Funding is not distributed evenly across disciplines. These are the fields with the largest scholarship allocations, and the programmes inside them that international students actually get funded for.
Density means funded places relative to the number of qualified applicants, not the absolute number of awards.
| Discipline | Funding density | Why | Typical programmes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Engineering | Highest | Doctoral and research master's quotas are large and supervisors actively recruit. | Mechanical, civil, electrical, chemical, aerospace |
| Sciences | Highest | ANSO and CAS-TWAS fellowships sit outside CSC and are less oversubscribed. | Physics, chemistry, materials, mathematics |
| Medicine & Health | High | Funded clinical places are fewer than applicants assume; public health is easier than MBBS. | Public health, nursing, pharmacy, clinical medicine |
| Agriculture & Food | High | Consistently under-applied by international candidates relative to the quota. | Food science, agronomy, veterinary medicine |
| Computer Science & AI | Moderate | Popular and therefore competitive; funded master's places are thinner than self-funded ones. | CS, AI, data science, software engineering |
| Business & Economics | Moderate | Fewer full awards, more partial tuition waivers and MBA merit money. | MBA, finance, international trade |
| Humanities & Social Sciences | Lower | Small quotas, usually Chinese-taught, strong competition from neighbouring countries. | Chinese literature, history, education |
| Chinese Language | Separate | Funded through the language-teacher scholarship rather than CSC. | Intensive Chinese, TCSOL |
Density is a qualitative assessment based on quota structure and applicant volume; it is not an official statistic.
The most competitive and most regulated field for international students. English-medium MBBS exists, but seats are limited and clinical exposure varies by hospital network.
| Programme | Level | Duration | Language | Tuition / yr (CNY) | Language requirement |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clinical Medicine (MBBS) | Bachelor | 6 years (5 + 1 internship) | English or Chinese | 25,000–45,000 / yr | None for English track · HSK 5 for Chinese track |
| Stomatology / Dentistry | Bachelor | 5 years | Chinese (some English) | 26,000–40,000 / yr | HSK 5 |
| Nursing | Bachelor | 4 years | English or Chinese | 18,000–30,000 / yr | HSK 4 if Chinese-taught |
| Pharmacy | Bachelor | 4 years | Chinese or English | 18,000–30,000 / yr | HSK 4–5 |
| Public Health | Master | 2 years | English | 22,000–35,000 / yr | None for English track |
| Traditional Chinese Medicine | Bachelor / Master | 5 years / 3 years | Chinese | 20,000–32,000 / yr | HSK 4–5 |
China's largest export discipline. Tuition is moderate, labs are well funded, and many master's programmes are taught in English because the cohort is mostly international.
| Programme | Level | Duration | Language | Tuition / yr (CNY) | Language requirement |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mechanical Engineering | Bachelor / Master | 4 / 3 years | English or Chinese | 18,000–32,000 / yr | HSK 4 if Chinese-taught |
| Civil Engineering | Bachelor / Master | 4 / 3 years | English or Chinese | 18,000–30,000 / yr | HSK 4 if Chinese-taught |
| Electrical & Automation | Bachelor / Master | 4 / 3 years | English or Chinese | 18,000–32,000 / yr | HSK 4 if Chinese-taught |
| Chemical Engineering | Bachelor / Master | 4 / 3 years | Chinese (some English) | 18,000–30,000 / yr | HSK 4 |
| Aerospace Engineering | Bachelor / Master | 4 / 3 years | Chinese (some English) | 22,000–36,000 / yr | HSK 5 |
| Environmental Engineering | Master | 2–3 years | English | 20,000–34,000 / yr | None for English track |
The fastest-growing English-taught offering. Expect programming-heavy coursework, project work in Mandarin-heavy teams, and strong hiring pipelines in Shenzhen, Hangzhou and Beijing.
| Programme | Level | Duration | Language | Tuition / yr (CNY) | Language requirement |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Computer Science | Bachelor / Master | 4 / 3 years | English or Chinese | 20,000–38,000 / yr | HSK 4 if Chinese-taught |
| Artificial Intelligence | Master | 2–3 years | English | 25,000–45,000 / yr | None for English track |
| Data Science | Master | 2 years | English | 25,000–42,000 / yr | None for English track |
| Software Engineering | Bachelor | 4 years | English or Chinese | 20,000–36,000 / yr | HSK 4 if Chinese-taught |
| Electronic & Information Engineering | Bachelor / Master | 4 / 3 years | English or Chinese | 20,000–34,000 / yr | HSK 4 |
Wide choice and the widest quality spread. Check accreditation and cohort composition before choosing — an English-taught MBA can be excellent or empty depending on the school.
