English-Taught Programs in China: 2027 Guide for Non-Chinese Speakers

The MOE (Ministry of Education) maintains an official ETP catalog by institution: a published list of programs a university is allowed to teach in English, the duration, tuition band, and intake capacity. Each cycle, the catalog is republished with adjustments to scope — some universities add new ETP programs, others retire under-enrolled ones. Your target university's ETP catalog is the binding document: if the MOE catalog does not list your program as English-medium for the current cycle, it cannot be advertised as ETP regardless of what the marketing says.

• Scale — over 300 Chinese universities operate ETP bachelor's, master's, or PhD programs (per the latest MOE cycle); the full ETP catalog grows cycle by cycle but the headline count has been roughly stable since 2022
• Where it lives — engineering, business, computer science, clinical medicine (MBBS), economics, finance, public health, and the natural sciences dominate; humanities and law are growing but still smaller
• The flagship cluster — the C9 League (Peking, Tsinghua, Fudan, SJTU, Zhejiang, USTC, Nanjing, Harbin IT, Xi'an Jiaotong) + ~30 strong research universities publish the deepest ETP catalogs with full bachelor's and master's coverage
• Why it exists — China is the world's largest source of international students, and Anglophone markets (US, UK, Australia, Canada) are increasingly expensive and competitive; ETP is the official route to capture students who want a Chinese degree at English-track tuition without a multi-year Chinese-language prerequisite
• Quality control — programs are MOE-listed and re-audited each cycle; English-medium degrees are recognized by China's MOE and (for accredited programs) by foreign credential services like WES, ECE, and most home-country ministries

• C9 League — Peking, Tsinghua, Fudan, SJTU, Zhejiang, USTC, Nanjing, Harbin IT, Xi'an Jiaotong — all 9 have deep ETP catalogs; the most selective options
• 985 engineering powerhouse cluster — Harbin IT, Beihang, Huazhong UST, XJTU, Central South, Tongji, TianJin University — best for engineering and applied science ETP candidates
• MBBS-strong cluster — Sun Yat-sen, Wuhan, Fudan, Jilin, Shandong, XJTU, Central South, Nantong — the MOE-listed MBBS universities with the largest English-medium MBBS cohorts
• Business-strong cluster — CEIBS (Shanghai), Fudan, Tsinghua, SJTU Antai, Renmin, Zhejiang, Lingnan (Sun Yat-sen) — for English-medium MBA and business master's
• Regional research universities — Nanjing, Huazhong UST, Wuhan, XJTU, Sun Yat-sen, Shandong, Jilin — strong ETP coverage at lower tuition than the top 5

• Engineering is the largest ETP category — your engineering ETP choices outnumber every other field by a factor of 2-3
• MBBS in English has the highest international-student density — 45 universities run it, and the cohort is 70%+ international
• Business ETP is concentrated at the top — fewer universities, but the programs are well-funded and well-marketed to international applicants
• Humanities + law ETP is the smallest category — top universities offer selective programs, but most humanities at the bachelor's level are still Chinese-taught
• Art and design ETP is rare — if your target is art or design, verify the program is in the MOE ETP catalog for the 2027 cycle before committing

• English tests — top programs want IELTS 6.5+ (master's) or 7.0+ (PhD); bachelor's ETP thresholds vary (5.5–7.5+) with the most selective programs at the top of the band
• CSCA is required even on the English track from the 2026 intake — see /csca-english-taught-programs for the CSCA-specific exemption/waiver landscape and which programs accept the four-subject route
• No HSK required on the ETP path — but basic Chinese (survival-level) is helpful for daily life outside campus; free Chinese courses are bundled into most bachelor's ETP programs
• Pre-admission letter — increasingly expected for both CSC and direct-admission routes; apply to your target university first (Sep–Dec for the next intake) and use the pre-admission letter to anchor your CSC application
• Documents — passport, transcripts with certified English translation, English language scores, 1–3 recommendation letters, study plan + (PhD) research proposal, physical exam (post-acceptance)
• Application channels — same as Chinese-taught: university international student portal (university route, Type B), Chinese embassy (Bilateral), CSC partner institution

• Exam language — the CSCA for ETP-track candidates is administered in English (paper + oral instructions); confirm on the CSCA portal before your sitting
• Subject mix for ETP candidates — Math is required for everyone; Physics and/or Chemistry depend on the program (engineering often wants Math + Physics, MBBS wants Math + Chemistry, business + humanities often wants just Math)
• Professional Chinese — the four-subject track (Math + Professional Chinese + 2 electives) applies only to Chinese-medium programs; ETP candidates do not sit Professional Chinese
• Fee band — same as Chinese-track: RMB 450 for one subject, RMB 700 for two or more; pay via Alipay / WeChat / bank transfer during the registration window
• Planning — for a September 2027 ETP intake, sit the CSCA in November 2026 (14–15), December 2026, or January 2027 so the score exists before CSC deadlines in January–April 2027

• CSC eligibility — same for ETP and Chinese-track; non-Chinese citizen, academic record (GPA 3.0+ for most programs, 3.3+ for selective), English test (IELTS 6.5+ or TOEFL 90+ commonly), 1–2 recommendation letters
• CSC channels — same four: embassy/Bilateral, university (Type B), partner institution, special programs; ETP candidates most often apply through the university route (Type B)
• Stipends — same band by degree (bachelor's 2,500, master's 3,000, PhD 3,500 CNY/month as a working figure; verify on the current CSC notice)
• University top-up funding — many universities add their own scholarship to ETP candidates (extra monthly stipend, research grants, tuition waivers); stacking CSC + university top-up is the optimal funding stack
• Provincial government scholarships — Beijing, Shanghai, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Guangdong each run their own ETP-eligible scholarship pools, usually separate from CSC
• Tuition for self-funded ETP students — bachelor's ¥18,000–50,000/year, master's ¥25,000–70,000/year; MBBS in English typically ¥40,000–60,000/year; business master's (MBA) typically ¥80,000–200,000 total program cost

• Lectures and assessments are 100% English — class time, slides, textbooks, exams, thesis writing
• Daily life is mixed Chinese / English — banking, hospitals, grocery delivery, transport apps, and city services are primarily Chinese-language; most ETP students carry a translation app (Pleco, Google Translate, DeepL) for the first 3-6 months
• Free Chinese courses are bundled into most bachelor's ETP programs — 2-4 credits of Chinese per semester; not required for graduation but heavily recommended
• International student offices — every university has one with English-speaking staff for admissions, visa, and day-to-day support
• Buddies + mentors — most programs pair incoming ETP students with upper-class international students; helps with bank account opening, phone SIM, dorm setup, and the first-week logistics
• Cultural services — international student associations run orientation week, Mid-Autumn Festival, Lunar New Year events; the international dorms are the social hub for ETP students in the first year
• Internships and work — same visa rules as Chinese-track students (≤20 hours/week on-campus under X1, off-campus in 9 pilot cities with prior approval)