Student guide to China

X1 visa (over-180-day study) via embassy. Convert to residence permit at exit-entry bureau within 30 days. Financial requirement covered by acceptance + tuition.

Tax ID auto-assigned via residence registration. IIT progressive 3-45%. Most students below thresholds.

CSC (China Scholarship Council) — fully-funded, ~10,000 scholarships globally annually including substantial India quota. Confucius Institute Scholarships. University-specific: Tsinghua Schwarzman (separate elite track), Peking Yenching Academy.

ICBC, Bank of China, China Construction Bank, plus digital Alipay, WeChat Pay (mandatory for daily life).

University dormitories standard for international students — sometimes mandatory first year. Private apartments via Anjuke, Beike. Mandarin proficiency helps enormously for negotiation.

University-mandated comprehensive insurance. Hospital triage challenging without Mandarin; SOS International / Chartis often included for emergency.

English-medium programmes at Tsinghua, Peking, Fudan, SJTU, Zhejiang, USTC. IELTS 6.5+/TOEFL iBT 90+. HSK 4+ for daily life; HSK 5+ for full integration.

Indian groceries hard to find outside Beijing/Shanghai. Vegetarian doable but check 是否含肉 (whether contains meat). University cafeterias affordable.

Very low street crime. Internet restrictions (Great Firewall) — VPN essential for academic work; legality nuanced.

Indian student population concentrated in Beijing, Shanghai. Indian Embassy in Beijing + Consulates in Shanghai, Guangzhou.