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Study at the Central Academy of Fine Arts: Draw First

Universities
Oct 30, 2026
Grey-brick building at the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing with a yellow graduation season banner under a blue sky

To study at the Central Academy of Fine Arts is to sit a six-hour drawing exam in Beijing, in person, before anyone reads your file closely. Known at home as 央美 (Yangmei), CAFA traces its roots to the National School of Fine Arts, founded in Beijing in 1918. It took its current name in January 1950, with the painter Xu Beihong as its first president (CAFA, n.d.-a). It is not a 985 or 211 university. Still, the Ministry of Education’s 2022 Double First-Class list names it for two disciplines: Fine Arts (美术学) and Design (设计学) (Ministry of Education, 2022).

So the real doubt is not prestige. It is access. Can an international student get in, and what does the route look like? The 2026 notices give a clear answer. Every degree route asked for HSK 5 or higher. The bachelor’s route also asked for CSCA scores and an exam on the Huajiadi campus (CAFA, 2025a). Below we set out what the school is good at, what the 2026 brochures asked for, what it costs, and one catch most guides skip: housing.

Quick Links Before You Study at the Central Academy of Fine Arts

Why Study at the Central Academy of Fine Arts: The National Art School

Double First-Class in two disciplines, not 211

The list in question is 教研函〔2022〕1号, issued in February 2022. Its line for the academy reads 中央美术学院：美术学、设计学 (Ministry of Education, 2022). That detail matters. The China Academy of Art in Hangzhou holds Fine Arts, and Tongji University holds Design, but CAFA is the only school on the list with both. The academy says so itself in its 2026 master’s brochure (CAFA, 2025b). Our guide to China’s 985, 211 and Double First-Class universities explains why a discipline-level listing still carries weight. For the wider field, see the top universities in China.

Ink, oil, design and architecture under one roof

CAFA describes itself as the only art academy run directly by the Ministry of Education (CAFA, n.d.-a). In practice, the 2026 undergraduate brochure opened nine schools to international applicants (CAFA, 2025a):

  • Chinese Painting, and Calligraphy.
  • The Fine Art foundation department, which splits into oil painting, printmaking, mural and sculpture in year two.
  • Design, Architecture, and Experimental Art and Sci-Tech Art.
  • Humanities, Art Management and Education, and Conservation.

You pick only one. Sculpture and architecture take five years; everything else takes four. If you want the deeper story behind ink painting and calligraphy first, our overview of Chinese art is a good warm-up.

A small international cohort

The English site puts the number at around 200 international students, next to more than 6,000 domestic ones (CAFA, n.d.-a). The 2026 lists were small, too. The June undergraduate list named 23 provisional admits, most of them in Design (CAFA, 2026c). The master’s list named 16, and the doctoral list four (CAFA, 2026d, 2026e). Honestly, that is selective. It also means you will spend most of your days in Chinese-speaking studios.

How to Apply to Study at the Central Academy of Fine Arts

The bachelor’s route: papers in April, drawing in June

The 2026 undergraduate brochure, posted in November 2025, opened registration from 1 to 30 April 2026 (CAFA, 2025a). The required papers were:

  • A completed CAFA application form, plus your passport and your parents’ passports.
  • A high-school diploma and transcripts, and a birth or naturalisation certificate.
  • A valid HSK 5 certificate or higher.
  • CSCA scores in Mathematics and Humanities Chinese, submitted before the exam.

Our explainer on China’s CSCA exam covers that test. Applicants also had to be 18 by 1 September, and to meet a 2020 Ministry of Education notice on applicant nationality (教外函〔2020〕12号). Read that notice carefully if you or a parent ever held Chinese nationality. The brochure links it, and anyone who fails it is not admitted.

What the 2026 exam actually tested

The brochure only said “late May”. The exam notice, issued in May, then fixed it for Saturday 6 June 2026, on campus, with an 8:00 meeting at the south gate (CAFA, 2026b). The school supplied boards, easels and paper. Everything else, you brought. The papers depended on the school:

  • Fine Art: a three-hour half-length figure drawing from a model, a 30-minute quick sketch, and a three-hour colour portrait head.
  • Design: two three-hour papers, a drawing and a design exercise, both to a set theme from memory.
  • Chinese Painting: a figure drawing in the morning, then a themed piece with brush, ink and Chinese pigments.
  • Architecture: one three-hour design-basics paper. Humanities: a three-hour essay on art appreciation.

Notice the pattern. Most papers ask you to draw from life or from memory, not to show a finished portfolio. That rewards years of academic drawing practice, much like a classic atelier entrance test. Results came in mid-June.

Master’s and PhD: portfolio review by email

Graduate applicants, by contrast, applied by email to lxs@cafa.edu.cn. For 2026, the master’s window ran only from 1 to 5 April 2026 (CAFA, 2025b). The exam was a review of your materials. Studio applicants needed HSK 5, and theory applicants HSK 6, though the certificate could follow before admission. Each school set its own pack. Chinese Painting wanted eight photos of work, three of them from life, plus a paper. Design wanted an A4 portfolio of up to 30 pages, an academic paper, and a short reflection on your chosen direction.

