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Study at Shanghai Conservatory of Music: Four Ways In

Universities
Nov 13, 2026
A cream villa with a red-tiled roof and chimneys among green trees on the Fenyang Road campus of the Shanghai Conservatory of Music

To study at Shanghai Conservatory of Music is to enrol at the oldest conservatory in the country. Most foreign musicians, though, only know the Beijing name. Cai Yuanpei and Xiao Youmei founded the school on 27 November 1927 as the National Conservatory of Music, China’s first stand-alone state music college, and it has used its current name since 1956 (SHCM, n.d.). It is not a 985 or 211 school. Even so, the 2022 Double First-Class list gives it one line: 上海音乐学院：音乐与舞蹈学, Music and Dance (Ministry of Education, 2022).

So why do so few international students apply? Partly it is language. None of the 2026 degree brochures offered an English-taught track, and every one asked for an HSK certificate. Yet there are four doors in, and one of them needs no Chinese at all to start. This guide walks through each, using the official 2026 and 2027 brochures.

Quick Links Before You Study at Shanghai Conservatory of Music

Why Study at Shanghai Conservatory of Music

Shanghai and Beijing: two national conservatories

China has two music schools that most players mean when they say “the conservatory.” The Central Conservatory of Music opened in Beijing in 1950 and sits in Project 211. Shanghai’s school is 23 years older. By contrast, it never joined 211, but it made the first Double First-Class round in 2017 and the second in 2022 (SHCM, n.d.; Ministry of Education, 2022). In the Ministry of Education’s 2017 discipline evaluation, its Music and Dance discipline received an A+ (SHCM, n.d.). For what these labels mean, see our guide to China’s 985, 211 and Double First-Class universities. Or browse the wider list of top universities in China.

What you can study

The 2026 bachelor’s list for international students is wide (SHCM, 2025a). It covers the following:

  • Performance: piano, voice (bel canto and Chinese folk style), orchestral instruments, percussion, conducting.
  • Chinese instruments: dizi, sheng, suona, yangqin, liuqin, zhongruan, pipa, zheng, guqin, erhu and banhu.
  • Modern instruments: jazz piano, sax, guitar, trumpet, trombone and bass, plus organ, accordion and classical guitar.
  • Composition, Chinese-instrument composition, aural training, musicology and music education.
  • Musical theatre, recording arts, music production, violin making and digital media.

Most majors take four years. Composition, conducting and voice take five. Notably, the jazz and violin-making tracks stand out on that list.

A small international cohort

The school’s own profile counts 3,335 full-time students and only 68 international student enrolments (SHCM, n.d.). That is tiny. On one hand, you will rarely hear your own language in the corridors. On the other, the teachers will know your name. The school also lists ties with 33 conservatories abroad, including Juilliard, Curtis and Berklee, plus a joint SHCM-Berklee programme in modern music (SHCM, n.d.).

Admissions: How to Apply to Shanghai Conservatory of Music

Door 1: the bachelor’s degree

The 2026 rules were strict, but clear (SHCM, 2025a). Applicants had to be 18 to 40, with a high-school diploma. They needed New HSK Level 4 with at least 180 points, on a certificate under two years old. They also needed CSCA exam scores in Chinese (liberal arts) and Mathematics. Registration ran only from 8 to 23 April 2026, online, with an RMB 500 fee. HSK and CSCA results were due by 31 May 2026. Our guide to the HSK level for university explains what Level 4 means in practice.

The audition is a video

Here is the good news: you do not fly to Shanghai to audition. In 2026, the whole exam was a set of uploaded videos, sent between 27 April and 11 May (SHCM, 2025a). Each video had to be one continuous take, with no editing. A few examples show the level:

  • Piano: two études (at least one by Chopin), a Bach prelude and fugue, a full classical sonata and a free piece of at least seven minutes, all from memory.
  • Chinese instruments: two pieces from memory, ten minutes at most.
  • Folk-style voice: one Chinese folk song, and one folk song from your own country, sung in its original language.
  • Violin making: a 90-minute filmed task, planing a strip of maple down to a 1 mm side panel.

Every major also had an interview recorded in Chinese. It covered a three-minute self-introduction, why you chose the school, and your study plan. So the HSK rule is not a formality. Admission letters were due by email around July 2026.

Door 2: master’s and PhD

Graduate applicants faced a higher language bar (SHCM, 2025b). For a master’s, the 2026 rule was New HSK Level 4 with 210 points, not the bare pass. For a PhD it was Level 5 with 180. A degree earned in Chinese at a Chinese university could replace the certificate. Two recommenders were required too: associate professors or above for a master’s, full professors for a PhD.

The window was early. Registration ran from 4 to 23 January 2026, with an RMB 600 fee. Round one was a review of your file, including a performance or composition portfolio of at least 40 minutes for a master’s. Round two, in mid-March, was an online interview. Most candidates presented a plan for eight minutes, then took seven minutes of questions. Performers sat a practical interview instead.

