Can I study in China for free?
Unofficial answer · Sources checked
Only if a scholarship pays for it. The national rules for international students in higher education require schools to charge fees, publish their fee items and fee standards, and publish their refund rules; the articles read for this page set out no route to a place that is free by right. What people mean by "free" is a full award, and the two scholarship guides read here put amounts on what "full" covers.
What the rules say
Order No. 42 of the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Public Security — the Administrative Measures for the Enrolment and Education of International Students by Schools, issued 20 March 2017 and in force since 1 July 2017 — governs this. The measure exists in Chinese on the ministry's page with no official English version there; the wording below is this site's translation of the Chinese text.
Article 14 sets the fee rule: schools charge international students according to the relevant provisions of the State, and they must publish the fee items, the fee standards and the rules on refunds when a student withdraws or transfers. Fees and refunds are denominated in RMB. Nothing in the articles read for this page waives those fees.
The same measure is also where scholarships come from. Article 32: the Chinese Government establishes the Chinese Government Scholarship for international students receiving higher education, and encourages local people's governments to establish international student scholarships; the measures for administering the Chinese Government Scholarship are formulated by the relevant administrative department of the State Council. Article 34: higher education institutions may establish scholarships for international students, and enterprises and public institutions, social organizations and other social organizations, as well as individuals, are encouraged to establish them too — but may not attach unreasonable conditions.
So the structure is: the university charges, and one of four kinds of body may pay on your behalf.
What the Chinese Government Scholarship covers
The Application Guide for Chinese Government Scholarship, published by the China Scholarship Council on Campus China, lists four items under section III, Scholarship Coverage. The page carries no publication date and no academic year, so the amounts below are the ones printed there with no year attached.
| Item | Standard printed in the guide |
|---|---|
| Tuition fees | Covered; no amount printed |
| Accommodation | Free university dormitory or accommodation subsidy; no amount printed |
| Stipend | Undergraduates CNY 2,500 per month; master's students and general scholars CNY 3,000 per month; doctoral students and senior scholars CNY 3,500 per month |
| Comprehensive medical insurance | CNY 800 per person per year; CNY 400 per person for programmes lasting less than six months |
Section II of the same guide adds the shape of the award: it sponsors undergraduates, postgraduates, general scholars and senior scholars; it covers both major study and Chinese language (preparatory) study, with the language courses lasting one year and major study running for the duration required; and the academic programmes sit at designated Chinese universities across fields including science, engineering, agriculture, medicine, economics, law, management, education, history, literature, philosophy and fine arts.
What the 2025 International Chinese Language Teachers Scholarship covers
The edition read for this page is the January 2025 Application Guidelines for the International Chinese Language Teachers Scholarship, published by the Center for Language Education and Cooperation. It was written for programmes starting between July 2025 and March 2026, and the dates in it belong to that cycle.
Appendix 1, Coverage and Standard, lists four items:
| Item | Standard printed in Appendix 1 |
|---|---|
| Tuition | Covered; the host institution uses the tuition fees for education and management of recipients, cultural programming and HSK tests. Scholarships for online programmes provide support for tuition fees only |
| Accommodation | Free on-campus accommodation, typically a double room. With the host institution's approval a recipient may live off campus, and then doctoral students receive RMB 1,000 per person per month and other students RMB 700 per person per month, paid monthly or quarterly |
| Living allowance | Paid monthly: RMB 2,500 per person for undergraduates, one-year study programme students and one-semester study programme students; RMB 3,000 per person for master's students in International Chinese Language Education; RMB 3,500 per person for doctoral students in International Chinese Language Education. Four-week study programme students are excluded |
| Comprehensive medical insurance | Purchased by the host institution under the Ministry of Education's applicable regulations on overseas students: RMB 100 per person for four-week programme students, RMB 400 per person for one-semester students, and RMB 800 per person per year for students studying more than one year |
Appendix 1 also attaches conditions that decide whether the money keeps arriving: a recipient must register within the period stated in the Letter of Admission or the scholarship is revoked; registration on or before the 15th of the month earns the full monthly allowance and registration after the 15th earns half; the allowance is suspended for any period of more than 15 days out of China for personal reasons during the study period, excluding summer and winter vacations; and it stops from the date of suspension, withdrawal or notification of disciplinary action.
What the official pages do not say
Neither the coverage section of the Chinese Government Scholarship guide nor Appendix 1 of the 2025 International Chinese Language Teachers Scholarship guidelines lists international travel, visa fees, application fees, books or a security deposit. The sections read for this page do not say whether those are covered or excluded, so treat the four listed items as the whole of what was read. The Chinese Government Scholarship guide prints no amount for the accommodation subsidy, and the pages read here print no tuition figures, no living-cost figures and no total value for either award.
If you need to know what a particular university would charge, or what a particular award at that university would leave you to pay, ask that university's international student office. Separate pages on this site cover tuition and living costs and scholarships.
Related questions
Does the Chinese Government Scholarship cover the Chinese language year before my degree?
Yes, according to section II of the Application Guide for Chinese Government Scholarship. The scholarship covers both major study and Chinese language (preparatory) study; the language courses last one year, and the duration of the scholarship for major study conforms to the duration required.
Can I live off campus and keep the housing benefit?
Appendix 1 of the 2025 International Chinese Language Teachers Scholarship guidelines says yes, but only on application and approval from the host institution: doctoral students then receive RMB 1,000 per person per month and other students RMB 700 per person per month. The Chinese Government Scholarship guide offers "free university dormitory or accommodation subsidy" without printing a subsidy amount.
Who is allowed to set up a scholarship for international students?
Order No. 42 names four: the central government, which establishes the Chinese Government Scholarship and encourages local people's governments to set up their own (Article 32); higher education institutions, which may establish scholarships (Article 34); and enterprises, public institutions, social organizations and individuals, who are encouraged to do so but may not attach unreasonable conditions (Article 34).
What happens to my monthly allowance if I register late or leave China?
Under Appendix 1 of the 2025 International Chinese Language Teachers Scholarship guidelines, registering on or before the 15th of the month earns the full allowance and registering after the 15th earns half. Leaving China for more than 15 days for personal reasons during the study period, excluding summer and winter vacations, suspends the allowance for that period. Suspension, withdrawal for personal reasons or disciplinary action stops it from the date that takes effect. Graduating students are paid until half a month after the graduation date set by the host institution.
Sources
- Administrative Measures for the Enrolment and Education of International Students by Schools (Order No. 42) — Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China (moe.gov.cn)
- Application Guide for Chinese Government Scholarship — China Scholarship Council (Campus China, campuschina.org)
- Application Guidelines for International Chinese Language Teachers Scholarship 2025 — Center for Language Education and Cooperation (CLEC, chinese.cn)
Checked 11 October 2026
This page is an unofficial summary prepared for readers of this site: it is not legal or immigration advice, it is not published by or affiliated with any of the bodies named above, and where the official text or the instructions of the university, embassy or exit-entry office handling your case differ, those prevail.