Study Chinese in China / Terms
Terms
Terms and start dates
No national rule fixes term dates for language programmes. The texts below give the start months and lengths that are written down; everything else is in the university's brochure.
The school sets and publishes its own plan
Universities decide their own enrolment plans and majors for international students, and publish a brochure. They must also make their basic information, teaching arrangements and brochure open to international students.
Start months written in the CLEC guidelines
In the 2025 guidelines the four-week programme starts in July or December, the one-semester programme in September or March, and the one-year programme in September. The stated maximum lengths are four weeks, five months and eleven months.
Application deadlines in the same guidelines
For the 2025 cycle the applicant deadlines were 15 April for July starts, 15 May for September starts, 15 September for December starts and 31 October for March 2026 starts, all Beijing time. These dates belong to that cycle; check the new guidelines before using them.
The language year under the Chinese Government Scholarship
The guide says the scholarship covers both major study and Chinese language (preparatory) study, and that the language courses last one year.
Sources
- Ministry of Education, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Public Security: Measures for the Administration of Schools Recruiting and Educating International Students, Order No. 42 (学校招收和培养国际学生管理办法, in Chinese) (checked 2026-10-10)
- Center for Language Education and Cooperation: Application Guidelines for International Chinese Language Teachers Scholarship 2025 (PDF) (checked 2026-10-10)
- China Scholarship Council: Application Guide for Chinese Government Scholarship (Campus China) (checked 2026-10-10)
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