China

School education takes 12 years: primary school (6 years), lower secondary (3 years, compulsory) and upper secondary (3 years).

Upper-secondary school ends with the nationwide gaokao exam — university places are allocated by its results. Competition for places at leading universities is very high.

The upper years are divided into academic and vocational. The academic track is entirely geared towards preparing for the gaokao, and the workload on pupils is heavy.

International students enter Chinese universities not through the gaokao but through a separate procedure for international students.

A bachelor’s lasts four years, a master’s two to three, a doctorate three to four. Leading universities (the “double first-class” projects) are rising quickly in world rankings, especially in engineering, the natural sciences and IT.

The number of programmes taught fully in English is growing — primarily at master’s level and in technical fields. Chinese-taught programmes require passing the HSK language exam.

Chinese-taught programmes require an HSK certificate (usually level 4–5); English-taught ones require IELTS/TOEFL. Many students first take a language course (from one semester) and then enrol on the main programme.

Applications are made directly to the university; some universities accept documents through the CUCAS system.

The state, the provinces and the universities themselves offer generous scholarships for international students: they cover tuition, on-campus accommodation, health insurance and monthly payments. The main one is the Chinese Government Scholarship.

Part-time work for international students is officially restricted, but the cost of living in most cities is low and dormitories are cheap.