How much does it cost to study at a university in China? If you are interested in studying in the country, one of the most important things to consider is how much everything is going to cost. This essential guide breaks down the cost of every aspect of university life to ensure that you have everything covered.
Note that prices and exchange rates are 1 Chinese Yuan=BDT 13.13 (all figures noted are in Chinese Yuan)
Compared with the UK or US, studying in China costs far less although it is still considerably more expensive than some European countries. Depending on the institution and the subject, students can expect to pay between 11,480 to 20,880 yuan per academic year (BDT 1,50,743 to BDT 2,74,174). However, programmes in medicine, engineering and business cost more, averaging 159,300 to 331,885 yuan (BDT 20,91,759 to BDT 43,57,964) per year.
As well as private Chinese universities, there is also the opportunity to study at American or British universities with a campus in a Chinese city, such as the Chinese campuses of the universities of Nottingham, Leicester and Lancaster. Tuition fees at such institutions are 53,100 to 99,565 yuan (BDT 6,97,253 to BDT 13,07,382) a year, with the average bachelor’s degree at 79,650 yuan (BDT 10,45,879) and the average master’s degree at 89,610 yuan (BDT 11,76,664) a year.
There is typically an application fee for Chinese universities, which is between 597 and 995 yuan (BDT 7,839 to BDT 13,065), but it never goes over about 1,327 yuan (BDT 17,424). Among all the programmes offered by Chinese institutions, the bachelor of medicine and the bachelor of surgery have the most expensive application fees. The higher the university is ranked in China’s league tables, the more expensive the application fee.
Peking University – one of China’s top-ranked universities – charges an average application fee of 1,128 yuan (BDT 14,811). Tuition fees are 23,230 yuan (BDT 3,05,031) per year. As a Chinese undergraduate degree takes four years to complete, a student at Peking should expect to spend 92,927 yuan (BDT 12,20,219) in total on tuition.
Nanjing Tech University is the most affordable in China in terms of tuition fees (25,130 yuan, or about BDT 3,29,980 a year) and the average undergraduate student would graduate having spent 100,524 yuan (BDT 13,19,975) after four years of study.
The most common housing options in China are student residence halls (995 to 2,655 yuan, or BDT 13,065 to BDT 34,862per month), renting a flat (1,660 to 6,637 yuan, or BDT 21,797 to BDT 87,150 for a one-bedroom apartment), a homestay with a Chinese family (2,320 to 3,650 yuan, or BDT 30,463 to BDT 47,927 a month, often including at least one meal a day) or a hostel, which is typically only a temporary arrangement (119 yuan or BDT 1,562 a night).
Students will most likely live with a room-mate in a student residence or an apartment, paying 1,990 to 3,053 yuan (BDT 26,130 to BDT 40,088) for a security deposit and 331 yuan (BDT 4,346) a month for water, gas and electricity bills. Rent for a one-bedroom apartment in a city in China is on average 3,520 yuan (BDT 46,220) a month.
Although cities such as Beijing and Shanghai are some of the most expensive in the world, it is possible to find good value options for housing. Rates are far lower in places such as Jiangsu, Sichuan and Tianjin.
If you are planning to study in China for more than six months, you are required by the Chinese government to have a medical examination, which you should arrange before you leave your home country. You will be asked to present your medical examination record when applying for a Chinese student visa.
All foreign students should apply for either a student visa if you are intending to stay for more than six months (X-Visa, BDT 8,551), or a business visa, if you are intending to stay for less than six months (F-Visa, BDT 5,431).
Per semester, students should expect to spend 200 to 330 yuan (BDT 2,626to BDT 4,333) on books and course materials. China operates on a two-semester system, so expect to spend 400 to 665 yuan (BDT 5,252 to BDT 8,732) a year. This sum will be considerably more if you choose to study sciences, medicine or art.
The average monthly internet bill is 96 yuan or BDT 1,260 (split between tenants) and a mobile phone plan is 100 yuan (BDT 1,313) a month.
Public transport in China is great value including taxi rides. A single metro journey costs 3.32 yuan (BDT 43.5) a bus trip in a city is 1.99 yuan (BDT 26 ), while a full student transport pass costs 99 yuan (BDT 1,299) a month. You should expect to pay 26 yuan (BDT 341) for a 20-minute taxi ride across town. A litre of petrol costs 6.15 yuan (BDT 80.76).
A student at Peking University will spend an average of 38,233 yuan (BDT 5,02,035) on their first year at university, including the application fee, visa fee, tuition fees and living expenses. They would, therefore, graduate having spent 152,932 yuan (BDT 20,08,141) on their university education in China.
In 2017, a meal in a restaurant in China cost on average 20 yuan (BDT 262).
A cinema ticket costs 50 yuan (BDT 656), a monthly gym membership 253 yuan (BDT 3,322) and a Big Mac 19.80 yuan (BDT 260), while a weekly shop is 330 yuan (BDT 4,333) or 1,327 yuan (BDT 17,424) a month, and there are plenty of international supermarket chains such as Walmart, Carrefour, Auchan or Metro. Buying fruit and vegetables from local markets is good value, with a large bag averaging 13 yuan (BDT 171).