Doors 3 and 4: non-degree study

This is where the doubt about language softens. The 2027 music programme for non-degree students, posted on 10 November 2026, asks for only HSK 3 (SHCM, 2026a). General Scholars (18 to 40, high-school level) join bachelor’s classes. Senior Scholars (18 to 50, with a degree) join graduate ones. Both get one lesson a week in their main subject, in Chinese, for a semester or a year. The spring deadline is 4 January 2027, and the autumn one is 31 May 2027.

Then there is the Chinese language programme. It needs no HSK at all, and accepts students from 18 to 55 (SHCM, 2026b). Group classes run about 16 hours a week. On top of that, you can add one-to-one music lessons in a Chinese instrument, piano or voice. The 2027 deadlines are 4 January for spring and 20 June for autumn. In other words, a beginner can arrive, learn Chinese and play, then aim for a degree later.

Tuition and Scholarships at Shanghai Conservatory of Music

Tuition and fees

The official brochures list these yearly rates, in RMB:

  • Bachelor’s (2026): 32,000 (SHCM, 2025a).
  • Master’s (2026): 40,000. PhD: 48,000 (SHCM, 2025b).
  • General Scholar (2027): 17,000 a semester or 32,000 a year. Senior Scholar: 21,000 a semester or 40,000 a year (SHCM, 2026a).
  • Chinese language group classes (2027): 7,000 a semester, plus 4,000 per music minor course (SHCM, 2026b).
  • Insurance: 800 a year, compulsory. Application fees: 500, or 600 for graduate study.

These sit at the higher end for China, which is common for conservatories. Still, they are a fraction of what many conservatories abroad charge.

Scholarship options

Two schemes ran through the school in 2026. First, the Shanghai Government Scholarship took applications from 1 March to 30 June 2026 on the city’s Study in Shanghai site, only from students the school had admitted (SHCM, 2025d). Its full award covered tuition, insurance and a double room, plus a monthly stipend: RMB 2,500 for bachelor’s, 3,000 for master’s and 3,500 for PhD students. The partial award covered tuition and insurance. Age limits were 25, 35 and 40. Second, a Chinese Government Scholarship for graduate applicants closed on 28 February 2026, with a second step on the CSC system by 20 March (SHCM, 2025c). Our guide to scholarships in China shows how the schemes fit together.

Living in Shanghai as a Conservatory Student

Campus and housing

The main campus is at 20 Fenyang Road, with a second at 520 Lingling Road, both in Xuhui District (SHCM, n.d.). Fenyang Road is a leafy street of old villas in the former French Concession. International students can live on campus. In 2026 a double room cost RMB 40 a day, or RMB 5,320 a semester; rooms have air conditioning and a bathroom, with a shared kitchen and washing machines (SHCM, 2026a). Water, power and internet are extra.

City life

Shanghai is expensive by Chinese standards. However, the metro is dense, and Xuhui is one of its most walkable districts. The concert life is busy too: the school alone says it stages more than 400 concerts and events a year. Our Shanghai travel guide covers the neighbourhoods and food. Other Shanghai schools with posts on this site include Shanghai University of Sport and ShanghaiTech University.

Visiting the Shanghai Conservatory of Music Campus

The school runs its own opera house, the SHCM Opera House, and the He Luting Concert Hall, named after a former president. It also keeps the Oriental Musical Instrument Museum. A concert ticket is probably the easiest way in, since campus entry rules may change. Check the venue’s own listings before you go.

Practical Tips

  • Watch the calendar. When we checked on 12 November 2026, the 2027 non-degree brochures were up, but the 2027 degree brochures were not.
  • Book HSK early. Bachelor’s applicants need Level 4 by the end of May, and the certificate must be under two years old.
  • Film well. Use a fixed camera, one take, good light, and say each piece’s title first.
  • Choose one major only. The 2026 bachelor’s rules did not allow a second choice.
  • Drawn to drama or visual art instead? Compare the Central Academy of Drama, the Central Academy of Fine Arts and the China Academy of Art.

Frequently Asked Questions

  1. Is Shanghai Conservatory of Music a 985 or 211 school? No. It holds Double First-Class status in Music and Dance, from the 2017 and 2022 rounds.
  2. Can I study in English? Probably not for a degree. The 2026 degree brochures listed no English-taught track, and the non-degree music courses are taught in Chinese. Without Chinese, the language programme with music lessons is the realistic start.
  3. Which HSK level do I need? In 2026: Level 4 (180) for a bachelor’s, Level 4 (210) for a master’s, Level 5 for a PhD, and Level 3 for the 2027 non-degree music programme.
  4. Do I have to audition in person? Not for the 2026 bachelor’s intake. The exam was video-based, and the graduate interview was online.
  5. What does it cost? RMB 32,000 a year for a bachelor’s and 40,000 for a master’s in 2026, plus housing and insurance.

Conclusion: Should You Study at Shanghai Conservatory of Music?

If you want to study at Shanghai Conservatory of Music, start with your Chinese, not your repertoire. With HSK 4 and a strong video, the bachelor’s door is open. With a degree and HSK 4 at 210, the master’s is in reach. And with neither, the language and non-degree programmes let you begin anyway. Few places give you China’s oldest conservatory, a jazz department and a guqin teacher on one leafy street. Once the offer arrives, read our China student visa guide.

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