Age Limits for Studying in China: Degrees, Chinese Courses and Scholarships

"Am I too old to study in China?" is one of the questions students ask most. The short answer: China has no national upper age limit for international students, but each university and scholarship sets its own, and they differ a lot between degrees and Chinese language courses.

China's rules for international students (Order No. 42) set no upper age, only an extra rule for students under 18 (Art. 38). The limits below come from universities' and scholarships' own admission guides.

Typical limits at a glance

The pattern: scholarships are stricter than self-funded places, and language courses are the most open. Always check the current guide of the exact program, because limits change from year to year.

Scholarship age limits

For the full comparison of what each scholarship covers, see scholarships to study in China compared.

If you are over the limit

• Learn Chinese first. Language courses accept older students: up to 55 at Shanghai Jiao Tong University and up to 60 at Zhejiang Gongshang University. A course longer than 180 days needs an X1 student visa, the same as a degree: see our visa guide.
• Look at self-funded places. At Donghua University, self-funded bachelor's applicants can be up to 34, ten years older than for its entrance scholarships.
• Ask about exceptions for master's programs. Zhejiang University's 2026 master's guide sets the limit at under 35 but says it may be relaxed for applicants with work experience and research ability. Where a guide says "generally", as Nanjing University of Posts and Telecommunications' does, ask the admissions office in writing whether it can make an exception.
• Compare universities. For bachelor's programs alone, the limits above run from 25 to 35.
• Professionals from developing countries can look at the MOFCOM Scholarship, open to applicants under 45.

Note that language courses often limit how long you can stay on them. South China Normal University's program allows at most two years of Chinese study in China, and Zhejiang Gongshang University's does not accept students who have already studied Chinese in China for more than two years.

How your age is counted

Read the exact wording. "Under 25" means you must not yet have turned 25; "18 to 25" usually includes both. Check the date it is counted on, too: the Chinese teachers' scholarship counts your age on 1 September of the year you start, so a birthday in July or August can matter.

Students under 18

• If you are under 18 and your parents do not live in China, they must formally appoint a guardian who lives in China, a Chinese citizen or a foreigner, and give the university proof (Order No. 42, Art. 38).
• Zhejiang University asks bachelor's applicants who are under 18 on 1 September for a guardian living in mainland China.
• Dalian University of Technology accepts high-school graduates under 18 if they have a guardian in Dalian.
• The CSCA test has no age limit, but applicants under 18 need a guardian's consent.
• Bachelor's programs need a high-school diploma or its equivalent, whatever your age. See our documents checklist.

Get help finding a program that fits

Tell us your age, your education and what you want to study, and we will help you find programs whose limits you meet. Ask for free application help: advice and application help are free for students. You can also apply to universities directly; see how to apply without an agent.