Admission to the Degree Programs at Peking University

This guide explains how international students can apply for admission to Peking University (PKU) at every level — undergraduate, master’s and PhD — including the 2026 application timeline, eligibility requirements, entrance exams, tuition and scholarships. For a broader overview of life and enrolment options, see our page on Peking University international students.

You can find official admission information at https://www.isd.pku.edu.cn/. If this link is not accessible from your location, please read the following article instead.

Undergraduate Admission for International Students

Undergraduate students are enrolled according to the department, regardless of the major when enrolling, generally after the second year to choose the major, stream training, candidates only need to fill in the college, do not need to fill in the specific major.

For a detailed introduction of the departments and majors, please refer to the admissions website of Peking University: www.gotopku.cn.

2026 Undergraduate Application Timeline and Entrance Exam

For the 2026 intake, Peking University’s undergraduate entrance examination for international students followed the schedule below. PKU runs this cycle every year, so applicants for the next intake should expect a similar timeline (applications typically open at the start of January) and confirm the exact dates on the official ISD website.

• Application period (2026): 1 January 2026 to 28 February 2026, submitted online at studyatpku.com.
• Eligibility: non-Chinese citizens holding a valid foreign passport, aged between 18 and 25 (born between 1 September 2001 and 1 September 2008), who have graduated from high school or above.
• Entrance exam: the written examination covers Chinese, English and Mathematics, held in late March 2026, followed by a secondary examination in mid-April 2026.
• Application fee: 800 RMB, paid online on submission (non-refundable).
• Admission: pre-admission is announced through the online system; admission documents are issued in June 2026, with registration in September 2026.

Departments and Enrollment Majors

Master’s & PhD (Postgraduate) Admission for International Students

Based on Peking University’s official 2026 admission guidance for international students (Main Division). Always confirm current details on the ISD website.

Peking University is a comprehensive research university with philosophy, economics, law, education, literature, history, science, engineering, medicine, management, art and other disciplines. Our university adopts the “application-assessment” selection method to recruit foreign students (hereinafter referred to as international students) to study for master’s and doctoral degrees, and is actively committed to cultivating innovative and leading talents with Peking University heritage, Chinese feelings and international vision. The teaching areas of our main campus include Yanyuan Campus, Xinyanyuan Campus (Changping), School of Software and Microelectronics (Daxing) and Shenzhen Graduate School (Shenzhen).

Enrollment Majors

For more information about the enrollment departments, majors, and teaching languages, please refer to the “Peking University Master’s Degree / Catalogue of Doctoral Programs (International Students in the Main Division)“.

Study Mode and Duration

1. The study mode of master’s and doctoral students at Peking University is divided into full-time and part-time. For details of the learning methods and teaching languages of each major and research direction, please refer to the Master’s / Ph.D. Program at Peking University Graduate Admissions Majors Catalogue (International Students in the Main Division).

2. Unless otherwise specified in the enrollment of relevant colleges (departments, institutes, research institutes) (hereinafter referred to as faculties) or programs, the duration of study for master’s degree students is 2 or 3 years, the duration of study for doctoral students is 4 or 5 years, and the duration of direct study for doctoral degree holders is generally 5 years.

Application Requirements (Eligibility)

  Applicants must meet the following basic requirements at the same time:

1. Non-Chinese citizens with valid foreign passports. For residents of Chinese mainland (Mainland), Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Macao Special Administrative Region and Taiwan region who have immigrated and obtained foreign nationality as foreign students, applicants should hold a valid foreign passport or nationality certificate before April 30, 2019, and have a certificate of cancelled Chinese nationality.

Note: Whether the applicant has foreign nationality and whether he or she has the nationality of the People’s Republic of China at the same time shall be subject to the nationality determination conclusion of the exit-entry administration department of the Chinese public security organ. If the applicant is recognized as having Chinese nationality after application, admission and enrollment, the applicant’s disqualification, admission qualification, enrollment qualification or student status will be cancelled.

2. Be physically and mentally healthy, of good character, have no criminal record, and be willing to abide by Chinese laws and regulations and school rules and regulations.

3. Applicants for master’s degree should have a bachelor’s degree awarded by an institution recognized by the Ministry of Education of the People’s Republic of China (skipping a grade or transferring a class during the undergraduate period is not accepted); The special application requirements for individual professional degrees such as Master of Public Administration, Master of Business Administration, Executive Master of Business Administration, Master of Law, etc., shall be implemented with reference to the Regulations on the Administration of National Postgraduate Enrollment issued by the Ministry of Education of the People’s Republic of China.

Applicants for doctoral studies should have a master’s degree from an institution recognized by the Ministry of Education of the People’s Republic of China. The Science and Engineering program accepts direct applications from outstanding bachelor’s degree holders to pursue doctoral programs.

