What’s it Like Studying Mandarin at a University in China?

Written by Mr. Languagespud in Uncategorized

Anyone looking into studying Mandarin Chinese at a university in China most likely has a lot of questions.

In this post, I will try to answer as many of those questions as possible. I’ll draw on and share my experiences studying Mandarin Chinese at 中山大学, AKA Sun Yat-Sen University, in Guangzhou, China.

This is quite a long post with a lot of information, so make use of the hyperlinks if you need to.

Why Would You Go To A Chinese University to Study Chinese?

There are lots of reasons to (and lots of reasons you shouldn’t) learn Mandarin Chinese at a university in China. The following are some fairly sensible reasons why you should:

  • Mandarin Chinese is spoken all over China. Yes, other languages in China exist, but the vast majority of Chinese nationals you meet will speak Mandarin to fluency.
  • There are literally over a hundred universities across China that offer full-time Mandarin language courses to foreigners. The tuition fees for these courses are very cheap compared to university courses in The West.
  • If you want to apply to a Mandarin language course at a Chinese university, there are literally no qualification requirements. All you need is a passport and a clean criminal record.

Completing a Degree in China

This is a big decision, and I have quite a few friends who completed their undergraduate studies at a Chinese university.

There is a long list of pros and cons to doing this.

You need to think long and hard about whether completing a degree in China is worth it. Undergraduate degrees are four years minimum, and master’s degrees are usually two years long.

Bear in mind that most of my friends who graduated in China are happy they did so, but most of them are proactive people who made use of their time here and went beyond what was expected of them.

University Mandarin Language Course Content

Was my Chinese language course at Sun-Yat Sen University perfect? Absolutely not.

Would I recommend it to others? Yes (if it hadn’t been discontinued).

Would I do it again? Perhaps, but there are things I’d do differently.

The following are some important points you should be aware of when you take a university language course in China.

  • Homework – These courses tend to move fast, and if you don’t revise and do work outside of class time, you’ll get left behind. You will have dictation every other day or so, and memorising characters is hard.
  • Tests, Results, and Attendance – You will be tested at the end of every semester on all areas of your Chinese learning. These results matter, at least if you want to keep studying at a Chinese university. In my experience, there is leeway with most universities when it comes to results, as long as your attendance is good.

What Textbooks Will Be Used?

Although textbooks will differ between institutions, most of the foreign students I contacted to enquire about their coursebooks used one of the following core textbooks:

The Boya Series features two separate textbooks for each level, from elementary to advanced. Each chapter will feature a conversation or text which introduces new grammar points and vocabulary.

This was the textbook used on my course at Sun-Yat Sen University, and I do think it’s pretty good. The topics flow well and each chapter follows a logical progression. Each level is also closely aligned to the HSK (Chinese Proficiency Test), so after you’ve finished both elementary books you’ll be around the HSK 3-4 mark.

Developing Chinese is another popular comprehensive textbook used in colleges throughout China.

Boya and Developing Chinese are similar in a lot of ways. Although I slightly prefer the layout and structure of Boya books, the Developing Chinese Elementary books have slightly more content.

Note: You will need to buy other supplementary textbooks for listening and writing classes.

If you’re looking for a more in-depth guide to good Mandarin Chinese textbooks, check out my post Learning Chinese: The Best Textbooks For Beginners.

Benefits of Studying Chinese in a University Setting

Xiamen University

Mandarin Practice

The largest benefit to me personally was the hours of using Mandarin Chinese each day. Teachers will strongly encourage you not to use any English during class, and there are likely to be a few Asian students in your class that can’t speak English anyway.

If you’ve been in China a while, you’d be surprised at how difficult it is to practice Mandarin with locals. Many of them would prefer to practice English with you instead. Also, if you’re at an elementary level, finding someone willing to humour your bad Mandarin can be difficult.

In your Mandarin class at university, everyone is in the same boat. You’ll be able to make mistake after mistake without feeling like a fool every time. The teaching methodology on these University courses might not be the best, but the Mandarin practicing environment more than makes up for this.

Extra-Curricular Activites

Being at a university, you have the opportunities to get involved in anything and everything Chinese.

