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Beijing

China · Asia-Pacific

China's political, academic and research capital: its two strongest universities, the state research institutes, and the head offices that deal with them.

Who this suits, and who it doesn’t

Suits you if you want a funded degree inside a major research system and see China as a direction rather than a detour. Look elsewhere if your work needs an open internet, or if you can't commit to Mandarin.

The catch, and the way in

The catch

The most regulated environment on this map: internet restrictions, permit renewals and political sensitivity are daily facts rather than footnotes.

The way in

The Chinese Government Scholarship and university scholarships cover tuition, campus accommodation and a stipend, and applicants from Central Asia are a priority group.

Living there

What living here is actually like

Enormous, flat and organised in rings, with an excellent metro and distances that still eat an hour of your day. Winters are cold and dry, air quality has improved but still has bad weeks, and the student districts are intense. Payments, transport, food and social life all run through apps that need a local phone number and bank account. Set that up in the first week, or the city stays closed.

How the money works

Scholarships are the normal route rather than the exception, and a full one covers tuition, campus accommodation and a monthly stipend a careful student can live on. Unfunded tuition is moderate by Western standards. The real cost is administrative: residence permits, health checks and annual renewals all take time, documents and patience.Described in shape rather than figures on purpose: rents and salaries move every year and we cannot keep numbers true, but what is expensive and what quietly eats income stays true for far longer.

The language you actually need

Degrees taught in English exist across engineering and business, and scholarships often include a preparatory year of Chinese. Daily life, internships and any local employment run in Mandarin, and the language is the point of coming for many students. A degree here without it converts poorly into anything afterwards.

The work that clusters here

The kinds of work Beijing is a route into, each with what it actually involves, and what the catch is.

Who is named here

Not a ranking and not in order of merit. These are the places a subject is actually studied and taught at in this city, so you have something to search for.

  • Tsinghua University

    • Engineering
    • Computer Science
    • Business & Economics
    • Arts & Design

    Some English-taught programmes

  • Peking University

    • Natural Sciences
    • Humanities & Social Sciences
    • Law
    • Medicine & Health

    Some English-taught programmes

Language of teaching moves within a cycle, so check it on the university’s own page for your own entry year.