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Study at the Central Academy of Drama: Audition in Chinese

Universities
Oct 21, 2026
Main gate of the Central Academy of Drama Changping campus, a large grey stone arch with a red-lettered sign and stone lions

To study at the Central Academy of Drama is to audition for China’s most famous acting school, in person, and in Chinese. Known at home as 中戏 (Zhongxi), CAD opened in April 1950 with the playwright Ouyang Yuqian as its first president (Wikipedia, n.d.). It is not a 985 or 211 university. Even so, the Ministry of Education’s second-round Double First-Class list names it for one discipline: 戏剧与影视学, Theatre and Film Studies (Ministry of Education, 2022). Gong Li, Zhang Ziyi and Jiang Wen all came through its acting classes.

So here is the doubt this guide answers. Can an international student actually get in, and on what terms? The short answer is yes, but not through an English-taught shortcut. Every 2026 route we found asks for HSK 5 or higher, and the bachelor’s route ends in a live exam on the Changping campus (CAD, 2026a). Below are the honest details: what the school is good at, what the 2026 notices demand, what it costs, and where the gaps in official information still sit.

Quick Links Before You Study at the Central Academy of Drama

Why Study at the Central Academy of Drama: The Stage School

Double First-Class, discipline by discipline

The list in question is 教研函〔2022〕1号, issued on 9 February 2022. It gives CAD a single line: 中央戏剧学院：戏剧与影视学 (Ministry of Education, 2022). Interestingly, two larger universities share that same discipline. Beijing Normal University lists it among many subjects, and Communication University of China pairs it with journalism. CAD is the only one of the three built around the stage alone. Our guide to China’s 985, 211 and Double First-Class universities explains why a discipline-only listing still carries weight.

Acting, directing, stage design and playwriting

The academy calls itself the first institution of higher theatre education in the People’s Republic of China, and it reports directly to the Ministry of Education (CAD, n.d.). It also hosts the secretariats of the Asia Theatre Education Centre and the World Theatre Education Alliance. In practice, the 2026 brochure lists eleven departments with their own exam phone lines (CAD, 2026a):

  • Acting, Directing, Stage Design, and Dramatic Literature.
  • Musical Theatre, Opera, and Dance Drama.
  • Drama Education, Theatre Management, Film and Television, and Digital Theatre.

Stage Design alone splits into seven exam tracks: set, lighting, costume, make-up, scenic realisation, performance imaging and stage technology. That breadth surprises people who know CAD only for its film stars.

Famous alumni, and what they actually signal

The acting roll is the famous part. Beyond Gong Li, Zhang Ziyi and Jiang Wen, it includes Chen Daoming and Deng Chao. The directing department produced Tang Wei, and the dramatic literature department trained the filmmaker Diao Yinan (Wikipedia, n.d.). Still, treat star names as a signal of industry access, not a promise. China’s film and television world recruits heavily from these classrooms. That network works in Mandarin, though, which brings us to the real catch.

Apply to Study at the Central Academy of Drama: The 2026 Route

The bachelor’s route: paperwork, then a live exam

The 2026 undergraduate brochure, dated February 2026, set a tight calendar (CAD, 2026a). Applicants uploaded identity documents online from 2 to 6 March 2026. Eligibility checks closed on 12 March. Approved applicants then chose up to three exam tracks and paid an RMB 480 fee by 16 March; the fee is not refunded. Academic papers went by email to lxs@zhongxi.cn before 15 April. The exam itself was a single in-person round on the Changping campus, expected in mid-to-late April. Results appeared online by mid-May.

The academic papers matter as much as the audition. You needed a completed secondary education, an HSK 5 certificate with 180 points or higher, or HSK 6, taken within two years. You also needed valid scores from the China Scholastic Competency Assessment in Chinese for liberal arts and in mathematics. Mathematics could be taken in Chinese or English. A no-criminal-record certificate closed the list. Our explainer on China’s CSCA exam covers that test.

One condition deserves a careful read. If a parent is a Chinese citizen living abroad and you were born with foreign nationality, the brochure asks for four years on a foreign passport. It also asks for at least two years of actual residence abroad within the last four.

What the audition looks like

The exam content follows the conservatory model, much like a drama school audition elsewhere. Acting candidates perform a scene from a prompt drawn on the day. They also deliver a spoken piece of under a minute, a movement piece and a short song (CAD, 2026a). Notably, the movement piece may be dance, gymnastics, martial arts or 戏曲身段, the stylised stage movement behind Peking opera. Stage design applicants, by contrast, sit a two-hour life drawing. One vocal test asks for three musical theatre songs, two in Chinese and one in another language.

