The Peking University international students tuition ranges from roughly ¥29,000 per year for standard humanities master’s programs to over ¥800,000 total for executive MBA tracks — and that spread matters far more than any single headline figure. This guide consolidates the official 2026 fee schedule by school, the scholarships that can offset most or all of it, the extra costs the tuition table never lists, and the application timeline that quietly decides whether you can apply at all.
About Peking University
Peking University (北京大学, often abbreviated PKU) sits in Haidian District, Beijing, and was founded in 1898 as China’s first modern national university. It anchors the country’s “C9 League” and is one of the two universities most foreign employers recognize by name. International graduate enrollment spans master’s, doctoral, and professional tracks across more than 40 schools, with a growing number of programs taught entirely in English.
Why international students choose PKU
- Brand recognition that travels — the PKU name is portable to employers in Asia, Europe, and North America.
- Solid English-medium options at master’s and doctoral level, especially in law, international relations, computer science, and finance.
- Beijing as a base — close to government, top tech firms, and the deepest Chinese-language immersion available anywhere.
- Three layered scholarship channels (CSC, Beijing Government, PKU’s own) that genuinely cover full cost for competitive applicants.
2026 Peking University tuition fee schedule
The table below reproduces Peking University’s official tuition schedule for international graduate programs (Peking University International Student Division, 2024). All figures are in CNY and represent the total program cost unless otherwise marked; divide by program duration for the annual rate. Standard ranges from the published 2026 fee summary are: bachelor ¥26,000–45,000 per year, master ¥29,000–94,000 per year, doctoral ¥32,000–62,000 per year (Shiksha, 2026); the executive and dual-degree tracks listed below sit well above those bands.
| No. | School/Department | Program Name | Degree Type | Program Duration (Years) | Study Mode | Instruction Language | Total Tuition Fee (CNY) | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | All Schools/Departments | Humanities and Social Sciences | Master’s Degree | 2-3 | Full-time | Chinese/English | 58,000-87,000 | Total tuition fee is related to the program duration. |
| 2 | All Schools/Departments | Science and Engineering | Master’s Degree | 3 | Full-time | Chinese/English | 99,000 | |
| 3 | All Schools/Departments | Humanities and Social Sciences | Doctoral Degree | 4 | Full-time | Chinese/English | 128,000 | |
| 4 | All Schools/Departments | Science and Engineering | Doctoral Degree | 4-5 | Full-time | Chinese/English | 160,000-200,000 | Total tuition fee is related to the program duration. |
| 5 | School of Chinese as a Second Language | Teaching Chinese to Speakers of Other Languages | Master’s Degree | 2 | Full-time | Chinese | 78,000 | |
| 6 | School of Chinese as a Second Language | School Curriculum and Teaching | Doctoral Degree | 4 | Part-time | Chinese | 150,000 | |
| 7 | Law School | Civil and Commercial Law | Master’s Degree | 2 | Full-time | English | 160,000 | LLM in Chinese Law |
| 8 | Guanghua School of Management | Finance | Master’s Degree | 2 | Full-time | Chinese | 128,000 | |
| 9 | Guanghua School of Management | Finance | Master’s Degree | 2 | Part-time | English | 455,000 | |
| 10 | Guanghua School of Management | Auditing | Master’s Degree | 2 | Full-time | Chinese | 128,000 | |
| 11 | Guanghua School of Management | Accounting | Master’s Degree | 2 | Full-time | Chinese | 158,000 | |
| 12 | Guanghua School of Management | Business Administration | Master’s Degree | 2 | Full-time | English | 188,000 | Full-time MBA |
| 13 | Guanghua School of Management | Business Administration | Master’s Degree | 2 | Part-time | Chinese | 428,000 | Part-time MBA |
| 14 | Guanghua School of Management | Business Administration (Tech Innovation + MBA Program) | Master’s Degree | 2 | Part-time | Chinese | 468,000 | STEM MBA |
