full profile with tuition, Chinese requirement and scholarship status.
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
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
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
Chongqing · est. 1929 · Project 985 · 211 · Double First-Class
Electrical, mechanical and civil engineering plus architecture, in China's south-western industrial hub.
Tuition: CNY 20,000–33,000 / yr
Chinese: None for English-taught · HSK 4–5 for Chinese-taught
CSC host: yes — Type B
Nanjing · est. 1902 · Project 985 · 211 · Double First-Class
Architecture, civil engineering, electronics and biomedical engineering with a compact campus.
Tuition: CNY 20,000–34,000 / yr
Chinese: None for English-taught · HSK 4–5 for Chinese-taught
CSC host: yes — Type B
Guangzhou · est. 1952 · Project 985 · 211 · Double First-Class
Architecture, civil engineering, food science and materials, in the heart of the Greater Bay Area.
Tuition: CNY 22,000–34,000 / yr
Chinese: None for English-taught · HSK 4–5 for Chinese-taught
CSC host: yes — Type B
Hangzhou · est. 1897 · Project 985 · 211 · Double First-Class
Very wide discipline coverage on a large modern campus, close to Hangzhou's tech employers.
Tuition: CNY 24,000–40,000 / yr
Chinese: None for English-taught · HSK 4–5 for Chinese-taught
CSC host: yes — Type B
Shanghai · est. 1907 · Project 985 · 211 · Double First-Class
The reference point for architecture, urban planning, civil engineering and automotive in China.
Tuition: CNY 24,000–40,000 / yr
Chinese: None for English-taught · HSK 4–5 for Chinese-taught
CSC host: yes — Type B
Beijing · est. 1911 · Project 985 · 211 · Double First-Class
China's strongest engineering, computer science and design brand, with a large English-taught graduate portfolio.
Tuition: CNY 26,000–40,000 / yr
Chinese: None for English-taught · HSK 4–5 for Chinese-taught
CSC host: yes — Type B
Shenzhen · est. 1983 · Shenzhen municipal key · not 985/211
The city's own university, built next to the tech firms its graduates go to work for.
Tuition: CNY 30,000–45,000 / yr
Chinese: None for English-taught · HSK 4–5 for Chinese-taught
CSC host: yes — Type B
Suzhou · est. 2006 · Sino-British joint venture · not 985/211
A joint venture with the University of Liverpool: an English-medium degree at UK-level tuition.
Tuition: CNY 88,000–93,000 / yr
Chinese: None — the degree is taught entirely in English
Common next steps for graduates of this field in China and at home.
Tell us your level, budget and intended intake. We will say whether this field is realistic for you and which universities teach it in your language.