China's largest export discipline. Tuition is moderate, labs are well funded, and many master's programmes are taught in English because the cohort is mostly international.
Engineering is China's largest export discipline and the easiest field to enter in English at master's level, because the cohort is mostly international and the labs are well funded. Mechanical, civil, electrical, chemical and aerospace all have deep programmes, and many lead directly into the industries clustered around the campuses. The trade-off is language on the ground. Coursework may be in English, but your lab mates, supervisors' instructions and any internship will run in Chinese. Students who arrive with working Mandarin get markedly more out of the experience than those who do not.
Duration, teaching language, annual tuition band and the language certificate each track asks for.
| Programme | Level | Duration | Language | Tuition / yr (CNY) | Language requirement |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mechanical Engineering | Bachelor / Master | 4 / 3 years | English or Chinese | 18,000–32,000 / yr | HSK 4 if Chinese-taught |
| Civil Engineering | Bachelor / Master | 4 / 3 years | English or Chinese | 18,000–30,000 / yr | HSK 4 if Chinese-taught |
| Electrical & Automation | Bachelor / Master | 4 / 3 years | English or Chinese | 18,000–32,000 / yr | HSK 4 if Chinese-taught |
| Chemical Engineering | Bachelor / Master | 4 / 3 years | Chinese (some English) | 18,000–30,000 / yr | HSK 4 |
| Aerospace Engineering | Bachelor / Master | 4 / 3 years | Chinese (some English) | 22,000–36,000 / yr | HSK 5 |
| Environmental Engineering | Master | 2–3 years | English | 20,000–34,000 / yr | None for English track |
Each card opens the full profile with tuition, Chinese requirement and scholarship status.
Xiamen · est. 1960 · National overseas-Chinese university · not 985/211
Founded for the Chinese diaspora, with the highest proportion of overseas students in the country.
Tuition: CNY 15,000–28,000 / yr
Chinese: None for English-taught · HSK 4–5 for Chinese-taught
CSC host: yes — Type B
Suzhou · est. 1900 · Project 211 · Double First-Class
Medicine, materials, textiles and law, in a lower-cost city an hour from Shanghai.
Tuition: CNY 18,000–28,000 / yr
Chinese: None for English-taught · HSK 4 for Chinese-taught
CSC host: yes — Type B
Jinan · est. 1901 · Project 985 · 211 · Double First-Class
Clinical medicine and materials science across several campuses; mid-range tuition for a 985 university.
Tuition: CNY 18,000–30,000 / yr
Chinese: None for English-taught · HSK 4–5 for Chinese-taught
CSC host: yes — Type B
Changsha · est. 2000 · Project 985 · 211 · Double First-Class
Strong in clinical medicine, mining, metallurgy and rail transport; one of the better value 985s.
Tuition: CNY 18,000–30,000 / yr
Chinese: None for English-taught · HSK 4–5 for Chinese-taught
CSC host: yes — Type B
Changsha · est. 976 · Project 985 · 211 · Double First-Class
Descended from the Yuelu Academy of 976; strong in civil engineering, architecture and chemistry.
Tuition: CNY 18,000–30,000 / yr
Chinese: None for English-taught · HSK 4–5 for Chinese-taught
CSC host: yes — Type B
Harbin · est. 1953 · Project 211 · Double First-Class
Shipbuilding, marine engineering and nuclear technology — a specialist school with a narrow, deep focus.
Tuition: CNY 18,000–30,000 / yr
Chinese: None for English-taught · HSK 4 for Chinese-taught
CSC host: yes — Type B
Hefei · est. 1945 · Project 211 · Double First-Class
Vehicle engineering, mechanical design and materials, tied to Anhui's car and appliance industries.
Tuition: CNY 18,000–30,000 / yr
Chinese: None for English-taught · HSK 4 for Chinese-taught
CSC host: yes — Type B
Harbin · est. 1920 · Project 985 · 211 · Double First-Class
Aerospace, robotics, civil engineering and materials; unusually generous funding for engineering researchers.
Tuition: CNY 20,000–32,000 / yr
Chinese: None for English-taught · HSK 4 for Chinese-taught
CSC host: yes — Type B
Tianjin · est. 1895 · Project 985 · 211 · Double First-Class
China's first modern university; chemical engineering, instruments and civil engineering are its core.
Tuition: CNY 20,000–32,000 / yr
Chinese: None for English-taught · HSK 4 for Chinese-taught
CSC host: yes — Type B
Chengdu · est. 1896 · Project 985 · 211 · Double First-Class
Western China's largest comprehensive university, with a very large affiliated hospital system.
Tuition: CNY 20,000–32,000 / yr
Chinese: None for English-taught · HSK 4–5 for Chinese-taught
CSC host: yes — Type B
Xi'an · est. 1938 · Project 985 · 211 · Double First-Class
Aerospace, marine engineering and materials — one of the three pillars of China's aerospace system.
Tuition: CNY 20,000–32,000 / yr
Chinese: None for English-taught · HSK 4–5 for Chinese-taught
CSC host: yes — Type B
Shenyang · est. 1923 · Project 985 · 211 · Double First-Class
Metallurgy, materials, automation and computer science, in the centre of the old industrial base.
Tuition: CNY 20,000–32,000 / yr
Chinese: None for English-taught · HSK 4–5 for Chinese-taught
CSC host: yes — Type B
Chongqing · est. 1929 · Project 985 · 211 · Double First-Class
Electrical, mechanical and civil engineering plus architecture, in China's south-western industrial hub.
