Preparing your papers for Chinese universities: a checklist and practical tips
The documents Chinese universities usually ask for, and how to prepare them: validity, scan quality, translation, and a name that matches your passport.
A missing document, a blurred scan, a name spelled two ways: small things like these hold up many applications. Prepare your papers early and carefully, and you can save yourself weeks of waiting. Below are the documents Chinese universities usually ask for, followed by tips on preparing them.
Documents usually asked for
The list varies between universities and levels of study, and the program you apply to always has the final list. The most common documents are:
- Passport
- A recent personal photo
- Your latest certificate
- Transcript of grades
- Language certificate (IELTS, TOEFL or HSK), if the program asks for it
- CSCA result, if the program asks for it
- Foreigner physical examination form
- Certificate of no criminal record
- Recommendation letters (mostly for master's and PhD)
- Study or research plan (mostly for master's and PhD)
Tips for preparing them
- Start with your passport: check its validity, and if it is close to expiring, renew it before you apply.
- Make sure your name in Latin letters appears on every document exactly as it does in your passport, letter for letter. One different letter can stop an application.
- Scan every document in colour, complete and sharp, with no shadows or cut-off edges, and name each file after the document.
- Get a certified translation of every document that is not in English or Chinese, and keep the original with the translation.
- Ask which attestations the program needs before you start, because some of them take time.
- Keep the originals somewhere safe. You will need them for the visa and when you arrive at the university.
When you open a file with us, we give you the document list for the program you choose, review every document before we apply, and arrange its certified translation.