Everything you need to prepare, in order.
From the first document you scan to the residence permit you collect in your first month — the whole path from applicant to enrolled student, explained without the guesswork.
SuzhouWork through it in sequence.
Each section stands on its own, but the order matters — the visa depends on the admission notice, and the admission notice depends on the documents.
Step 1The documents you need
Every file a Chinese university asks for, what each one must look like, and the mistakes that cause rejections.
Read this section
Step 2Getting your documents accepted
Apostille or consular legalisation: which route your country takes, in what order, and the stamp that stopped being needed in 2023.
Read this section
Step 3Scholarships, honestly explained
The kinds of scholarship on offer in China, what each one really pays for, the conditions that end them early, and how to decide which route is yours.
Read this section
Step 4How the application works
The order of events from choosing a program to holding an admission notice, and what the forms actually ask you.
Read this section
Step 5The physical examination
What the Foreigner Physical Examination Form covers, who can complete it, and how to avoid having it rejected.
Read this section
Step 6Visa and JW202
Turning your admission notice into a student visa, and the residence permit you apply for after you land.
Read this section
Step 7Before you fly and after you land
Money, phone, apps, packing, and the deadlines that start counting the moment you arrive in China.
Read this sectionStep 8Apps, payments and daily services
The apps daily life in China runs on — paying, messaging, getting around, eating and shopping — and how to set them up without getting locked out.
Read this sectionStep 9Laws and rules to know
The legal must-knows for international students — registration, residence permits, work, drugs — plus everyday dos and don'ts.
Read this sectionStep 10Travelling in China and going home
Trains, flights and city transport, the holidays when everything sells out, and what to check before you leave China and come back.
Read this sectionWhen each part happens.
Intakes are usually September and March. Working backwards from your intake keeps the slow steps — translations, police clearance, visa appointments — off the critical path.
- 3 to 6 months before intake
Shortlist programs, check entry requirements, and start collecting translations and your police clearance — these take the longest.
- 2 to 4 months before
Submit the application, the resume form, and your documents. The university reviews and may ask for corrections.
- 6 to 10 weeks before
Receive the admission notice and JW202, then book the visa appointment at the embassy named in your application.
- 2 to 4 weeks before
Collect the visa, pay any pre-arrival fees the university requires, and book flights and airport pickup.
- First 30 days in China
Register with the local police, complete university enrolment, and convert your X1 visa into a residence permit.
Requirements vary between universities, provinces, and Chinese embassies, and they change from year to year. Treat this as a starting point and confirm the details against your own admission letter and the embassy you will apply through.
Ready to pick a program?
Browse what is on offer, then come back and work through the checklist.
Explore programs