Why Zhejiang University? Key Words First
The four words “Zhejiang University” may only mean high ranking for foreign friends, but for those who truly want to study abroad and seek a springboard in China, it represents more—a technology company leading to the Yangtze River Delta, an ecosystem leading to Alibaba, and a pioneering coffee fragrance leading to West Lake. I mean, if you consider studying abroad as an investment, Zhejiang University is the stock with “low value and high growth.”
1. 15 Minutes to Understand Zhejiang University History, 0 Threshold to Get the Miniature of Chinese Higher Education
In 1897, the “Qiushi Academy” opened in Hangzhou, in an era before the Qing Dynasty. 1952, the national departments underwent significant adjustments, and Zhejiang University was divided into several segments. 1998, the four schools merged, and it became an “aircraft carrier level” university overnight—it sounds like a Hollywood script, but it is merely an epitome of the development of modern Chinese higher education. In other words, if you understand the history of Zhejiang University, you can comprehend how Chinese universities completed the transition from “catching up” to “parallel running” and even to “leading.”
2. Subject Map of Zhejiang University: Electronics, Agronomy, Optics, and AI Are in the First Tier
Many people think Zhejiang University = strong in engineering. In fact, all of its 12 disciplines entered the top 1% of ESI globally, and 8 of them entered the top 1‰ (Zhejiang University, 2024). Agronomy, optics, pharmacy, computer science, clinical medicine… almost all the hot fields you can think of have a State Key Laboratory. Key point: for international students, the master’s programs in AI, Data Science, and Digital Finance taught in English require only 2 years and 30 credits to graduate. Additionally, you can apply for a 2-year residence permit to seek employment after graduation.
3. Campus Life: What Is the Experience of Taking the West Lake as the Back Garden?
Zhejiang University has 7 campuses in Hangzhou, with the most popular ones being Yuquan (main campus) and Zijingang (new main campus). At Yuquan, a 10-minute left turn leads to the botanical garden, and continuing forward brings you to West Lake; Zijingang is intersected by a city waterway called the Yuhangtang River. In the evening, Chinese students strum guitars by the river while international students sit on the ground with beer—the scene feels like California, but behind it lies the millennium rhyme of the Song Dynasty. The school assigns a “Buddy” to every international student. In the first week, they will take you to eat local food and teach you how to use Alipay. By the way, they will provide you with a subway card, ensuring that social anxiety can also be seamlessly addressed.
4. Tuition and Scholarship of Zhejiang University: Half Cheaper Than Europe and the United States, but the Scholarship Is More Generous
A master’s degree in Europe and America often costs 40,000 USD per year, while the tuition fees for most English programs at Zhejiang University range from 28,000 to 35,000 USD per year (about 4,000 USD). If you receive the “China Government Scholarship” or “Zhejiang University International Scholarship,” tuition fees will be waived, and the living subsidy will be 3,000 yuan/month (China Scholarship Council, 2023). The key is that you need a GPA of 3.2 and IELTS 6, and the competition is far less intense than that of Erasmus or Fulbright.
5. Entrepreneurship and Employment: Alibaba, NetEase, ByteDance Are the First Station of School Enrollment
There were 24 unicorn enterprises in Hangzhou, ranking third in the country (Hurun Research Institute, 2023). At the annual Career Fair of the School of Computer and Software of Zhejiang University, Alibaba specifically packages the next floor to collect resumes. If international students want to stay, they only need to meet the following criteria: (1) must be graduate students and above; (2) have paid social security in Hangzhou for 6 months; (3) have no criminal record, allowing them to apply for 2-5 years of work and residence for foreigners. Last year, an Indonesian classmate made a cross-border payment in PingPong finance, earning an annual salary of over 500,000 yuan in their third year—a real case.
6. Application Process 101 of Zhejiang University: Schedule, Documents, Interviews, One Line
- From October of each year to March of the following year, the official website manages the application: https://intlzju.zju.edu.cn.
