Study in China. It is very important to choose the right places to study in such a huge country, like China. The final choice you make can have a huge impact on your overall learning experience in China. The first step is to understand what you want to study and how you want to spend your time in China.

For others with a limited budget and a penchant for authentic and delicious Chinese food, there are also many alternatives. Other important factors to consider:

• cost of living (especially rental housing);
• campus location;
• non-academic opportunities;
• local dialects;
• university rankings and reputation.

StudyinChinas.com has listed important points on how to choose the best city and university to study in China.

Quality of education

One of the key indicators foreigners look at when choosing to study in China is the university rankings. At StudyinChinas.com we are a little sceptical about this particular metric. Because while rankings such as the QS university ranking system are reliable benchmarks for the prestige of universities in China. These rankings usually reflect academic citations – or other subjective measures of reputation. And do not reflect the overall quality of education, the experience of foreign students, employability and other factors are important. The quality of disciplines and language programs is also not always reflected in the overall ranking.

Do you know how many universities there are in China? More than 3000! All universities that our company offers are included in the top 300 Chinese universities, which indicates the high quality of education. Each of our universities offers decent conditions for learning: huge rich libraries, high-tech laboratories, computer classes for obtaining operational information at any time.

We would like to list the most popular universities in China for international students:

• Fudan University — leading university in China
• Tongji University
• Donghua University
• Shanghai Normal University
• Shanghai Jiao Tong University
• Beihang University (Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics)
• Beijing Jiaotong University
• Beijing Forestry University
• University of Science & Technology Beijing
• Hangzhou Dianzi University
• Hangzhou Normal University
• Zhejiang Gongshang University
• Zhejiang University
• SCI-TECH University of Zhejiang
• Zhejiang University of Science & Technology
• Nanjing University of Aeronautics & Astronautics
• Nanjing University of Information Science & Technology
• University of Posts & Telecommunications in Nanjing
• Nanjing University

You can find more information about universities and life in China on our YouTube channel.

Cost and expenses to study in China

We select universities that can provide international students scholarships or a discount for education. Language courses from 8000 yuan. Further, you will be able to study in your speciality absolutely free of charge if you showed good academic performance during the language year. Otherwise, you will study under a partial scholarship with a discount of up to 80%. For comparison, the cost of tuition on a paid basis without our scholarships in universities is 15-25 thousand yuan.

You can find more information about the cost of living in China, by following that link.

Campus location and lifestyle

In all cities where our universities are located, security is provided at the highest level. As you know, China has the strictest laws, where any violation is seriously punished, which is why foreigners can comfortably move around the country with ease. And the Chinese themselves are peaceful by nature and respectful of others. On the street, you can ask any Chinese and they will always be happy to help you.

While studying at our universities, the student lives in a comfortable campus in a secure area. A campus is a small town inside a big city. There is everything you need for a student’s life: academic buildings, parks and lakes, dormitories, small cafes and canteens, libraries and many sports facilities. The campus has its own rules and restrictions to ensure the safety of the student, for example, you cannot drink alcohol on site. Since many universities have several campuses, it is better to research which campus you will be studying on.

City selection and Ecology

Some of the Chinese universities are located in areas of China that are unfavourable from an environmental point of view. The difficult environmental situation even makes the authorities think about moving universities to other provinces. We offer universities that are located in areas with good ecology, or in areas with small deviations from the norm. However, our company always informs the client about the environmental situation in the city even before signing the contract. China is exerting itself to restore a good ecology in the country so that every day the indicators change for the better.

To study Mandarin, we recommend choosing the northeastern cities in China: Beijing, Tianjin, etc. So in other areas, Mandarin is slightly different from the standard one. For more business students, we suggest choosing Chongqing and Shenzhen. These cities are the main trade points in China. While studying there, you will get to know Chinese culture better, and also will acquire connections that will be useful for your future career.

A complete list of cities and their description you can find in this section: “Chinese cities”.

Career opportunities after studying in China

If you want to stay in China and build your career, then we advise you to choose Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou and Hangzhou. More foreign companies are located in these cities. We advise you to initially choose the city in which you want to stay after studying. Firstly, the city will be familiar to you and it will be easier to adapt to your work life. Secondly, the acquired connections will be preserved, which can help with employment.

However, it should be considered in mind that the transition from study to work in China is quite difficult. The student visa ends immediately after receiving the diploma. You will need to open a tourist visa. During the tourist visa, you will be looking for work and interviewing. Only after signing the contract can you get a work visa. Therefore, it will be more convenient to stay in the city where you studied. You will have the opportunity to be interviewed before graduation. This will save your time and money on the job search.

We also recommend you to read our article “Part-time job in China“.

In search of adventures

If you are only going to China to study and do not plan to work there further, then we advise you to pay attention to these cities: Kunming, Xian, Xiamen, Nanjing, Qingdao, Guilin, Chongqing, Chengdu, Dalian and Suzhou. In these cities, you will find all the best parts of Chinese cultures. Cultural surprises, colourful local cuisine, nature reserves and temples. While studying in these cities, you can also go on interesting travels in China.

And for the true lover of Chinese culture, we advise you to take a closer look at Hefei, Harbin, Changsha, Weihai or Fuzhou. In these cities, you will be far from Western culture and foreigners. But you shouldn’t move to these cities if you lived in Beijing or Shanghai before. These cities belong to different worlds. And you can’t find everything in Tier 1 cities by moving to more traditional ones.

If you want to study in China, please, contact our consultants. They will help you to choose the university and program. Leave your application on our website. Also, you can ask your questions in the comments bellow.