MBBS in China: Approved Universities, Requirements and Costs

China is one of the largest destinations for international medical students. Lectures are in English and fees are moderate. The most important rule: only universities on the Ministry of Education's list may teach clinical medicine (MBBS) in English.

Only 44 universities may teach medicine in English

China's Ministry of Education sets which universities may enroll international students in English-taught clinical medicine, and how many. Its most recent published list, for the 2023–24 academic year, names 44 universities with 3,048 places in total. The notice also says:

• A university that is not on the list may not enroll international students in English-taught clinical medicine, and may not issue an English degree certificate that says "MBBS".
• Universities may not get around the rule with "bilingual" programs.
• Universities that seriously break the rules can have their places cut or stopped.

University	Chinese name	City	Places 2023–24
Jilin University	吉林大学	Changchun	80
China Medical University	中国医科大学	Shenyang	100
Dalian Medical University	大连医科大学	Dalian	100
Capital Medical University	首都医科大学	Beijing	100
Tianjin Medical University	天津医科大学	Tianjin	100
Shandong University	山东大学	Jinan	78
Fudan University	复旦大学	Shanghai	40
Xinjiang Medical University	新疆医科大学	Urumqi	100
Nanjing Medical University	南京医科大学	Nanjing	100
Jiangsu University	江苏大学	Zhenjiang	100
Wenzhou Medical University	温州医科大学	Wenzhou	150
Zhejiang University	浙江大学	Hangzhou	110
Wuhan University	武汉大学	Wuhan	50
Huazhong University of Science and Technology	华中科技大学	Wuhan	70
Xi'an Jiaotong University	西安交通大学	Xi'an	100
Southern Medical University	南方医科大学	Guangzhou	100
Jinan University	暨南大学	Guangzhou	100
Guangxi Medical University	广西医科大学	Nanning	100
Sichuan University	四川大学	Chengdu	100
Chongqing Medical University	重庆医科大学	Chongqing	90
Harbin Medical University	哈尔滨医科大学	Harbin	60
Beihua University	北华大学	Jilin	40
Jinzhou Medical University	锦州医科大学	Jinzhou	20
Qingdao University	青岛大学	Qingdao	60
Hebei Medical University	河北医科大学	Shijiazhuang	60
Ningxia Medical University	宁夏医科大学	Yinchuan	60
Tongji University	同济大学	Shanghai	40
Shihezi University	石河子大学	Shihezi	60
Southeast University	东南大学	Nanjing	60
Yangzhou University	扬州大学	Yangzhou	60
Nantong University	南通大学	Nantong	60
Soochow University	苏州大学	Suzhou	60
Ningbo University	宁波大学	Ningbo	40
Fujian Medical University	福建医科大学	Fuzhou	60
Anhui Medical University	安徽医科大学	Hefei	60
Xuzhou Medical University	徐州医科大学	Xuzhou	60
China Three Gorges University	三峡大学	Yichang	20
Zhengzhou University	郑州大学	Zhengzhou	20
Guangzhou Medical University	广州医科大学	Guangzhou	60
Shantou University	汕头大学	Shantou	20
Kunming Medical University	昆明医科大学	Kunming	60
North Sichuan Medical College	川北医学院	Nanchong	40
Southwest Medical University	西南医科大学	Luzhou	60
Xiamen University	厦门大学	Xiamen	40

Wenzhou Medical University's places include its programs abroad. The list is set year by year, so check that your university is still approved for your intake: ask it to confirm in writing, and make sure your admission letter names Clinical Medicine (MBBS), taught in English.

What the program looks like

• Six years, including a one-year clinical internship in the university's teaching hospitals.
• Lectures and exams in English. Chinese is a compulsory course, including medical Chinese, because during clinical training you will talk with Chinese-speaking patients.
• The degree is a Bachelor of Medicine (医学学士); the English copy reads "Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery".

Entry requirements: an example

Requirements differ by university. Guangzhou Medical University's brochure for 2026 entry asks for:

• Age 18–25 and a completed secondary (high school) education.
• A GPA of at least 3.0 out of 4.0 or equivalent, with physics or mathematics, biology and chemistry. For A levels, all subjects at grade C or above.
• Applicants from India: a NEET score of at least 300 (for NEET taken in 2024–2026), and at least 70% in CBSE or 85% in state board exams.
• The CSCA test with mathematics and chemistry. CSCA is China's new admission test for international bachelor's applicants. Mathematics is compulsory, and English-taught programs can take it in English. See csca.cn.
• Applications from 1 March to 30 August 2026.

For the documents most universities ask for, see the application documents checklist.

What it costs

Guangzhou Medical University charges ¥40,000 a year in tuition. A dorm room costs ¥4,000–6,000 a year, depending on the campus. Books, meals, utilities, health insurance and the residence permit are paid separately.

A rough yearly budget at that university is about ¥77,000:

Item	Per year
Tuition	¥40,000
Dorm room	¥6,000
Health insurance	about ¥800
Living costs (the Chinese Government Scholarship's monthly allowance × 12)	¥30,000

Tuition for medicine is usually at the top of a university's fee range. Compare the fees we have checked at other universities on our tuition fees page.

Will your degree count at home?

You will need a licence from your own country's medical council, so check its rules before you enroll.

India. The National Medical Commission's Foreign Medical Graduate Licentiate Regulations, 2021 apply to students admitted on or after 18 November 2021. They require:

1. A course of at least 54 months.
2. An internship of at least 12 months at the same foreign institution.
3. English as the medium of instruction.
4. Eligibility for a licence to practise medicine in China, on the same terms as Chinese citizens.

After graduating, you do a 12-month supervised internship in India and must pass India's licensing exam.

Other countries. Most medical councils check that your school is listed in the World Directory of Medical Schools. Look your university up there, and ask your national medical council which Chinese universities it recognizes.

Before you pay a deposit

• Is the university on the Ministry of Education's list, for your intake?
• Does the admission letter say Clinical Medicine (MBBS), taught in English?
• Is the internship done at the same university's hospitals, for at least 12 months? This matters for India.
• Are the fees the ones in the university's official brochure?
• Apply to the university directly, or check that an agent is authorized by it. You never need an agent to apply.

Scholarships can help: see all scholarships, including the Chinese Government Scholarship.