| 15 | Guanghua School of Management | Business Administration | Master’s Degree | 2 | Part-time | Chinese + English | 351,000 | Peking University-Cornell University MBA/MMH Dual Degree Master’s Program. This tuition fee is payable to Peking University; tuition fee payable to Cornell University is subject to the program brochure. |
| 16 | Guanghua School of Management | Executive Master of Business Administration | Master’s Degree | 2 | Part-time | Chinese | 828,000 | EMBA |
| 17 | Guanghua School of Management | Executive Master of Business Administration (International Business and Management Track) | Master’s Degree | 2 | Part-time | English | 728,000 | Jointly Offered by Peking University and Northwestern University (USA) |
| 18 | School of International Studies | International Relations | Master’s Degree | 2 | Full-time | English | 95,000 | Peking University-LSE Joint Dual Master’s Degree Program. PKU portion only. |
| 19 | School of International Studies | International Relations | Master’s Degree | 2 | Full-time | English | 95,000 | Peking University-Sciences Po Joint Dual Master’s Degree Program. PKU portion only. |
| 20 | School of International Studies | International Relations | Master’s Degree | 2 | Full-time | English | 150,000 | MIR |
| 21 | National School of Development | Executive Master of Business Administration | Master’s Degree | 2 | Part-time | Chinese | 828,000 | EMBA |
| 22 | College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering | Environmental Management | Master’s Degree | 2 | Full-time | English | 80,000 | Peking University-LSE Joint Dual Master’s. PKU portion only. |
| 23 | School of Computer Science | All Programs | Master’s Degree | 3 | Full-time | English | 150,000 | |
| 24 | School of Computer Science | All Programs | Doctoral Degree | 4-5 | Full-time | English | 200,000-250,000 | Total tuition fee is 250,000 CNY for 5-year doctoral programs. |
| 25 | School of Economics | Finance / Taxation / International Business / Insurance | Master’s Degree | 2 | Full-time | Chinese | 99,000 each | |
| 26 | School of Archaeology and Museology | Museology | Master’s Degree | 2 | Full-time | Chinese | 80,000 | |
| 27 | School of Software and Microelectronics | Electronic Information | Doctoral Degree | 4-5 | Full-time | Chinese | 180,000-225,000 | 225,000 CNY for 5-year doctoral programs. |
| 28 | Department of Sociology | Social Policy | Master’s Degree | 2 | Full-time | Chinese | 98,000 | |
| 29 | School of Mathematical Sciences | Big Data | Master’s Degree | 2 | Full-time | Chinese | 200,000 | |
| 30 | School of Foreign Languages | Translation (Japanese Interpretation) | Master’s Degree | 2 | Full-time | Chinese | 80,000 | |
| 31 | School of Psychological and Cognitive Sciences | Applied Psychology | Master’s Degree | 3 | Part-time | Chinese | 198,000 | |
| 32 | School of New Media and Communication | Journalism and Communication | Master’s Degree | 2 | Full-time | English | 160,000 | |
| 33 | School of New Media and Communication | Journalism and Communication | Master’s Degree | 2 | Full-time | Chinese | 80,000 | |
| 34 | Department of Information Management | Publishing | Master’s Degree | 2 | Full-time | Chinese | 80,000 | |
| 35 | School of Arts | Theatre, Film and Television | Master’s Degree | 3 | Part-time | Chinese | 100,000 | Year 1: 40,000 / Year 2: 40,000 / Year 3: 20,000 |
| 36 | School of Arts | Art Theory | Doctoral Degree | 4 | Full-time | English | 200,000 | |
| 37 | School of Government | Public Administration | Master’s Degree | 2 | Full-time | Chinese/English | 160,000 | IMPA |
| 38 | Shenzhen Graduate School | All Programs | Master’s/Doctoral | – | – | – | – | Fees per Shenzhen Graduate School official site. |
Source PDF: Peking University ISD tuition schedule.
Beyond tuition: what a year at PKU actually costs
Tuition is roughly half of the real annual outlay. The pieces nobody mentions until you arrive:
- Application fee: 800 RMB per program, capped at two programs per candidate (Peking University ISD, 2025).
