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Study at Peking Union Medical College: Who Can Actually Apply

Universities
Oct 14, 2026
Green-tiled main gate of Peking Union Medical College in Beijing with red pillars, plaques and two stone lions

To study at Peking Union Medical College is, for many people, to aim at the very top of Chinese medicine. PUMC was founded in 1917, and since 1957 it has been run as one body with the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences (Peking Union Medical College, 2026a). It is not a 985 or a 211 school. Even so, five of its disciplines sit on the national Double First-Class list (Ministry of Education, 2022).

Here is the catch, though, and it is why this guide exists. Most of PUMC’s doors are built for students from China’s own system. So before you plan anything, check who can actually apply. Below we set out each route as the school’s 2026 and 2027 notices describe it — who qualifies, what it costs, and what to do if the answer is “not you”. We also cover the famous hospital, which welcomes foreign patients far more readily than foreign applicants.

Quick Links Before You Study at Peking Union Medical College

Why Study at Peking Union Medical College: China’s Medical Benchmark

Double First-Class in five disciplines

PUMC was in the first group of Double First-Class universities (Peking Union Medical College, n.d.-b). The second-round list of February 2022 names five of its fields: biology, biomedical engineering, clinical medicine, public health and preventive medicine, and pharmacy (Ministry of Education, 2022). Five is a lot for one specialist school. By contrast, many full universities have just one or two.

It sits outside the old 985 and 211 projects all the same. Our guides to China’s 985 and 211 universities and the top universities in China explain how the three labels fit together.

A Rockefeller-era school that grew into an academy

The China Medical Board, set up by the Rockefeller Foundation in 1914, was created partly to found PUMC and its teaching hospital (Peking Union Medical College, n.d.-c). The school then pioneered China’s eight-year medical degree, university nursing education and residency training. Today it covers six hospitals and dozens of institutes. Enrolment runs to roughly 1,100 undergraduates, 4,000 master’s students and 4,900 doctoral students (Peking Union Medical College, 2026a). In other words, it is mostly a graduate school.

The Tsinghua connection

Look closely at the gate and the plaques name three bodies: PUMC, the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Tsinghua University’s health science centre. The Tsinghua link is real. Students on the eight-year medical programme take their pre-medical years at Tsinghua University, then move to the PUMC campus in Dongdan for medicine (Peking Union Medical College, n.d.-a). PUMC is still its own institution, with its own admissions.

Who Can Study at Peking Union Medical College?

The eight-year MD is a gaokao track

PUMC’s flagship degree is the eight-year clinical medicine programme, which ends in a Doctor of Medicine. It takes about 95 students a year (Peking Union Medical College, n.d.-a). Those places are filled through the gaokao, China’s national college entrance exam. That system is built for students who finished school inside China. So, plainly: this is not an English-taught MBBS for international applicants, and PUMC does not advertise one.

Graduate routes and the “4+4” pilot

Most graduate places go through China’s national master’s entrance exam. The 2027 master’s prospectus is written for that exam, and registration runs from 15 to 24 October 2026 on the national graduate admissions portal (Peking Union Medical College, 2026c). PhD places mostly use an “application and assessment” process instead.

Then there is the much-discussed “4+4” pilot class. It admits graduates in science, engineering or agriculture — not medicine — and trains them as doctors at doctoral level. However, the 2026 notice lists citizenship of the People’s Republic of China as its first condition. Applicants also need a bachelor’s from a university in the QS or U.S. News global top 50 (Peking Union Medical College, 2026b).

Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan applicants

Residents of Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan do have a clear graduate route. For 2026 entry, registration ran from 4 to 11 January 2026 on the cross-strait and Hong Kong–Macao admissions portal. The written exam followed on 11 April, and interviews came in May (Peking Union Medical College, 2025). The second round then tests subject knowledge and professional English.

