China · Shanghai, Minhang District
Shanghai Jiao Tong University
Shanghai's engineering university, with an English-taught engineering cluster for foreigners
Photo: This illustration was made by Peter Potrowl. Please credit this with : © Peter P · CC BY 3.0
- QS World Ranking 2027
- #36
- Founded
- 1896
- Students
- 61,000
- Bachelor's degree
- 4 years
- Acceptance rate
- Not published; admission by comprehensive evaluation (Common App file, CSCA and an interview or entrance exam)
- Typical IB offer
- Mathematics HL 5 or above, or Mathematics SL 7 (English-taught Engineering Cluster); predicted grades accepted
- Typical A-level offer
- Mathematics A or above (English-taught Engineering Cluster); predicted grades accepted
- How admission works
- Every undergraduate route needs a CSCA score (Mathematics for the English-taught programmes); IB or A-level cannot replace it. English-taught programmes need TOEFL iBT, IELTS 6 or Duolingo 120 (on the Cluster page TOEFL is 90 on the old scale or 4.5 from 21 January 2026). Chinese-taught programmes need HSK 5 with 200 or more (Writing 60 or more) or HSK 6 with 180 or more.
- Language of instruction
- Chinese-taught programmes (HSK 5 or 6) and English-taught programmes (Engineering Cluster, Civil Engineering, Global Institute of Future Technology); English-taught students must reach HSK 4 to graduate
The IB and A-level bars are the structural Mathematics requirement on the Engineering Cluster page; the university states no total-points or other-subject grades. Other English-taught programmes list no IB or A-level requirement.
Worth knowing
The university began in 1896 as Nanyang College in Shanghai, founded by Xuanhuai Sheng. In 1955 its main body moved to Xi'an, and in 1959 the Shanghai branch became Shanghai Jiao Tong University as an independent institution.
How hard is it to get in, and why
The university publishes no admission rate. The English-taught Engineering Cluster uses the Common App, a China Scholastic Competency Assessment (CSCA) score with Mathematics and a comprehensive evaluation; for the 2026 first-year class the university published a middle 50% of 1390-1500 on the SAT, which is a profile and not a cut-off. The Chinese-taught route adds HSK 5 or 6 and the SJTU International Undergraduate Entrance Exam, then an interview. It is closest to NUS and HKU: a published structural bar plus a holistic file review.
What it costs
Tuition
$4k–23k per year
Yearly tuition: RMB 150,000 for the Engineering Cluster (2027 estimate, subject to record-filing with the authorities), RMB 120,000 for the Global Institute of Future Technology and RMB 80,000 for English-taught Civil Engineering (both 2026 figures), and RMB 24,800 for Chinese-taught programmes (2026 figure). Insurance is RMB 800 a year. Living: the Chinese-taught page gives on-campus accommodation of RMB 6,600 to 12,600 per semester, so the range shown is that figure doubled for the two semesters of SJTU's calendar (a calculation, accommodation only). The Global College page separately estimates a dorm at RMB 3,000 and living expenses at RMB 3,000 per month.
Living costs
$2k–4k per year
Scholarships and financial aid
International applicants can apply for the Chinese Government Scholarship (through the Chinese embassy) and for the Shanghai Government Scholarship and SJTU Scholarship in the online application. On the Cluster page the first class waives tuition and adds a RMB 2,500 monthly living allowance, a RMB 1,100 monthly accommodation subsidy and insurance; the second class waives 50% of tuition, and the third 25%. The university provides no free on-campus accommodation.
How to apply
The Engineering Cluster for 2027 entry takes applications through the Common App and then the SJTU Portal: Early Action closed on 1 November 2026 (decisions by January 2027) and the regular deadline is 31 March 2027, with admission notices issued on a rolling basis in July 2027. Required: CSCA score with Mathematics (pre-admitted applicants can submit it by 30 June 2027), English test, two recommendation letters, transcripts and a financial guarantee of at least RMB 100,000. The application fee is USD 75. The Chinese-taught route ran in 2026 with an early round ending 5 February and a regular round ending 10 March plus an online entrance exam on 21-22 March 2026; its 2027 dates are not yet published.
Official websiteWhat makes it special
- The English-taught Engineering Cluster spends the first 1.5 years in introductory engineering at the Global College (the former University of Michigan-SJTU Joint Institute), after which students stay or transfer to another engineering school.
- The Global Institute of Future Technology offers Sustainable Energy and Health Science and Technology in English, with exchange study guaranteed to all its undergraduates.
- A BEng in Civil Engineering (Smart and Sustainable Construction) is taught in English for international students.
- Around 45% of undergraduates take part in short-term exchange programmes abroad, and 2,800+ international students study at the university.
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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