| Programme | Level | Duration | Language | Tuition / yr (CNY) | Language requirement |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Business Administration (BBA) | Bachelor | 4 years | English or Chinese | 18,000–30,000 / yr | HSK 4 if Chinese-taught |
| MBA (English) | Master | 2 years | English | 40,000–90,000 / yr | None · 2–3 years work experience typical |
| Finance | Bachelor / Master | 4 / 2 years | English or Chinese | 20,000–40,000 / yr | HSK 4–5 |
| International Economics & Trade | Bachelor | 4 years | English or Chinese | 18,000–30,000 / yr | HSK 4 |
| Accounting | Bachelor | 4 years | Chinese mostly | 18,000–30,000 / yr | HSK 4 |
| International Relations | Master | 2 years | English | 22,000–38,000 / yr | None for English track |
Research master's and doctoral routes are the strongest value here: supervisors actively recruit international PhD students and scholarships are more plentiful than at bachelor level.
| Programme | Level | Duration | Language | Tuition / yr (CNY) | Language requirement |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Physics | Bachelor / Master / PhD | 4 / 3 / 4 years | English or Chinese | 20,000–35,000 / yr | HSK 4 if Chinese-taught |
| Chemistry | Bachelor / Master / PhD | 4 / 3 / 4 years | English or Chinese | 20,000–35,000 / yr | HSK 4 if Chinese-taught |
| Mathematics & Applied Maths | Bachelor / Master | 4 / 3 years | English or Chinese | 18,000–32,000 / yr | HSK 4 if Chinese-taught |
| Materials Science | Master / PhD | 3 / 4 years | English | 22,000–36,000 / yr | None for English track |
| Environmental Science | Master / PhD | 3 / 4 years | English | 20,000–34,000 / yr | None for English track |
Usually taught in Chinese, which makes them a realistic goal after one year of language study rather than from zero. A good route for students who want deep language immersion.
| Programme | Level | Duration | Language | Tuition / yr (CNY) | Language requirement |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chinese Language & Literature | Bachelor | 4 years | Chinese | 16,000–26,000 / yr | HSK 4 |
| History | Bachelor / Master | 4 / 3 years | Chinese | 16,000–26,000 / yr | HSK 5 |
| Education | Bachelor / Master | 4 / 2 years | Chinese or English | 18,000–30,000 / yr | HSK 4–5 |
| Journalism & Communication | Master | 2 years | Chinese or English | 20,000–34,000 / yr | HSK 5 for Chinese track |
| Psychology | Bachelor / Master | 4 / 2 years | Chinese or English | 18,000–32,000 / yr | HSK 4–5 |
The lowest-barrier entry point and the most flexible: start any semester, any level, with a placement test on arrival. Many students use it as a bridge year before a degree.
| Programme | Level | Duration | Language | Tuition / yr (CNY) | Language requirement |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Intensive Chinese (long-term) | Non-degree | 1 semester – 2 years | Chinese | 12,000–25,000 / yr | None · placement test |
| Short-term Chinese (summer / winter) | Non-degree | 2–8 weeks | Chinese | 3,000–8,000 / course | None — open to all levels |
| Business Chinese | Non-degree | 1 semester – 1 year | Chinese | 14,000–26,000 / yr | HSK 3 recommended |
| Teaching Chinese (TCSOL) | Master | 2 years | Chinese or English | 18,000–30,000 / yr | HSK 5 |
| Chinese for Academic Purposes | Non-degree | 1 year | Chinese | 12,000–22,000 / yr | None · pre-degree preparation |
Portfolio-dependent. Architecture is five years and studio-intensive; design schools increasingly run English-medium master's programmes aimed at international students.
| 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 |
Chinese law degrees are taught in Chinese and are mainly chosen by students who intend to work on China-related transactions. English-medium LLM options exist but are narrower.
| Programme | Level | Duration | Language | Tuition / yr (CNY) | Language requirement |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chinese Law (LLB) | Bachelor | 4 years | Chinese | 18,000–30,000 / yr | HSK 5 |
| International Law (LLM) | Master | 2 years | English or Chinese | 22,000–38,000 / yr | None for English track |
| Intellectual Property | Master | 2 years | Chinese or English | 22,000–36,000 / yr | HSK 5 for Chinese track |
Underrated and inexpensive. Food science, agronomy and veterinary medicine are strong at specialist universities and rarely oversubscribed by international applicants.
| Programme | Level | Duration | Language | Tuition / yr (CNY) | Language requirement |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Food Science & Engineering | Bachelor / Master | 4 / 3 years | Chinese or English | 16,000–28,000 / yr | HSK 4 |
| Agronomy | Bachelor / Master | 4 / 3 years | Chinese | 14,000–26,000 / yr | HSK 4 |
| Veterinary Medicine | Bachelor | 5 years | Chinese | 18,000–30,000 / yr | HSK 5 |
| Animal Science | Master | 3 years | English or Chinese | 16,000–28,000 / yr | HSK 4 if Chinese-taught |
Tell us the discipline and level. We will tell you honestly whether the quota in that field is realistic, and which route has the least competition for your profile.