Holders of other passports

This is the honest part. When we checked in October 2026, PUMC’s graduate admissions site listed master’s, doctoral, exam-exempt and Hong Kong–Macao–Taiwan admissions. We found no current notice for foreign nationals. The English site likewise mentions authority to recruit from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, but not a foreign intake (Peking Union Medical College, n.d.-b). That does not prove the door is shut. Still, it means you should email the admissions office before you plan to study at Peking Union Medical College.

Tuition and Scholarships at Peking Union Medical College

What graduate study costs

  • Master’s (2027 entry): 8,000 CNY a year, for academic and professional degrees alike (Peking Union Medical College, 2026c).
  • PhD on the 2026 Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan route: 10,000 CNY a year; master’s on the same route 8,000 CNY (Peking Union Medical College, 2025).
  • “4+4” pilot (2026): 8,000 CNY a year for years one and two, then 10,000 CNY; housing 750 CNY a year (Peking Union Medical College, 2026b).

Those are domestic-level fees, which is part of why the school is so hard to get into. Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan students pay the same rates as mainland students and receive the same grants.

Scholarships to look into

PUMC’s grant and scholarship rules apply to enrolled graduate students. For foreign nationals, though, we could not confirm a current Chinese Government Scholarship listing for PUMC. So search the official Campus China programme list first, and ask the school directly. Our guide to scholarships in China compares the national, city and university awards.

Want an English-Taught MBBS Instead?

If you hoped to study at Peking Union Medical College for a degree taught in English, other schools publish that route every year. A few with full guides on our site:

Honestly, for most international applicants, a degree from one of these plus a later research visit or exchange is the realistic way to work near PUMC.

Peking Union Medical College Hospital: Open to Foreign Patients

International Medical Services

The teaching hospital, PUMCH, is where PUMC’s name is best known abroad. According to its own guide, it topped Fudan University’s “China’s Hospital Rankings” for twelve years running (Peking Union Medical College Hospital, 2022). Its International Medical Services has treated foreigners since 1951. It has its own clinics, an emergency service and more than 200 private rooms, and it covers over 30 specialties (PUMCH International Medical Services, n.d.).

Booking as a foreigner

Foreign patients can book through the English interface of the official PUMCH app, or via a dedicated phone line (Peking Union Medical College Hospital, 2022). Expect international-department prices, which run well above the general wards. For a cheaper public option nearby, see our guide to Beijing Hospital. Planning treatment from abroad? Read why foreigners come to China for medical treatment first.

Visiting the Old PUMC Campus in Dongdan

Even if you never enrol, the old campus is worth a detour. Its grey-brick halls, dedicated in 1921, wear green-glazed palace roofs — a Western hospital in Chinese dress. A stone marker at the gate names the site a nationally protected heritage site. It lies a short walk from Wangfujing, inside one of the most central districts of Beijing. Like most Beijing campuses, entry is usually controlled, so plan to admire it from Dongdan Santiao.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can international students study at Peking Union Medical College?

Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan residents can, through a yearly graduate exam. For other passports we found no current admissions notice in October 2026, so email the admissions office first.

Does PUMC offer an English-taught MBBS?

No. Its eight-year MD admits through the gaokao. For an English-taught MBBS, look at schools such as Capital Medical University or Nanjing Medical University.

Is Peking Union Medical College part of Tsinghua?

Not exactly. It is a separate institution, closely tied to Tsinghua; eight-year medical students spend their pre-medical years there.

How much does it cost to study at Peking Union Medical College?

Graduate tuition is 8,000 CNY a year for a master’s in 2027, and 10,000 CNY for a PhD on the 2026 Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan route.

Can foreigners be treated at PUMC Hospital?

Yes. Its International Medical Services has served foreign patients since 1951, and you can book through the hospital app’s English interface.

Conclusion: Is Peking Union Medical College Worth It?

As a school, few in China carry more weight. If you can study at Peking Union Medical College — as a gaokao student, a mainland graduate, or through the Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan route — the fees are low and the training is the benchmark. For everyone else, the honest advice is to confirm your eligibility in writing first, and keep an English-taught MBBS elsewhere as plan A.

Whichever school says yes, the visa comes next. Our guide to the China student visa covers the X1 route and the JW202 form.

References