- Accommodation: international dorms run roughly ¥30–80/day; off-campus shared apartments in Haidian start around ¥3,000/month.
- Health insurance: mandatory; about ¥600/year for the standard policy.
- Visa and residence permit: budget ¥800–1,500 for first-year processing.
- Food, books, transport, phone: a realistic ¥2,500–4,000/month combined if you eat on and around campus.
A modest-living humanities master’s student lands somewhere in the ¥80,000–110,000 total-year range. STEM and dual-degree tracks easily run double.
Scholarships that offset the tuition
Three scholarship streams matter for most applicants, and all three are awarded through PKU’s own admission process — no separate window.
- Chinese Government Scholarship (CSC Type B): full tuition waiver, on-campus accommodation, monthly stipend (¥3,000 master’s / ¥3,500 doctoral), comprehensive insurance. The flagship option for committed applicants.
- Beijing Government Scholarship: tiered (A: full tuition + stipend; B: full tuition; C: partial). Applied for directly through PKU.
- Peking University Scholarship: university-internal partial or full tuition waivers, often combined with a living stipend. A common landing spot for strong applicants who don’t receive CSC.
For the broader China scholarship landscape, see our overview of scholarships in China.
How to apply: the 2026 timeline
- Application window: October 20 – December 23, 2025.
- Documents: transcripts, degree certificate, language certificate, two recommendation letters, study plan, research proposal (PhD).
- Language: Chinese-taught programs require HSK 6 with score above 200 (sciences) or 210 (humanities); HSK 7–9 also accepted. English-taught programs accept TOEFL iBT 100+, GRE 315+, or equivalent.
- Second-round exam: March 2026.
- Preliminary admission: May 2026.
- Physical document submission: by May 31, 2026.
- Enrollment: September 2026.
Practical tips before you apply
- Apply early in the window — review is rolling where program capacity allows.
- HSK is the single biggest filter for Chinese-taught programs. Plan a year of language prep if you’re not at HSK 5 already.
- Dual-degree programs (PKU–LSE, PKU–Sciences Po, PKU–Cornell, PKU–Northwestern) charge separately for each partner; the PKU figure covers only the PKU portion.
- “To be determined” entries in the table (Digital Economy MSc, Math Sciences Finance) get pricing closer to admission cycle — check ISD updates monthly.
- If you’re still picking between Chinese universities, our study in China overview covers the broader system.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Peking University international students tuition the same for all majors?
No. Fees vary by school, degree level, study mode (full vs part-time), and instruction language. The official schedule lists 44 distinct fee categories. Standard humanities master’s tracks are cheapest; finance, MBA, and executive programs sit at the top of the range.
Does the tuition fee include accommodation?
No. Dormitory housing is billed separately by the international student residences. Budget ¥30–80/day for on-campus housing.
Can the Chinese Government Scholarship cover full PKU tuition?
Yes — CSC Type B covers tuition, accommodation, a monthly stipend, and basic insurance for the full duration of the program. The scholarship is applied for through the PKU admission portal, not separately.
Is tuition paid annually or upfront?
Most programs invoice annually before each academic year begins. Some part-time MBA tracks split the total across years (the table notes the annual breakdown where it applies).
Has Peking University raised tuition recently?
Standard graduate program fees have been stable through the 2025 and 2026 intake cycles. New programs (Digital Economy MSc, several finance variants) are marked “To be determined” pending official notice. Always confirm against the ISD website before paying.
References
- Peking University International Student Division. (2024). Tuition Fees of Graduate Programs for International Students [PDF]. https://isd.pku.edu.cn/Uploads/Bdlb/Picture/2024/10/08/u6704e8539ea36.pdf
- Peking University International Student Division. (2025). 2026 Application Information for International Students (Master’s Degree and Ph.D. Degree). https://isd.pku.edu.cn/en/detail.php?id=730
- Shiksha Study Abroad. (2026). Peking University Fees 2026: Tuition Fees, Annual Cost, Financial Aids. https://www.shiksha.com/studyabroad/china/universities/peking-university/fees
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