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 correct at the time of publication and may vary from those shown here. Some prices have been rounded up or down. 

Tuition fees

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 (£1,320 to £2,400). However, programmes in medicine, engineering and business cost more, averaging 159,300 to 331,885 yuan (£18,319 to £38,166) 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 (£6,100 to £11,449) a year, with the average bachelor’s degree at 79,650 yuan (£9,160) and the average master’s degree at 89,610 yuan (£10,300) a year.

There is typically an application fee for Chinese universities, which is between 597 and 995 yuan (£69 to £114), but it never goes over about 1,327 yuan (£150). 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 which is one of China’s top-ranked universities charges an average application fee of 1,128 yuan (£129). Tuition fees are 23,230 yuan (£2,670) per year. As a Chinese undergraduate degree takes four years to complete, a student at Peking should expect to spend 92,927 yuan (£10,686) in total on tuition.

Nanjing Tech University is the most affordable in China in terms of tuition fees (25,130 yuan, or about £2,866 a year) and the average undergraduate student would graduate having spent 100,524 yuan (£11,464) after four years of study.