Study in China · 费用
How much does it cost to study Chinese in China?
Application fee, tuition, housing, insurance, visa, and living costs are different lines. The mistake is adding them into one number with different periods.
Written October 20, 2026. Every figure below names the school, the program, and the period it covers.
The cost to study Chinese in China is a stack of lines: an application fee, tuition, housing, insurance, a visa, food, transport, and flights. A four-week summer course and a one-year pre-university program have different periods, so their tuition figures cannot be compared without converting them to the same unit.
The table below uses dated program examples and the official pages we read on 20 October 2026. It is a set of examples, not a national price list. Use it to see which categories exist, then build your own budget with the program you are actually applying to.
The lines, with named examples
| Program | Application fee | Tuition | Housing on the page | What the tuition includes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PKU Chinese Language Summer School 2026 | RMB 400 | RMB 8,000 for 4 weeks; RMB 11,000 for 6 weeks; RMB 14,000 for 8 weeks | RMB 180 to 220 per person per day | Textbooks included |
| PKU Spring Four-week Chinese Language Studies 2026 | RMB 400 | RMB 8,000 | RMB 180 to 220 per person per day | Textbooks included |
| PKU Yuke/Pre-university Program 2026 | CNY 800 | CNY 27,000 per semester | Not stated in the section we read | Not stated in the section we read |
| Tsinghua Chinese Language Program, spring 2027 notice | RMB 400 | Email [email protected] for current-intake tuition | RMB 40 per day for a double room; RMB 30 per day for a triple room | Not stated on the page we read |
| Fudan 2026 Chinese-taught undergraduate | RMB 800 | RMB 23,000 to 42,000 per year, by program | Not stated in the admission PDF | Not stated in the admission PDF |
| Fudan 2026 Pre-University Program | RMB 800 | RMB 56,000 per year; RMB 28,000 per semester | Students apply at a specified time or arrange off-campus housing | Not stated in the section we read |
For the Tsinghua CLP row, the page we read links an admission brochure, but the attachment did not open for us. Email [email protected] for the current intake's tuition and what it includes before you compare totals.
How to read the table without mixing periods
RMB and CNY are the same currency; the official pages use both labels. The more important difference is the period. The same number can mean a week, a session, a semester, or a year.
Peking University's summer tuition is per session, not per month. The four-week course is RMB 8,000; the six-week is RMB 11,000; the eight-week is RMB 14,000. Dividing RMB 8,000 by four weeks gives a weekly figure, but the program does not sell weeks. Compare the session price with another session price, or convert both to a weekly rate and say that you did.
Housing is per day. A 28-day stay at RMB 180 to 220 per day is RMB 5,040 to 6,160, before food. That is a separate line from the tuition. In this 28-day example, application fee plus tuition plus that housing range is RMB 13,440 to 14,560, before insurance, travel, and living expenses. If you choose off-campus housing, add a deposit, a commute, and the registration step with the local police.
A pre-university year is a different unit again. Fudan's RMB 56,000 is per year, charged as RMB 28,000 per semester. Peking University's Yuke tuition is RMB 27,000 per semester. Those are semester figures, so a two-semester year is roughly double before housing and living costs. Do not compare a semester figure with a four-week figure without converting.
Check the other budget lines
Budget separately for flights, daily food, local transport, visa fees, and personal spending, then ask each program to confirm what its quoted fee covers. Peking University's summer page says students must buy insurance valid in China before arrival. A visa application may have its own fee. A physical medical check or a residence permit may add another line for a longer stay.
Some tuition figures include textbooks and some do not. Peking University's summer and spring pages say the tuition includes textbooks. The Tsinghua and Fudan pages we read do not state that in the sections we saw. Ask before you budget the book line.
A budget template you can copy
| Line | What to write | Period |
|---|---|---|
| Application fee | The non-refundable fee on the program page | Once |
| Tuition | The program price, including or excluding textbooks | Session, semester, or year |
| Housing | Daily rate times nights, or a monthly rent plus deposit | Per day or per month |
| Insurance | The policy the program accepts | Per stay |
| Visa and permits | The visa fee and any residence permit cost | Per stay |
| Food and local transport | Your own daily estimate, not the program's | Per day |
| Flights | The ticket you actually booked | Round trip |
| Buffer | Your own contingency for identified uncertainties | Once |
The buffer is not a hidden fee. It is a recognition that a first stay has costs you do not know yet: a SIM card, a deposit, a translation, a taxi from the station. A budget that ends exactly at the published tuition is not a budget.
What to ask the program office
Ask whether the tuition includes textbooks, whether housing is guaranteed, and whether the daily rate is per person or per room. Ask what insurance the program accepts and whether it can be bought after arrival. Ask whether the application fee is refundable and what the tuition refund schedule is. Ask whether the program supports a visa letter and which visa type it expects.
If you are comparing a language program with a degree, the language program page compares the durations and levels. If you are checking whether you meet the Chinese requirement, the requirement page has the school-specific lines. The first-week page lists the documents and the offices you will deal with after you arrive.
Questions that still sit on the table
How much does it cost to study Chinese in China?
A short summer course can start around RMB 8,000 in tuition for four weeks at Peking University, before housing and travel. Other routes cover different periods and components, so obtain their current fees before comparing the total. The total depends on the city, the housing, the insurance, and how long you stay. Keep each line separate instead of adding a tuition figure to a monthly living estimate.
Is tuition the same as the total cost?
No: add application fees, housing, insurance, travel, and living expenses for the same period as the tuition. Ask the program to confirm any included items before totaling the budget.
How much is housing at a Chinese language program?
Peking University's 2026 summer and spring programs list on-campus housing at RMB 180 to 220 per person per day, depending on room type. Tsinghua's Chinese Language Program lists a double room at RMB 40 per day and a triple room at RMB 30 per day, with shared bathrooms. These are dated program figures, not a city-wide average; the cited Tsinghua notice concerns spring 2027.
Are scholarships available?
Some programs offer scholarships and some do not. Tsinghua's Chinese Language Program page says it is entirely self-funded and no CLP scholarships are available. Fudan's pre-university page mentions a pre-university scholarship after review. Check the specific program page and the scholarship deadline before you budget.
What is not included in the published prices?
Budget for flights, daily food, local transport, visa fees, and personal spending, then ask what the quoted program fee includes. Check the program's insurance requirement and whether it is a separate purchase. Peking University's cited summer and spring pages include textbooks in tuition. Confirm the included items with each other program before adding or removing a budget line.
Sources
- Peking University, “Chinese Language Summer School 2026”, read 20 October 2026.
- Peking University, “Spring Four-week Chinese Language Studies Program”, read 20 October 2026.
- Peking University, “Yuke/Pre-university Program 2026”, read 20 October 2026.
- Tsinghua University, “Admission to Chinese Language Program in THU”, published 20 August 2026, read 20 October 2026.
- Fudan University, “2026 Admission Information on Chinese-taught Undergraduate Programs”, PDF, read 20 October 2026.
- Fudan University, “2026 Fudan Pre-University Program for International Students”, PDF, read 20 October 2026.
Version 1. Recheck when a named program changes its fees, or every six months.