1. Categories

Master’s candidates: 3 years. Students who earn the required credits, pass all the assessments and successfully defend their thesis will be awarded the master’s graduation certificate; those who pass the degree review will be conferred a master’s degree.

Doctoral candidates: 4 years. Students who earn the required credits, pass all the assessments and successfully defend their thesis will be awarded the doctoral graduation certificate; those who pass the degree review will be conferred a doctoral degree.

2. Program Catalogue

See details in  2027 Graduate Programs in CSU.xlsx

Some programs have specific notes in the program catalogue, and applicants must meet those requirements before applying.

3. Application requirements

1) Non-Chinese graduates with no criminal record, in good health and with outstanding academic performance. Applicants must have a strong academic background and capability in research and innovation.

2) Applicants for master’s degrees must hold a bachelor’s degree or equivalent qualification and be under 35 years of age.

Applicants for doctoral degrees must hold a master’s degree or equivalent qualification and be under 40 years of age.

3) Language requirements: applicants for Chinese-taught programs in science and engineering must obtain a minimum score of 180 in HSK Level 4, and those for humanities, social sciences and medical programs a minimum score of 210 in HSK Level 4. If some majors have specific requirements, the standards specified in the notes to the catalogue of disciplines shall apply.

Applicants for English-taught programs must obtain a minimum score of 6 in IELTS or 85 in TOEFL (equivalently, 4.0 or above on the new 1–6 TOEFL scale).

Applicants who meet either of the following conditions are exempt from providing the above proof of language proficiency, subject to verification by CSU:

a) Applicants whose first language or the official language of the country is Chinese or English.

b) Applicants who have completed a previous degree program taught in Chinese or English.

4) Some programs have their own application requirements, which applicants must satisfy before applying. For details, please see the 2027 program catalogue.

4. Tuition Fee

5. Financial Support

According to the regulations of the Ministry of Education of the P.R. China, international students must purchase Comprehensive Medical Insurance for International Students in China while studying in China. International students admitted without insurance funding must purchase the insurance at their own expense. Uninsured students cannot register.

6. Application Materials

1) Passport homepage copy (over one-year availability) and the page bearing the most recent Chinese visa, if any. In principle, only applicants holding a valid Ordinary Passport will be accepted for a study visa and the subsequent residence procedures in China.

2) Academic degree certificate (from the bachelor’s level onwards). Applicants must submit all degree certificates from the bachelor’s level up to the highest degree obtained, so that the chain is complete. Documents not in Chinese or English must be accompanied by a notarized translation. Requirements are as follows:

For master’s programs, the bachelor’s graduation certificate and the bachelor’s degree certificate;

For doctoral programs, the graduation and degree certificates at both the bachelor’s and master’s levels.

Applicants graduating in the current year may submit a pre-graduation certificate or a certificate of enrollment.

3) Stamped academic transcripts (from the bachelor’s level onwards). The scanned transcripts must cover the bachelor’s, master’s (if any) and doctoral (if any) stages up to the most recent semester, and must be issued and stamped by the attending university’s academic affairs office, the graduate school or the relevant student management department of the institution attended. Transcripts in Chinese or English are acceptable; transcripts in any other language must be accompanied by a notarized English translation.

4) Physical Examination Record for Foreigners. Applicants must complete all the items required in Physical Examination Record for Foreigner.pdf, in Chinese or English. A record with missing items, without a photograph of the applicant, without a stamp on the photograph, without a final examination opinion, or without the signature and stamp of the physician and the hospital shall be invalid. The originals of the chest X-ray report, the electrocardiogram (ECG) and the laboratory reports for HIV, syphilis and hepatitis B must be submitted at the same time. The examination must be dated after October 1, 2026. If admitted, please bring the originals when registering at the university.

5) Certificate of no criminal record with an official stamp (Chinese or English version), issued by the public security authority of the applicant’s place of residence. The date of issue must be after October 1, 2026.

6) Language proficiency certificate. Applicants for programs taught in Chinese must provide a valid HSK score report that meets the corresponding Chinese proficiency requirement. Applicants for programs taught in English must provide a valid TOEFL or IELTS score report, or a certificate of exemption. Applicants for Clinical Medicine must provide valid proof of proficiency in both Chinese and English.

7) Recommendation letters. Two letters from professors or associate professors, which should focus on the applicant’s study objectives in China and give an assessment of the applicant’s overall ability and future development. The letters may be written in Chinese or English only and must include the detailed contact information of the referees. The date of issue must be after October 1, 2026.

