China · Shanghai, Yangpu District
Fudan University
Shanghai's flagship comprehensive university, with a handful of English-taught bachelor's programmes
Photo: Andrew Lih · CC BY-SA 3.0
- QS World Ranking 2027
- #26
- Founded
- 1905
- Students
- 54,000
- Bachelor's degree
- 4 years
- Acceptance rate
- Not published; admission by China Scholastic Competency Assessment (CSCA) score and an interview
- How admission works
- Chinese-taught programmes: a CSCA score report (subjects depend on the programme) and an interview; an HSK 5 (210+) or HSK 6 (180+) certificate is listed but not mandatory. English-taught programmes (UIPE, MBBS, IOGG, GBF, UIPDB) have their own pages.
- Language of instruction
- Mostly Chinese; English-taught bachelor's programmes include UIPE (economics), MBBS, IOGG, GBF and UIPDB
The university publishes no IB or A-level requirement. The figures above are from the 2026 admission notice; the 2027 notice was not yet published on 2 November 2026.
Worth knowing
Fudan was founded in 1905 as Fudan Public School, the first higher-education institution established by Chinese people. The name takes two characters meaning 'return' and 'dawn' from a classical text. In 2000 it merged with Shanghai Medical University.
How hard is it to get in, and why
The university publishes no admission rate. For the Chinese-taught programmes applicants submit CSCA scores, and those who meet the requirements are interviewed, with the interview assessing overall qualities and Chinese proficiency. HSK 5 (210 or more) or HSK 6 (180 or more) is optional on the page. By mechanism it is closest to HKUST: a score-and-interview route without a published cut-off.
What it costs
Tuition
$4k–6k per year
For the Chinese-taught programmes the 2026 notice gives RMB 23,000 to 42,000 per year, depending on the programme, and says the exact amount is announced on enrolment. The UIPE economics programme in English charges RMB 400,000 in total from the 2027 intake; the other English-taught programmes' fees are on their own pages. The living figure is accommodation only: the dormitory page lists RMB 65 to 120 per person per night, times 365 days, a calculation. The university publishes no full living budget, so food and transport are not included.
Living costs
$4k–7k per year
Scholarships and financial aid
The 2026 notice lists the Chinese Government Scholarship (bilateral programme), the International Chinese Language Scholarship, the Shanghai Government Scholarship and the Fudan University International Students' Scholarship. The last two are awarded by the university on academic performance and the admission evaluation.
How to apply
Chinese-taught programmes: take the CSCA, apply online at istudent.fudan.edu.cn, pay the RMB 800 application fee and attend the interview; pre-admitted students pay the first year's tuition within two weeks. Last year's cycle (2026) had applications on 1 to 15 January and 23 February to 6 March 2026, and the 2027 dates are not yet published. The English-taught programmes have separate admission pages.
Official websiteWhat makes it special
- 76 bachelor's programmes across four campuses: Handan, Fenglin, Zhangjiang and Jiangwan.
- Five English-taught bachelor's programmes are listed for 2026: International Organizations and Global Governance, MBBS, UIPE, Global Bachelor of Fintech and Data Science and Big Data Technology.
- According to the 2026 admission notice, 21 of the university's disciplines are in the top 1% worldwide by ESI and 10 in the top 1 per thousand.
- Fudan has a dormitory for international students; rooms are reserved online in a set period and are limited.
About studying in China
Four-year degrees, taught mainly in Chinese; tuition and English-taught options differ by university and programme. Peking University takes international applicants through its own online system, or through the Chinese Government Scholarship, and its route without a written exam asks for HSK 6 (score 210 or more), or a 6 or above in IB Chinese HL, so the language bar at the top is high. Check each university's own page for tuition and for any English-taught bachelor's programmes. The honest caveat is that for most students the language, not the grades, decides whether China is realistic.
Teaching staff
The dossier on teaching staff for this university is still being written.
The campus in photographs
Photographs come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences; the author and licence are shown on each image.
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