If you’re reading this, chances are you’re in your twenties or early thirties. Being young and foreign on a Chinese university campus means you will be noticed, and you will be invited to things if you get yourself out there.

Be proactive on campus, and you’ll have even more chances to practice Chinese.

Cost-Effective

Some of you might say, “I think you’ll find the cheapest way to learn Chinese is via free apps!”

Well, language learning apps can help you a quite a lot and I’ve discussed them at length in my post The 21 Best Apps For Learning Mandarin Chinese.

Studying Chinese at a university in China is the cheapest way to immerse yourself in local culture and a Mandarin-speaking environment.

The fees for a semester of study at Sun Yat-Sen University in Guangzhou were 8000 RMB. The tuition fees will differ depending on the institution, but they’re unlikely to be more than 20,000 RMB per semester.

Living expenses can be incredibly cheap in China, especially in third-tier cities. Be aware that if you’re renting privately in a first-tier city, this can increase your monthly expenditure enormously.

Which Is The Best University Mandarin Course In China?

As I’ve already said, university language courses in China will be fairly similar across the board, with a similar schedule, textbook, and teaching style.

The reputation of your university doesn’t mean anything when it comes to a university language course in China.

The Chinese language course which has the best reputation in China is probably Beijing Language And Culture University. On top of that, Beijing is the Mecca of Mandarin. Or, the Beijing of Mandarin… Whatever, you know what I mean.

If you’re doing a full degree, then things might be a bit different. So, if you’re really interested in Chinese university league tables, check this out.

Oh, and FYI, the Mandarin course I did at Sun-Yat Sen University has been discontinued.

How Do I Apply for a Mandarin Language Course at a Chinese University?

This process was a bit of a headache at times, but nowhere near as complicated as other people on the internet have made it out to be.

Sometimes the websites for Chinese universities look like they were made in the eighties and haven’t been updated since. I remember having difficulty with the weird rules of the payment process for Sun Yat-Sen, but I got there in the end.

There is a simple way around doing it all yourself, which I’ll explain below.

Decide on a Location

This is the really fun part.

China is absolutely massive, and you can have a very different experience depending on where you choose to study. As I said earlier, there are over a hundred universities in China that offer Mandarin courses to foreigners, so most cities are available to you.

Do you want luxurious, international surroundings with every western amenity at your fingertips? Shanghai, Beijing, and Shenzhen have a host of university options.

If you’d prefer to live cheaply and enjoy the great outdoors, you could head to a university in Guilin.

Do you love the snow and freezing your bum off for 6 months of the year? Head to a university in Harbin.

If you’re really struggling for ideas, check out…

CUCAS

CUCAS is a website supplying application services to foreigners who’re applying to Chinese universities.

They have a big database of universities and courses, and you can find more information about fees and other stuff for universities in the location you wish to go to.

If you’re willing to pay an extra 75-100 USD or so, CUCAS provides a pretty good service for university applicants. They will take you through the application process without the few headaches you might get from doing all of the legwork yourself. Because I’d been in China a while (and because I had no money) I applied to Sun Yat-Sen university directly through their website instead.

Although I wouldn’t always recommend people to apply through the website directly to save money, CUCAS is a good jumping-off point and source of information.

Apply in Plenty of Time

If you’re applying for September intake (language courses start at the beginning of each Chinese semester), universities will usually say that applications will close at the end of June.

Before the age of Covid-19, most universities would let you turn up on a tourist visa to get into China. Then, your chosen university would switch you over to a student visa after you’d arrived. Those days are now long gone and things are much more complicated now. Expect to have to do things by the book.

Conclusion

If you want to learn Mandarin and learn it fast, consider coming to a Chinese university.

There might still be more efficient ways to learn Mandarin, but with the right attitude, you can progress quickly and immerse yourself in the Chinese-speaking world.

  • Have some fun by getting out a map of China and looking at places that grab your attention. Do some research. Get inspired.
  • Use CUCAS as a jumping-off point to see if there is a university in the location you’d like to study.
  • If you’re looking for more study options in China, check out my post The Ultimate Guide to Learning Mandarin Chinese in China.

Further Reading

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