8) Published academic papers. To enhance the competitiveness of scholarship applications, applicants who have published papers must submit them together with the other application materials. Research output will serve as an important reference in scholarship review.

If there are several papers, please attach a list of publications on the first page and merge it with the first page of each paper for upload. Where a paper has been published in a high-level journal, the full text may be submitted in the same file. All paper materials (the list of publications，first pages and full texts) must be merged into a single PDF file; only one document may be submitted per applicant. Please make sure that the text in the attachment is legible.

9) Study plan. Applicants must submit a study plan in Chinese or English of no less than 1,000 words, stating the intended research direction at the graduate level, their understanding of the field and their previous research results. The study plan may be written in Chinese or English only (this item is very important; please complete it carefully, following Study Plan for International Graduates.docx as a template).

10) Personal video and CV (please introduce your educational and professional background and fully demonstrate your research ability and potential). Applicants are required to upload a video of self-introduction within one minute, and those who have HSK certificates must use Chinese to introduce themselves. The video must be in MP4 format with a capacity of less than 40MB.

11) Acceptance Letter for International Student (see Acceptance Letter for International Student.docx; supervisor information can be found in ), published papers and other supporting materials.

12) Statement of not having obtained any other form of scholarship (see Personal Statement.docx).

Note: Providing a supervisor’s provisional acceptance letter, published papers and other supporting materials may improve the chances of admission.

All documents uploaded through the system must be clear, authentic and valid. Applicants are advised to use professional equipment to scan the required documents. Applicants shall bear the consequences of unclear or unreadable materials.

7. Application Procedures

Step 1: Online Application

Log in to the CSU International Student Service System (https://csu.17gz.org/). Then fill in the application form, complete the registration and submit your application.

Step 2: Initial Review and application fee payment

The School of International Education conducts the initial review of the applicant’s identity and qualifications, language ability, physical and mental condition, etc. After passing the initial review and receiving the system notification and email, please pay the application fee (document review fee) of CNY 500 through the CSU Campus Unified Payment Platform within 7 days. WeChat Pay, Alipay and UnionPay cards are accepted.

Applicants who fail to pay within the specified time shall be deemed to have withdrawn their application and cannot proceed to the next round of review. Applicants who fail the initial review do not need to pay.

Step 3: Academic Review

Relevant schools will conduct an academic review for applicants to comprehensively examine their academic background, scientific research ability, or innovation potential.

Step 4: Result Release

The university admits applicants on a competitive basis in light of the applications received and the review results. THE FINAL FINANCIAL SUPPORT IS SUBJECT TO THE ADMISSION NOTICE RECEIVED! The admission letter and visa application form will be sent accordingly.

Application status will be informed in the CSU International Student Service System. Please ensure that the registered email address is accurate, and keep yourself informed by constantly checking the Application System.

8. Notes

1) The materials mentioned above shall be provided in English or Chinese. Materials in any other language should be notarized in Chinese or English.

2) If residents of the Chinese Mainland, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan who have emigrated to other countries apply for admission as international students after immigration, they must hold a valid foreign passport or nationality certificate for more than four years, and proof of renunciation of Chinese nationality is required.

3) The application fee will not be refunded regardless of the admission result.

4) The fall semester usually starts at the end of August or early September each year. The exact dates shall be those stated in the Admission Notice. Upon registration, the originals of the graduation certificate and the language proficiency certificate will be verified. Applicants who fail to provide the required certificates or who submit falsified application materials will be disqualified from enrollment.

5) Scholarship students must participate in the annual review organized by the university in accordance with its regulations and will continue to enjoy the scholarship after passing the review; otherwise, the scholarship will be suspended/ terminated. International students who violate Chinese laws or the rules and regulations of the university will have their scholarship disqualified; in serious cases, disciplinary action shall be taken, up to and including the cancellation of student status.

9. Contacts

Admission Office, School of International Education, CSU

Non-medical major consultation:

Tel: +86-731-88836410

Email: admissions@csu.edu.cn

Address: Office 214, Library, Yuelushan Campus, 932 Lushan South Road, Changsha, Hunan, China

Medical major consultation:

Tel: +86-731-89667206

Email: csuglobal@csu.edu.cn

Address: Office 708, Xiaoqian Building, Xinglin Campus, 172 Tongzipo Road, Changsha, Hunan, China

Fax: +86-731-88836737  

Websites of the School of International Education, CSU:

https://intl.csu.edu.cn/zwb.htm (Chinese)

https://intl.csu.edu.cn/index.htm (English)