Tuition: CNY 20,000–33,000 / yr
Chinese: None for English-taught · HSK 4–5 for Chinese-taught
CSC host: yes — Type B
Nanjing · est. 1902 · Project 985 · 211 · Double First-Class
Architecture, civil engineering, electronics and biomedical engineering with a compact campus.
Tuition: CNY 20,000–34,000 / yr
Chinese: None for English-taught · HSK 4–5 for Chinese-taught
CSC host: yes — Type B
Chengdu · est. 1956 · Project 985 · 211 · Double First-Class
Electronics, communications and integrated circuits, with the industry's recruiters on campus.
Tuition: CNY 20,000–34,000 / yr
Chinese: None for English-taught · HSK 4–5 for Chinese-taught
CSC host: yes — Type B
Guangzhou · est. 1952 · Project 985 · 211 · Double First-Class
Architecture, civil engineering, food science and materials, in the heart of the Greater Bay Area.
Tuition: CNY 22,000–34,000 / yr
Chinese: None for English-taught · HSK 4–5 for Chinese-taught
CSC host: yes — Type B
Beijing · est. 1940 · Project 985 · 211 · Double First-Class
Vehicle engineering, automation, aerospace and computer science with strong defence-adjacent labs.
Tuition: CNY 22,000–34,000 / yr
Chinese: None for English-taught · HSK 4 for Chinese-taught
CSC host: yes — Type B
Wuhan · est. 1893 · Project 985 · 211 · Double First-Class
Best known for geomatics and surveying, plus law, hydrology and a famously scenic campus.
Tuition: CNY 22,000–35,000 / yr
Chinese: None for English-taught · HSK 4–5 for Chinese-taught
CSC host: yes — Type B
Xi'an · est. 1896 · Project 985 · 211 · Double First-Class
Energy, electrical and mechanical engineering with a long industrial research tradition.
Tuition: CNY 22,000–35,000 / yr
Chinese: None for English-taught · HSK 4–5 for Chinese-taught
CSC host: yes — Type B
Wuhan · est. 1952 · Project 985 · 211 · Double First-Class
Mechanical, electrical, optical and clinical programs with close industry ties in central China.
Tuition: CNY 22,000–36,000 / yr
Chinese: None for English-taught · HSK 4–5 for Chinese-taught
CSC host: yes — Type B
Beijing · est. 1952 · Project 985 · 211 · Double First-Class
Aeronautics, astronautics and software; the strongest aerospace brand outside Harbin and Xi'an.
Tuition: CNY 24,000–36,000 / yr
Chinese: None for English-taught · HSK 4 for Chinese-taught
CSC host: yes — Type B
Shenzhen · est. 2011 · Double First-Class (new university)
New research university with an English-heavy faculty, strong in materials, physics and AI.
Tuition: CNY 24,000–36,000 / yr
Chinese: None for English-taught · HSK 4 for Chinese-taught
CSC host: yes — Type B
Hangzhou · est. 1897 · Project 985 · 211 · Double First-Class
Very wide discipline coverage on a large modern campus, close to Hangzhou's tech employers.
Tuition: CNY 24,000–40,000 / yr
Chinese: None for English-taught · HSK 4–5 for Chinese-taught
CSC host: yes — Type B
Shanghai · est. 1907 · Project 985 · 211 · Double First-Class
The reference point for architecture, urban planning, civil engineering and automotive in China.
Tuition: CNY 24,000–40,000 / yr
Chinese: None for English-taught · HSK 4–5 for Chinese-taught
CSC host: yes — Type B
Hefei · est. 1958 · Project 985 · 211 · Double First-Class
Small, intense, research-first campus; a leading choice for physics, chemistry, quantum and AI.
Tuition: CNY 26,000–38,000 / yr
Chinese: None for English-taught · HSK 4 for Chinese-taught
CSC host: yes — Type B
Beijing · est. 1911 · Project 985 · 211 · Double First-Class
China's strongest engineering, computer science and design brand, with a large English-taught graduate portfolio.
Tuition: CNY 26,000–40,000 / yr
Chinese: None for English-taught · HSK 4–5 for Chinese-taught
CSC host: yes — Type B
Shanghai · est. 1896 · Project 985 · 211 · Double First-Class
Engineering and medicine powerhouse; one of the largest English-taught master's catalogues in China.
Tuition: CNY 28,000–45,000 / yr
Chinese: None for English-taught · HSK 4–5 for Chinese-taught
CSC host: yes — Type B
Shenzhen · est. 1983 · Shenzhen municipal key · not 985/211
The city's own university, built next to the tech firms its graduates go to work for.
Tuition: CNY 30,000–45,000 / yr
Chinese: None for English-taught · HSK 4–5 for Chinese-taught
CSC host: yes — Type B
Hangzhou · est. 1956 · Zhejiang provincial key · not 985/211
An electronics and computing school with unusually deep ties to Hangzhou's IT industry.
Tuition: CNY 18,000–28,000 / yr
Chinese: None for English-taught · HSK 4 for Chinese-taught
Suzhou · est. 2006 · Sino-British joint venture · not 985/211
A joint venture with the University of Liverpool: an English-medium degree at UK-level tuition.
Tuition: CNY 88,000–93,000 / yr
Chinese: None — the degree is taught entirely in English
Common next steps for graduates of this field in China and at home.
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