Master’s and PhD applications

Graduate applicants skip China’s national graduate portal and apply by email instead. For 2026, master’s applicants sent their files between 10 and 14 March 2026, naming a major, a research direction and a supervisor (CAD, 2025). The bar was HSK 5 at 210 points or higher, or HSK 6. A physical examination record and a no-criminal-record certificate were also required. The entrance exam had a first round and a second round, expected in April. PhD applicants had an earlier window, 2 to 6 March 2026, and needed HSK 5 at 240 or higher, or HSK 6 (CAD, 2026b).

Language and short courses: the honest gap

We found no English-taught degree list for 2026. The HSK thresholds above strongly suggest teaching happens in Chinese. Likewise, we could not find a current official notice for non-degree study, such as visiting-student, advanced-study or Chinese-language courses. The English site shows a “Chinese Language Course” heading with no content behind it. If a short programme is what you want, email the international office and ask directly. Do not rely on agency pages for this.

Costs and Scholarships at the Central Academy of Drama

Tuition, housing and insurance

The 2026 graduate notices confirm two figures. A master’s degree costs RMB 42,000 a year over three full-time years (CAD, 2025). A PhD costs RMB 46,000 a year over three or four years, with housing at RMB 6,660 a semester (CAD, 2026b). The bachelor’s figure is less current. The English fees page, posted in December 2022, lists RMB 36,000 a year, plus RMB 480 to apply (CAD, 2022a). That same page sets twin rooms on both campuses at RMB 60 per bed per day, or RMB 6,660 a semester, from July 2023. Insurance runs RMB 800 a year. The 2026 undergraduate brochure gives no tuition figure, so confirm the bachelor’s fee by email before you plan.

Scholarship options

The academy’s scholarships page, posted in 2023, names the Chinese Government Scholarship and the Beijing Government Scholarship. It also mentions a Beijing International Students Scholarship and an Outstanding International Students Scholarship (CAD, 2023). However, it gives no amounts and no 2026 dates. Our guide to scholarships in China explains how these schemes usually work. Admission alone does not secure an award.

Living in Beijing While You Study at the Central Academy of Drama

Two campuses, two very different Beijings

The Dongcheng campus sits at 39 Dongmianhua Hutong, in the old hutong lanes a short walk from Nanluoguxiang. The Changping campus, at 4 Hongfu Middle Road, lies far out in the northern suburbs (CAD, 2026a). It is larger and more modern, and the 2026 undergraduate exam took place there. Which campus you live on depends on your programme, so ask before you sign for housing. Meanwhile, our Beijing travel guide covers the city beyond the classroom.

Arrival paperwork

The academy’s arrival page, posted in 2022, describes the usual sequence for an X1 visa holder. You pay tuition, take a health check, and then apply for a residence permit within 30 days of entry. Students living off campus register with the local police within 24 hours (CAD, 2022b). Procedures change, so read the China student visa guide and your admission notice together.

Practical Tips for an International Applicant

  • Start HSK early. HSK 5 at 180 points is the undergraduate floor, and graduate levels sit higher.
  • Book the CSCA well before March. Without those scores, the bachelor’s file is incomplete.
  • Budget for a trip to Beijing in April. The 2026 exam was in person only.
  • Rehearse in Chinese. Spoken pieces, prompts and interviews all run in the language you will study in.
  • Compare neighbours. Music applicants may prefer the Central Conservatory of Music, and screen-media applicants Communication University of China.

Frequently Asked Questions

  1. Is the Central Academy of Drama a 985 or 211 university? No. It holds Double First-Class status for one discipline, Theatre and Film Studies, named in February 2022.
  2. Can I study there in English? We found no English-taught degree for 2026. Every route required HSK 5 or HSK 6.
  3. How much does it cost? For 2026, master’s tuition is RMB 42,000 a year and PhD tuition RMB 46,000. The bachelor’s figure of RMB 36,000 comes from a 2022 page, so confirm it.
  4. When do applications open? In 2026 the windows fell in early-to-mid March, with exams in April. Watch the notices list from December onwards for the next cycle.
  5. Do I have to travel to Beijing for the exam? For the 2026 bachelor’s route, yes. Every registered applicant had to sit the exam in person at Changping.

Conclusion: Should You Study at the Central Academy of Drama?

CAD is the reference point for theatre training in China, and its Double First-Class line confirms it. The trade-off is just as clear. There is no English-taught route, the undergraduate file needs both HSK 5 and the CSCA, and the audition happens in Beijing. If you already speak good Chinese and want the stage or screen industry here, few schools open more doors. If your Chinese is still basic, build it first, then come back to this application in a year or two.

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