Top universities in China is a good choice for many foreigners to study in China. In this paper, from the perspective of foreign students, Tsinghua University, Peking University and Zhejiang University are disassembled to help you judge which one is the most suitable for your expectation of studying abroad.
Why has “top universities in China” become a hot foreign search term?
According to Google Trends, the global search volume of “top universities in China” increased by 120% in five years. Visa relaxation, scholarship increase, and the hot campus short video on TikTok, let the “top university in China” from a cold keyword into a flow password. I mean, you don’t just look at the rankings, you want to know more about “what can I learn there, how can I live, and can I earn back tuition fees after graduation.”.
Tsinghua University, Peking University and Zhejiang University: top three hard data
The soft science 2,025 list (released by the scientific research and development website under the Ministry of education of China) firmly locks Tsinghua, Peking University and Zhejiang University in the top three ([see the list] https://www.edu.cn/ke_yan_yu_fa_zhan/gao_xiao_cheng_guo/ssgx/202504/t20250415_2663800.shtml )）。 The total score of Tsinghua is 992.6, the total score of Peking University is 898.6, and the total score of Zhejiang University is 856.1. The fault is the fourth largest in Shanghai Jiaotong University (697). In other words, if you only recognize the ranking, the top three will not “roll over”.
Comparative table of top universities in China: who is better in engineering, liberal arts and medicine?
| Discipline | Tsinghua University | Peking University | Zhejiang University |
|---|---|---|---|
| Computer | Eleventh in the world (QS 2,025) | Fifteenth in the world | Twenty-third in the world |
| Modern language | The forty-ninth in the world | The eighth in the world | The 101+ in the world |
| Clinical medicine | The world’s 151+ | The world’s fifty-ninth | The world’s seventy-ninth |
Data source: [QS World Rankings 2,025] https://www.topuniversity-qs-2026 four
I mean, manong went to Qinghua, and the poet went to Peking University. He wanted to cross border medicine + AI, and Zhejiang University gave the largest territory.
Internationalization of Campus: who is more like “global village”?
I looked at the numbers, for the year 2024. Tsinghua University had 4,217 registered students. International students at Tsinghua University made up 9.8 percent of the total. Peking University had 4,680 students. International students at Peking University made up 12.1 percent of the total. Zhejiang University had 6,103 registered students. International students at Zhejiang University made up 14.7 percent of the total. I was surprised by the share of students. (Ministry of Education 2024 statistics of students, in China).The key lies in the proportion: Zhejiang University Campus meets a foreign student every seven steps, and oral practice does not need to go out of the dormitory. But in fact, Peking University Language Center provides 280 Chinese and English bilingual courses per term, the number of which is the first in the country, and the English proficiency can also graduate.
Scholarship and tuition: the secret of not going bankrupt after reading
The Chinese Government Scholarship (CSC) covers tuition fees + accommodation + medical insurance, with a full reward rate of 18% for Qinghua, 20% for Peking University and 25% for Zhejiang University. Some students think that Zhejiang University gives the award “the most loose hand” because it also packs the provincial and municipal two level government budget into the list. In other words, under the same conditions, you may be more likely to go whoring in Zhejiang University.
Living in Beijing or Hangzhou: the real bill of foreign students
One room monthly rental: Around Tsinghua: 4,200 yuan Beida next door: 4,500 yuan Zhejiang University Yuquan: 2,800 yuan Large latte: Beijing: 28 yuan Hangzhou: 24 yuan The data is from the global cost of living website Numbeo (2,025-05-12 real-time capture). Hangzhou can save one return flight a year. The key is that the West Lake is free. On weekends, you can “cure internal friction” without spending tickets.
Alumni network and Employment: who can help you open the Chinese workplace?
I looked at the data, from the LinkedIn 2024 report. The data shows that top universities in China have international alumni with Zhejiang University having 18,000 Peking University having 15,000 and Tsinghua University having 13,000. In Hangzhou, the city that hosts the headquarters of Ali, NetEase and Hikvision foreign interns are more likely to stay. The foreign interns have a retention rate of 38%. The retention rate is 9 percentage points higher than the retention rate, in Beijing. I mean, if you want to enter China’s science and technology unicorn, maybe “in the top university in Hangzhou” is the shortcut.
Application process 101: from school selection to face signing
- 11: select 3 “top universities in China”, log in [official website of scholarship committee] http://www.csc.edu.cn Matching scholarships.
- 12: prepare for HSK results (Tsinghua / Peking University usually needs level 5, and most of Zhejiang’s English projects are exempt).
- 3 months: upload the recommendation letter and research plan, and pay 600 yuan for application.
- 5 months: video interview, don’t wear vest; The professor will ask “why don’t you go to Europe and America”.
- 7 month: take the JW202 form, go to the consulate to sign, and book the air tickets.
7 survival tips for passers-by
- The spicy degree of the canteen is from 0 to 5, choose 1 first, or the stomach will be “burned”
- Alipay is bound with passport + bank card, and Metro swipes mobile phone directly
- Tsinghua dormitory was disconnected at 11:30 p.m
- Beida Weiming lake is windy, no flying drones, the security department will confiscate it
- Zhejiang University School Bus driver driving “bold and unconstrained”, grasp the handrail
- When buying medicine on Taobao, ask “do you have an English manual” first, and avoid eating into a “blind box”
- The school canteen is closed during the Spring Festival, and the noodles are stored in advance, but don’t use the electric boiler in the dormitory, it will be seized
Three combats of common questions
Q：Is English project water or not? A：Tsinghua SDG master’s degree, Beijing Yanjing University and Zhejiang University ITP are all taught in English, and the average GMAT is 710, with low water content. Q：Can I stay in China after graduation? A：Just get the work permit. The Yangtze River Delta pilot “2 year business signing of foreign talents”, Hangzhou has approved 1,200 people (Zhejiang Provincial Department of science and technology, 2,024). Q：Air quality? A：Beijing’s PM2.5 decreased by 59% in ten years, with an average annual average of 32 μ g/m³ in 2024; Hangzhou was 26 μ g/m³, lower than Paris (34 μ g/m³). The data is from WHO 2,025 urban air quality database.
Conclusion: read “the top universities in China” as your story
I think the key is still matching. Tsinghua works like an engine. Peking University feels like a museum. Zhejiang University feels like a lab, with its garden. If you want the engineering and the most resources choose Tsinghua. If you want the freedom and the clash of ideas choose Peking University. If you want the cost and the entrepreneurial vibe choose Zhejiang University. There is no answer, for China’s universities. The answer is the one that belongs to you.
References
Shanghai Ranking Consultancy. (2024). Academic Ranking of World Universities 2024. Retrieved May 12, 2025, from https://www.shanghairanking.cn/rankings/bcur/2024 Ministry of Education of China. (2,025). *2,025 ranking of soft science Chinese universities * China Education and Research Network. https://www.edu.cn/ke_yan_yu_fa_zhan/gao_xiao_cheng_guo/ssgx/202504/t20250415_2663800.shtml QS Quacquarelli Symonds. (2025). QS World University Rankings by Subject 2025. https://www.topuniversities.com/subject-rankings Department of Science and Technology of Zhejiang Province. (2024). Annual Report on Foreign Entrepreneurship Visas in Yangtze River Delta. Hangzhou: Zhejiang Provincial Government. World Health Organization. (2025). Global Ambient Air Quality Database. https://www.who.int/data/gho/data/themes/air-pollution
