Two paths to a bachelor's degree in China: English-taught vs HSK

Most international undergraduates in China take one of two routes. Picking the right one early saves you a preparatory year and a lot of money.

Path 1: English-taught programs

A few hundred programs — concentrated in MBBS (medicine), international business, and engineering at major universities — teach entirely in English. You apply with your high-school certificate plus an English test (IELTS/TOEFL, sometimes an interview); no Chinese is required at entry.

• Best for: medicine students (MBBS is the largest English-taught bachelor offer), students targeting a specific university’s English track
• Watch out for: tuition is usually higher than Chinese-taught programs, and seats are limited
• Browse: every English-taught bachelor program we track is on the programs page

Path 2: Chinese-taught programs with HSK

Nearly every university in our corpus runs Chinese-taught bachelor programs open to internationals. Entry requires HSK level 4–5 (varies by university) plus your academic records.

If your Chinese isn’t there yet, the standard bridge is a preparatory (yuyuban) year: one to two years of intensive Chinese at the same university, then you enter the degree program. CSC scholarships can cover preparatory years in some cases.

• Best for: the widest choice of universities and majors, lower tuition, and a Chinese-learning outcome that employers value
• Watch out for: passing HSK 4 before enrollment — check each university’s exact level on its profile page

How to decide

Choose by outcome: if you want to work in China or with Chinese companies, the HSK route pays off. If you want a fast, protected path (especially in medicine), the English-taught route is simpler. Some students do both — an English-taught degree plus optional HSK certificates along the way.

Both routes lead to the same degrees, the same student visas (X1), and the same scholarship eligibility — see our scholarship guides.