4. Applicants must meet the admission requirements of the program they are applying for.

Application Timeline (2026 Intake)

Application period: 20 October 2025 to 23 December 2025 (Beijing time).

Peking University opens graduate admissions on this annual cycle (applications generally open in late October and close in late December), so applicants for the next intake should plan around the same window and confirm the exact dates on the official ISD website. The application deadline for each English-taught master’s or doctoral program is shown in its own program prospectus and may differ from the dates above.

How to Apply and Required Documents

Log in to the Peking University International Student Online Service System (website: http://www.studyatpku.com) to fill in the application and upload the following application materials:

1. Original degree certificate and degree certification report in Chinese or English. If the degree certificate is a document in another language, the original and a notarized copy of Chinese or English translation must be uploaded at the same time. In principle, applicants who have obtained a degree certificate from a foreign university must submit a degree certification report from the Service Center for Scholarly Study of the Ministry of Education of the People’s Republic of China. In principle, applicants who have obtained a degree certificate from a university in Chinese mainland must submit a degree certification report from the China Higher Education Student Information Network (Xuexin.com).

Note: In principle, applicants who have graduated are required to submit a degree certificate certification report at the time of application. Fresh graduates are required to submit the original certificate of expected graduation or enrollment certificate when applying, and after the proposed admission, they must submit additional academic degree documents before admission.

2. Original or notarized transcript of official transcript from the institution of graduation, in Chinese or English.

3. Original personal statement. Briefly introduce your academic background in the medium of instruction of the applied program, with a focus on your research plan during your graduate studies. About 1,500 words for a master’s degree and about 3,000 words for a doctorate. Template download URL: https://www.isd.pku.edu.cn/down/shen/ru.html

4. Curriculum vitae and application commitment. The letter of commitment can be downloaded from https://www.isd.pku.edu.cn/down/shen/ru.html

5. Two letters of recommendation from professors or associate professors (or experts with equivalent professional and technical titles) in the applied professional field, in Chinese or English. The referee will receive an email from the system after the applicant submits the application for sending email, and can complete the online recommendation or upload a scanned copy of the recommendation letter signed by the referee according to the system instructions. Template download URL: https://www.isd.pku.edu.cn/down/shen/ru.html

  6. Original language test transcript (Chinese or English):

(1) Applicants for subjects taught in Chinese should submit transcripts or other relevant Chinese proficiency documents that meet the following standards. If you need to raise your Chinese level before applying, our guide to the Peking University summer Chinese language courses is a useful starting point.

Apply for different disciplines	Chinese Proficiency Test (HSK)	Writing (Composition)
Science and engineering majors	Level 6 with 200 points or more	No less than 65 points
Humanities and Social Sciences majors	Level 6 with a score of 210 or above	No less than 65 points

Note: Those who take the new HSK Level 7-9 test can submit the corresponding passing score report.

(2) Applicants for English-taught majors (programs) who are not native English must submit TOEFL (iBT, 100 points or more) or GRE (315 points or more) transcripts or other certificates that can reflect their English proficiency. The specific requirements for English proficiency and Chinese proficiency are subject to the enrollment brochure of each English-taught program.

7. The first page of the passport. The passport must be an ordinary passport that is still valid within 3 months of enrollment.

8. Personal research results. List and abstract of published academic articles, other original research results, etc. (please provide if any).

9. Other supplementary documents required by the faculty.

Note: The originals of all the above supporting materials must be submitted with color scans after clear scanning, and documents taken by mobile phones or cameras are not accepted.

Application Fee

Each applicant can apply for a maximum of two volunteers, and the application fee for each volunteer is 800 RMB.

Applicants are required to pay the application fee online (according to the prompts of the International Student Online Service System) before the application deadline, and only RMB will be accepted, and other currencies and traveller’s cheques will not be accepted. The application fee is non-refundable. Applications will not be accepted if the uploaded materials are incomplete or the application fee is not successfully paid.

Preliminary Review and Re-examination of Materials

1. The International Student Office will conduct a preliminary review of the applicant’s qualifications and application materials, and forward the application materials of those who have passed the preliminary examination to each admissions department.

2. The re-examination and admission working group of each admissions department will organize experts to review the past academic performance, academic foundation and training potential of eligible applicants, and draw up a list of students who are allowed to participate in the re-examination.

3. The re-examination is scheduled to be held in March-April 2026. The specific form, requirements and time arrangement of the re-examination shall be determined and announced by the faculties. Applicants should check the relevant announcements on the department’s website in a timely manner. The members of the re-examination expert group independently scored on the spot, and evaluated the applicant’s professional quality, scientific research ability, language ability, innovative spirit and comprehensive quality.