Doctoral applicants had a later window, 24 to 30 April 2026 (CAFA, 2026a). They needed HSK 5, two letters from associate professors or above, and a research plan of at least 3,000 characters. One published paper from the last five years was also required. The school reviewed the file and could add an interview.

Language: no English-taught degree in 2026

We found no English-taught degree in any 2026 brochure. The HSK thresholds suggest that teaching runs in Chinese. If your Chinese is not there yet, CAFA runs its own foundation course instead. The spring 2027 intake takes applications from 1 November to 31 December 2026. Classes run from March to June 2027 at the Wangjing campus, with drawing, colour, design basics, art history and Chinese culture (CAFA, 2026f). You send a portfolio of eight to ten pieces. The brochure lists no HSK requirement for it.

Tuition and Scholarships at CAFA

Tuition by level

The 2026 brochures and admission lists agree on these yearly figures:

  • Bachelor’s: RMB 52,000 a year (CAFA, 2025a).
  • Master’s: RMB 60,000 a year over three years (CAFA, 2025b).
  • PhD: RMB 68,000 a year over three years (CAFA, 2026a).
  • Spring 2027 foundation course: RMB 40,000 (CAFA, 2026f).

These are not small sums, so plan for the whole degree, not just year one. Meanwhile, budget for art supplies on top. A semester of oils or pigments adds up fast.

Scholarship options

The English apply page says CAFA accepts holders of the Chinese Government Scholarship. It describes the usual route: an application through a Chinese embassy or other agency between January and April, then CSC review from May to July (CAFA, n.d.-b). However, the page is undated, and it names no university award with amounts. Our guide to scholarships in China explains how these schemes work. An award still depends on passing CAFA’s own exam.

Living in Beijing While You Study at the Central Academy of Fine Arts

The housing catch

Here is the detail that surprises people. Every 2026 degree brochure says the school does not provide international student housing. The doctoral brochure explains why: the international apartments closed for renovation in September 2020 (CAFA, 2026a). The English apply page still mentions single rooms, so trust the yearly brochure over it. Interestingly, the 2027 foundation brochure does offer apartment rooms, though it does not guarantee one (CAFA, 2026f). Degree students should plan to rent off campus.

Huajiadi, Wangjing and the city

The main campus sits at 8 Huajiadi South Street, in the Wangjing area of Chaoyang District. It is a busy, modern part of northeast Beijing, with plenty of rentals nearby. Rents here are probably not cheap, so compare listings before you arrive. Our Beijing travel guide covers the city beyond the studio. Music and theatre students have sibling schools across town: the Central Conservatory of Music and the Central Academy of Drama.

Visiting the CAFA Art Museum

Even if you never apply, the campus is worth a look for one building. The CAFA Art Museum opened in October 2008. It was the Japanese architect Arata Isozaki’s first museum in China. Its curved shell is clad in grey-green stone plates that echo the campus brick (CAFA Art Museum, n.d.). In 2026, graduation season opened on 30 April, and degree shows ran into late June (CAFA, n.d.-c). Check the museum’s website for current opening hours and entry rules before you go.

Practical Tips for an International Applicant

  • Draw from life, every week. The 2026 bachelor’s exam was mostly figure drawing and timed themes.
  • Book HSK and the CSCA early. Without both, the April file is incomplete.
  • Watch the notices list from October. Last cycle, the master’s brochure appeared on 20 October 2025, and the bachelor’s on 12 November.
  • Budget for rent from day one. Degree students got no campus housing in 2026.
  • Compare options in our guide to universities in China if CAFA’s language bar feels too high for now.

Frequently Asked Questions

  1. Is the Central Academy of Fine Arts a 985 or 211 university? No. It holds Double First-Class status for Fine Arts and Design, named in February 2022.
  2. Can I study there in English? We found no English-taught degree for 2026. Every degree route required HSK 5, and theory master’s HSK 6.
  3. How much is tuition? For 2026: RMB 52,000 a year for a bachelor’s, RMB 60,000 for a master’s, and RMB 68,000 for a PhD.
  4. Do I have to go to Beijing for the exam? For the 2026 bachelor’s route, yes. The exam was offline, on campus. Graduate applicants were judged on their submitted materials.
  5. Does CAFA provide a dorm? Not for degree students in 2026. The foundation course offers limited rooms with no guarantee.

Conclusion: Should You Study at the Central Academy of Fine Arts?

If you want to study at the Central Academy of Fine Arts, the deal is plain. You get the only school with Double First-Class status in both Fine Arts and Design, and a direct line into China’s art world. In return, you bring HSK 5, CSCA scores, real drawing skill, and your own rent. For a confident draughtsman with good Chinese, few schools anywhere offer this mix. If your Chinese is still basic, the foundation course or a year of HSK study is the smarter first step. Either way, read the China student visa guide alongside your admission notice.

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