CollegesinChina

Shanghai

Shanghai Municipality Major city

China's financial and commercial capital on the Huangpu River is its most globally connected city — the natural study destination for finance, business, engineering and design students who want multinational internships alongside class. Fudan, Shanghai Jiao Tong, Tongji and a dozen other universities carry weight on any CV worldwide. The Bund's colonial skyline facing the Pudong towers tells the city's past-and-future story in one view.

Living here

Monthly budget

CNY 3,500–6,500 (USD 490–900) / month incl. dorm or shared flat

Dorms are far below the open market; off-campus shared rooms near Fudan or Jiao Tong typically cost several times the dorm rate.

Getting around

Metro system in operation. Pudong (PVG) and Hongqiao (SHA) form one of the world's busiest airport pairs, with dense flights across Southeast Asia, South Asia and the Gulf plus global long-haul.

Halal food

Good and easy to live with: Lanzhou noodle shops and Xinjiang restaurants citywide, historic mosques such as Xiaotaoyuan and Songjiang serving halal meat, and halal windows in every campus canteen.

Healthcare

Huashan, Ruijin and other top hospitals run English-speaking international departments; student insurance covers campus clinics and designated hospitals.

Climate

Humid subtropical: hot muggy summers past 35°C, a June plum-rain season, and damp chilly winters around 0–10°C.

One of the world's longest metro networks, fully English-signed, makes the city navigable without Mandarin; buses, ferries and shared bikes fill the gaps. Mobile payment is near-universal — link an international card or open a local bank account with your student visa in week one. English is widely used in business circles, campus areas and the former French Concession.

Factual fields as of 2026-09-21 — editorial estimate, not official figures.

Universities in Shanghai (20)

Fudan University Top tier Tongji University Top tier Shanghai Jiao Tong University Top tier East China Normal University Top tier Shanghai University Top tier East China University of Science and Technology Top tier Donghua University Top tier Shanghai International Studies University Top tier Shanghai University of Finance and Economics Top tier ShanghaiTech University Top tier Shanghai Ocean University Top tier Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine Top tier Shanghai University of Sport Top tier Shanghai Conservatory of Music Top tier New York University Shanghai Top tier East China University of Political Science and Law Standard University of Shanghai for Science and Technology Standard Shanghai University of Electric Power Standard Shanghai Maritime University Standard Shanghai Normal University Standard

10 English-taught programs tracked in this city — see them.