Admission

1. The school will conduct a comprehensive evaluation of the applicant according to the applicant’s materials, preliminary examination, re-examination assessment results and the proposed admission opinions of the department, and determine the list of candidates to be admitted.

2. The list of proposed admissions will be announced in the faculties before the end of May 2026. Applicants are advised to pay close attention to the department’s public information.

3. Prospective students are required to send or mail the original application form and other original application materials (except degree certificates and recommendation letters) to the International Students Office of Peking University before 31 May 2026.

Mailing address: Room 330, New Sun Student Center, Peking University, International Students Office. Please indicate on the envelope: Graduate Application Materials.

4. The International Student Office will notify students of the admission results after confirmation, and plans to release the admission documents in late June 2026.

Enrollment

New students plan to register for enrollment in early September 2026 and go through the registration procedures, and the specific time is subject to the admission notice. International students who have been admitted to the school should report to the school at the specified time with their passports, study visas and admission notices. Applicants who have obtained a degree certificate from a university outside the country should also submit the original degree certification report from the Service Center for Scholarly Study of the Ministry of Education of China. Those who do not meet the admission requirements will be disqualified.

Tuition and Scholarships

1. Tuition standard: tuition varies by program and degree level. For the current figures, see the official tuition standards for international graduate students published on the PKU International Students Division website.

  2. Scholarships

  New international students can apply for the following three types of scholarships:

(1) Chinese Government Scholarship “High-level Graduate Students” Program: full or partial tuition fee waiver, accommodation and medical insurance are provided. Living expenses are provided monthly according to the standards set by the state.

(2) Beijing Scholarship for International Students: tuition subsidy.

(3) Peking University Scholarship for International Students: Full or partial tuition fee is waived and medical insurance is provided. Living expenses are provided monthly according to the standard set by the school.

Note: The evaluation and distribution of the scholarship shall be carried out in accordance with the relevant regulations of the state and the university. Information can be found on the website of the International Student Office: www.isd.pku.edu.cn.

Visa, Medical Insurance and Accommodation

Admitted students are required to apply for a study visa at Chinese embassies and consulates abroad with the admission notice and the Confirmation Form for Study in China (JW201/202). If you have studied for more than 6 months, you must apply for an X1 visa, and you need to go to the International Student Office within 30 days after arriving in China to change the X1 visa to a residence permit for study.

The Ministry of Education of China stipulates that international students in China must purchase medical insurance in China. If you do not purchase the required medical insurance, the school will not be able to register.

Except for some international students admitted to the scholarship program, other international students need to solve the accommodation by themselves. International students who live off-campus must register with the local public security bureau within 24 hours of renting a house.

Graduation and Conferment of Degrees

Upon the completion of the study period, complete the requirements specified in the training plan, pass the grades, pass the thesis defense, and be allowed to graduate; After being reviewed and approved by the Academic Degree Evaluation Committee of the University, the corresponding degree will be awarded.

Other Matters

1. Further information about the admissions department, such as the basic information of the department, scientific research, tutor team, training and scholarship, etc., can be found on the website of the relevant department.

2. Our university does not allow graduate students to have two or more student statuses at the same time.

3. Applicants should pay attention to the relevant documents and notices issued and sent by our university and the admissions department in a timely manner, and all consequences caused by the applicant’s negligence and other personal reasons shall be borne by the applicant.

4. Please refer to the Admissions Guidelines for international graduate students of the Faculty of Medicine, such as admissions, scholarships, grants, and accommodation.

5. Matters not covered herein shall be implemented in accordance with the relevant policies of the superior and the school. If there are relevant new policies and new requirements, our school will release them in a timely manner.

English-Taught Master’s & PhD Programs

To facilitate opportunities for those who are not proficient in the Chinese language to pursue a PKU degree, Peking University has developed several English-taught programs, some of them are in the following list:

Degree	School\College	Program	Major	Contact Information
Master’s	School of Government	International Master of Public Administration (IMPA) Program	Public Administration	Tel: 86-10-62755478Email: gzgys@pku.edu.cn
Master’s	School of International Studies	Master’s Degree Program in International Relations (MIR Program)	International Relations	Email: sisoip@pku.edu.cn
Master’s	School of International Studies	LSE-PKU Double Master’s Degree Program in International Affairs	International Relations	Email: lsepku@pku.edu.cn
Master’s	School of International Studies	Sciences Po-PKU Master’s Degree Program in Sustainable Development and International Relations	International Relations	Email: sis@pku.edu.cn
Master’s	Law School	Master of Laws (LLM) Program in Chinese Law	Civil and Commercial Law	Tel: 86-10-62751699Email: llmpku@pku.edu.cn
Master’s	Guanghua School of Management	MBA Program	Master of Business Administration	Tel: 86-10-6274726686-10-62747265Email: MBAintl@gsm.pku.edu.cn
Master’s	Yenching Academy	Master’s Degree in China Studies	China Studies	Tel: 86-10-62766358Email: yca-admissions@pku.edu.cn
Master’s	College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering	Double Master’s Degree in Environmental Policy, Technology and Health	Master of Environmental Management	Tel: 86-10-62758525Email: pku-lse.dual.degree@pku.edu.cn
Master’s/ Ph.D.	School of Computer Science	Master’s Degree/Ph.D. in Computer Science	Computer software and theory; Computer architecture; Computer applications	Email: gradadmissions.cs@pku.edu.cn
Master’s/ Ph.D.	School of New Media	English Taught Master’s/Ph.D. Program in New Media	Journalism and Communication;New Media	Email: snm@pku.edu.cn
Master’s/Ph.D.	School of Materials Science and Engineering	English-taught Master’s/Doctoral Programs	Materials Physics and Chemistry;Materialogy	Tel: 86-10-62756697Email: gmsezb@pku.edu.cn
Ph.D.	College of Engineering	English-Taught Doctoral Programs	General Mechanics and Foundation of Mechanics;Solid Mechanics;Fluid Mechanics;Engineering Mechanics;Biomechanics and Medical Engineering;Dynamical Systems and Control;Advanced Materials and Mechanics;Energy and Resources Engineering;Aerospace Engineering;Industrial and Systems Engineering	Email: international-students@coe.pku.edu.cn

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the entry requirements for international students at Peking University?

Applicants must be non-Chinese citizens holding a valid foreign passport, in good health and with no criminal record. Undergraduate applicants need a high school diploma and must be aged 18–25. Master’s applicants need a recognized bachelor’s degree, and PhD applicants need a master’s degree (outstanding bachelor’s holders may apply directly to science and engineering doctoral programs). Language proof is also required: HSK Level 6 (200+ for science and engineering, 210+ for humanities, with a writing score of at least 65) for Chinese-taught programs, or TOEFL iBT 100+ or GRE 315+ for English-taught programs.

When is the application deadline for Peking University international graduate admission?

For the 2026 intake, master’s and PhD applications were open from 20 October 2025 to 23 December 2025 (Beijing time). PKU follows this cycle each year, with applications generally opening in late October and closing in late December. Undergraduate applications run separately, from 1 January to 28 February. English-taught programs may set their own deadlines in their program prospectus, so always confirm the exact dates on the official ISD website.

How much is the application fee at Peking University?

The application fee is 800 RMB per program. Graduate applicants may apply to a maximum of two programs (two fees). The fee is paid online before the deadline, is accepted only in RMB, and is non-refundable.

Does Peking University offer English-taught degree programs?

Yes. Peking University offers a range of English-taught master’s and PhD programs across fields such as public administration, international relations, law, business (MBA), China studies, computer science, new media, materials science and engineering. Non-native English speakers usually need to submit a TOEFL iBT score of 100+ or a GRE score of 315+.

What scholarships are available for international students at PKU?

New international graduate students can apply for three main scholarships: the Chinese Government Scholarship “High-level Graduate Students” Program, the Beijing Scholarship for International Students, and the Peking University Scholarship for International Students. These can provide a full or partial tuition waiver, accommodation, medical insurance and a monthly living stipend, depending on the program.

How do I apply to Peking University as an international student?

All applications are submitted online through the Peking University International Student Online Service System at studyatpku.com. You complete the application form, upload the required documents (degree certificates, transcripts, personal statement, recommendation letters, language test scores and passport), arrange two recommendation letters through the system, and pay the application fee. After a preliminary review and departmental re-examination, admitted students receive their admission notice and enroll in September.

References

• Peking University International Students Division (ISD) — official admissions portal: https://www.isd.pku.edu.cn/
• 2026 Application Information for International Students (Master’s Degree and Ph.D. Degree): https://isd.pku.edu.cn/en/detail.php?id=730
• 2026 Undergraduate Program Entrance Examination: https://isd.pku.edu.cn/en/detail.php?id=818
• Peking University International Student Online Service System: http://www.studyatpku.com

Contact Information

Room 330, New Sun Student Center
International Student Division, Office of International Relations
Peking University, Beijing 100871, People’s Republic of China

Tel: (+86-10) 6275 1230
Fax: (+86-10) 6275 1233
Email: study@pku.edu.cn
Website: www.isd.pku.edu.cn/www.oir.pku.edu.cn