Peking University

Campus and life in Beijing

Beida's main campus, Yanyuan (燕园), occupies a picturesque site in Beijing's northwestern Haidian district, the city's traditional university quarter and home to many of China's leading research institutions. The campus is famous for its beauty: Weiming Lake (未名湖) at its heart, the Boya Pagoda, ancient trees, and classical gardens recall the site's former role as part of Qing dynasty imperial estates. Architecture blends traditional Chinese pavilions, Soviet-era blocks from the 1950s, and sleek modern research buildings. Students stroll around the lake in the evenings, practice taichi, prepare for exams; the atmosphere is contemplative yet charged with intellectual energy.

Life as an international student at Beida means immersion not just in study but in the capital itself. Beijing is China's political, cultural, and tech centre, dense with museums, theatres, startup accelerators, and international conferences. The city centre is about 40 minutes by metro; Zhongguancun (中关村), China's "Silicon Valley," is practically next door — many students intern or freelance at tech firms. Campus life is vibrant: hundreds of clubs (from traditional calligraphy to robotics), debate nights, film screenings, sports teams. International graduate students typically live in Shaoyuan or nearby residence halls; scholarship undergraduates are also housed. Self-funded students often rent off-campus — the Wudaokou neighbourhood nearby is known as the "cosmopolitan village," lively with international students, bars, restaurants, and convenient transport. Living costs in Beijing are higher than in other Chinese cities but still lower than Moscow or Western European capitals; budget around 3,000–5,000 RMB per month for food, transport, and basics if you're renting a room off-campus.

Competition and entry requirements

Competition for admission to Beida is intense. For Chinese nationals, the acceptance rate is around 1% — virtually unattainable. For international applicants, the picture is different: in 2023, the university received approximately 1,980 applications across all levels and admitted 315 students, an overall acceptance rate of about 16%. Admission to master's and doctoral programmes is significantly more realistic than to undergraduate, but standards remain exacting. Academic performance is the principal factor (roughly 65% of evaluation weight), followed by language proficiency (25%) and interview performance (10%).

For master's and doctoral programmes (the 2026 intake, applications ran from 20 October to 23 December 2025), candidates must submit authenticated degree certificates (documents awarded outside China require verification by the Chinese Service Center for Scholarly Exchange — CSCSE), transcripts, a personal statement with research plan (1,500 words for master's, 3,000 for doctoral), CV, two recommendation letters from professors, and language test scores. For Chinese-taught programmes, HSK 6 with a score of at least 200 (sciences) or 210 (humanities) and no less than 65 on the writing section is required; results from the new HSK 7–9 levels are also accepted. For English-taught programmes, non-native speakers need TOEFL iBT 100+ or GRE 315+, though specific programmes may set their own standards. The application fee is 800 RMB per programme (you may apply to up to two). After the document review, candidates shortlisted for interview (typically held in March) proceed to the second round. Final admission decisions are communicated by May 2026.

For undergraduate admission, there are three pathways: admission without written exam (for those with SAT 1400+ and three AP subjects scoring 4+, or IB Diploma 36+, or A-levels ABB+, or ACT 30+ with writing), Peking University's own entrance exam (Chinese, English, mathematics, followed by a second round), or — newly introduced from 2026 — the China Scholastic Competency Assessment (CSCA, 来华留学本科入学学业水平测试). The necessity of CSCA, which subjects to take, and the exam language depend on the target university, programme, and admission year; applicants should verify the official requirements of the university and CSCA before registration. According to Beida's official site, applicants for the Chinese Government Scholarship at undergraduate level must take CSCA; other admission pathways may also consider or require CSCA depending on the specific programme and year. The exam is held several times annually; registration and details are at csca.cn. Language requirements for undergraduates are high: HSK 6 with 210+. Real competition is fierce — acceptance rates for applicants from South Korea and Thailand, for instance, tend to fall below the average.

Scholarships and funding

Tuition fees at Beida for international students vary by programme. Most master's programmes charge 78,000 to 150,000 RMB per year (for example, the MIR is 150,000 RMB for two years), while doctoral programmes typically cost 200,000–250,000 RMB for the full duration (4–5 years). Exceptions are English-taught business programmes: the Global MBA is 188,000 RMB total, the IMPA (Master of International Public Administration) is 380,000 RMB. Undergraduate tuition is approximately 26,000–30,000 RMB per year. These sums are substantial, but Beida offers a broad range of scholarships.

The flagship is the Chinese Government Scholarship (Type B for direct applicants). It provides full or partial tuition waiver, monthly stipend (around 3,000 RMB for master's students, 3,500 RMB for doctoral), accommodation, and medical insurance. Scholarship application is integrated into the admissions process: one application in Beida's system is automatically considered for all available scholarships — the Chinese Government Scholarship, the Beijing Government Scholarship (several tiers, from full to partial coverage), and the Peking University Scholarship. For prospective master's and doctoral students, the deadline for the scholarship application via Beida's system is 9 March 2026 (9:00 a.m. Beijing time), and via the China Scholarship Council portal (CSC, campuschina.org) by 17 March 2026 24:00. Results are typically announced in July–August. Beida's institution code in the CSC system is 10001, application type is Type B. Important: to apply for the scholarship, you must first submit your admission application, obtain a certificate of preliminary eligibility, and then register on the CSC portal using that certificate.

There is also the bilateral Chinese Government Scholarship (Type A), obtained through the embassy or education authority of your home country — this programme has separate quotas and timelines specific to each country and also covers full funding, but the procedure differs. Students should be aware: scholarship awards are competitive, only a fraction of admitted students receive them, so it is wise to prepare financially to self-fund. All international students are required to purchase the Comprehensive Insurance Plan for Foreign Students (around 800 RMB per year), which must be bought on the day of registration — without it, enrolment will not be completed.

How we help you apply

Gaining admission to Peking University is realistic for motivated and prepared applicants, but it demands meticulous attention to every component of the application. Meeting the threshold HSK or TOEFL score is just the beginning; what matters decisively is the substance of your research plan, the persuasiveness of your motivation, the relevance of your recommendations, correct document formatting, and your performance in the interview. Errors at the application stage — improperly authenticated diplomas, poorly articulated plans, mismatched programme profiles — can close the door even when formal criteria are met.

This is precisely where UNIPROFI excels. Under the Admission to China's Top-10 Universities plan, the company's experts — including graduates of Tsinghua and other top universities — build an individualised strategy tailored to your profile: selecting the right programme and potential supervisor, shaping a research agenda that resonates with the department's priorities, editing your personal statement to academic excellence, preparing you for interviews through mock sessions, and managing the entire document chain — from notarised translations to uploading into the studyatpku.com system. Targeted services are also available — Consultation with a Tsinghua University expert, Admission strategy for China's top universities, Mock interview for China's top universities — useful if you already have a plan but need expert feedback. If Beida requires CSCA, UNIPROFI offers preparation courses (CSCA prep: foundation course and CSCA prep: intensive course) adapted to the exam format. After admission, the team assists with visa, insurance, and practical arrangements. For those aiming for Beida and a scholarship, such support is not a luxury but an investment that multiplies your chances of success.