- Prepare the undergraduate report card (in English), two letters of recommendation, an 800-word study plan, and IELTS 6 / TOEFL 80 or above.
- Some programs require Zoom interviews lasting 10 minutes; the questions are very direct: “Why did you choose Zhejiang University?” “What do you want to do after graduation?” Do not recite from a template; the key phrase is “Hangzhou ecosystem.”
- The results will be announced in May, with enrollment by the end of August. The school will send you the visa materials. You can go to the consulate to apply for an X1 visa with the JW202 form.
7. Living in Hangzhou: Real-Time Prices & Intercity Travel
Hangzhou Metro has opened 12 lines, with travel from Zhejiang University Zijingang to East Railway Station taking 30 minutes, and a G-Series High-Speed Train reaching Shanghai Hongqiao in 1 hour. The monthly rent for a two-room one-hall apartment within 2 km of the campus is 4,000 yuan, which is comparable to Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur; however, the security index and mobile payment experience are superior to those of most international cities. “Wenzhou seafood noodles” + “Zhiweiguan Xiaolong” are recommended for late-night snacks, averaging 40 yuan at Fuqiang. In other words, the cost of living is only 70% of that in Beishangshen, yet the experience is not diminished at all.
8. The Local People Hide: Outside West Lake, 3 Weekend Escape Routes
- Jiuxi Eighteen Streams: a 15-minute ride into the mountains from the back door of Yuquan, Zhejiang University. There are tea gardens and streams all along, with zero admission fees.
- Tonglu Huxiao Gorge Rafting: a 25-minute journey via G-Series High-Speed Train, ticket cost is 120 yuan, a must-visit in summer.
- Shaoxing Ancient City: transfer from the subway to the intercity train for 40 minutes, where you can drink rice wine on a black awning boat.
I mean, I came to Zhejiang University to study and enjoy exploring the local offerings. Four years is more than enough.
9. 4 Questions You May Worry About Zhejiang University, Answered in One Go
Q1: Can you live without Chinese?
Yes. 90% of the road signs on Zijingang campus are bilingual, and the supermarket scanning code features an English interface. The school offers 4 hours/week of free HSK training, enabling you to achieve level 4 in one year.
Q2: What about air quality?
In 2023, Hangzhou had 321 excellent days throughout the year, with an average of 29 μg/m³ of PM2.5, which was lower than the WHO transition target (Hangzhou Ecological Environment Bureau, 2024).
Q3: Will social circles be limited?
Zhejiang University has more than 140 international students, and the student union organizes a “Language Partner” board game night every week. The Facebook group ZJU International has over 6,000 members, allowing for second-hand transactions, group travels, and rapid information flow with resume exchanges.
Q4: Is the degree recognized in Europe and America?
Zhejiang University is a “double first-class class a”, ranked in the top 150 of the three major lists of QS, THE, and US News. The credit system has been benchmarked to the European ECTS, and can be directly converted when applying for European and American PhD (QS World University Rankings, 2,024).
10. Next Step: Turn “Want to Come” into “Be Coming.”
The application window only opens once a year, and the materials seem to be numerous. In fact, the core is one sentence: Show them you can add value to ZJU and Hangzhou. After all, making more people fall in love with China because of Zhejiang University is the hidden color of this article.
References
China Scholarship Council. (2023). Chinese Government Scholarship Application Guide. Beijing: CSC.
Hangzhou Ecological Environment Bureau. (2024). 2023 Environmental Status Bulletin. Hangzhou: HEEB. https://heb.hangzhou.gov.cn/
Hurun Research Institute. (2023). Global Unicorn Index 2023. Shanghai: Hurun Report.
QS World University Rankings. (2024). QS World University Rankings 2024. London: QS Quacquarelli Symonds. https://www.topuniversities.com
Zhejiang University. (2024). Facts and Figures. Hangzhou: ZJU. https://www.zju.edu.cn
More university content: Universities
