No.5 Yiheyuan Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100871, P. R. China
Career Counselling
Peking University, founded in 1898, is a highly ranked institution of higher learning excellence located in Beijing, China. It is home to over 46,000 students, of whom about 10% are international and about 16,000 are undergraduates.
The main campus of Peking University is in the northwestern part of the city of Beijing, and retains many of its historic buildings and Chinese traditional gardens and landscapes. Pagodas and museums are located next to modern academic buildings and sports and restaurant facilities. The Health Science Cent...
| Establishment year | 1898 |
| Total Students | 46,113 |
| International Students | 4,369 |
| QS World University Rankings 2024 | =17 |
| Campus Size | 677 acres |
| Total Number of Campuses | 4 (including campuses in Oxford and Shenzhen) |
| University Website | https://english.pku.edu.cn/ |
| No. of Schools and Divisions | 5 Faculties (Sciences, Information & Engineering, Humanities, Social Sciences, Economics & Management) + Health Science Center + Shenzhen Graduate School |
| Nobel Prize Winner Alumni | 1 |
| No. of Education Programs | 130 (undergraduate), 301 (doctoral) |
| Student to Faculty ratio | 13.6:1 |
Peking University offers undergraduate and postgraduate courses through 5 Faculties, which are further subdivided into Schools, Colleges, Departments, Research Centers, and Institutes.
The Health Science Center is the de facto Faculty of Medicine. It contains six Schools (Basic Medical Sciences, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Public Health, Nursing, Health Humanities, and Continuing Medical Education) with an additional presence at ten hospitals across the city.
There are 9 interdisciplinary Colleges, Institutes, Research Centers, Schools and Academies, from Artificial Intelligence to Molecular Medicine.
The Shenzhen Graduate School contains 9 sub-schools (e.g. Urban Planning and Design, Advanced Materials) within it.
International applicants for master’s and doctoral courses at Peking University must have a valid passport, robust physical and mental health, no criminal record, and be friendly to and abide by the laws of China. They must also hold a valid undergraduate degree from an international University that is recognized by the Chinese Education Ministry. Every course also has minimum bachelor’s degree grade requirements and Chinese and English language proficiency criteria: which should be checked on individual course pages. Certain courses may also require portfolio submissions and appearances for virtual interview rounds. Most PhD programs require a valid master’s degree; however, many courses within science and engineering allow candidates to apply if they have performed excellently in their undergraduate honors degree.
Most of the criteria are similar for international undergraduate applicants. However, in lieu of degree certificates, notarized copies of High School leaving certificates and academic transcripts must be submitted. Chinese proficiency is tested by the submission of HSK examination scores, with most courses requiring a Level 5 pass performance. Furthermore, different Schools and Departments may require additional information. For example, the Health Science Center asks applicants to submit physical checkup test results, in addition to a bank statement showing a balance of at least 400,000 RMB (58,000 USD).
International applicants to postgraduate courses at Peking University should first check the list of requirements on the web pages relevant to the course they are applying to. Deadlines for admission are also crucial, since applications may be rejected out of hand after the time for submission. Postgraduate international applications must be submitted through the dedicated online application portal. This allows candidates to fill out and submit all the information relevant to their application, and to attach relevant certified documents. Once these steps are completed and the online application fee has been paid, the International Students Division at PKU checks each application thoroughly and transfers those that satisfy the basic requirements to the relevant Schools and Departments. Candidates who pass the minimum academic and language entry criteria will then be invited to an examination to further test their domain expertise. Admission offers are sent out to the best candidates in the second half of June every year.
Undergraduate applicants must also submit their applications online through the application portal. Once the application materials are screened by both the University and the Department, qualifying candidates must complete an admission test with multiple subjects relevant to the course, with a syllabus similar to that of the Chinese high school year 12 examination. Test results and admission offers are published on the relevant course websites, and successful candidates are also sent an email with further enrollment steps. The international online application fee of 800 RMB (116 USD) is to be paid by UG applicants as well.
Undergraduate international students at Peking University pay tuition fees of 26,000 to 30,000 RMB (3,872–4,363 USD) per year. This amount does not include the application fees or the cost of study materials and supporting infrastructure like laptops.
The range of course fees for postgraduate programs is much larger, with the lowest annual tuition fees starting at 29,000 RMB (4,218 USD). However, at the higher end (for example, in the Health Science Center and Business School), tuition fees are considerably more, with the highest being 188,000 RMB (27,349 USD) per year.
PhD course fees are between 32,000 and 40,000 RMB (4,656 to 5,820 USD) per year, depending on the School or Department.
All international students also have to pay a Service Fee of $219 per year, and the monthly living costs (including accommodation, travel, food, and personal expenses) are usually between 1,500 and 2,000 RMB (218 to 291 USD), which translates to approximately $3,000 per year.
The Peking University campus is spread across four locations. The main campus is the oldest and occupies over 600 acres in the city of Beijing. All the facilities that students need for their academic and other needs - from sprawling academic buildings to modern laboratories to retail stores and recreational spaces and sports grounds - are located on this campus. The Health Science Center, which is equivalent to the Faculty of Medicine, has a separate location, and maintains a presence at multiple hospitals in the city. The Shenzhen Graduate School has been situated for over two decades within the city of Shenzhen. Finally, the Peking University - HSBC Business School in the United Kingdom is located near Oxford, and is the first overseas campus of the University.
The wide range of student activities at Peking University is made possible through the 200+ student associations that are formally registered with PKU, and that coordinate sports, cultural, academic, and other recreational activities (including career-related, community service, health, media, and counseling clubs). These associations come together to celebrate and organize annual festivals and events that are part of the University's cultural fabric, from New Year's and Spring Festival celebrations to more specific events like the singing competition for foreign students, the Freshman Art Performance, and several athletic contests. One of the biggest annual events is the International Cultural Festival. Held in October, this truly showcases the global extent of PKU’s reach, and every country that is represented within the student body organizes and decorates activities within a booth.
Many sports competitions are also organized at Peking University. The Beida Cup Athletic Championships allow students the opportunity to display their skills at popular outdoor and indoor sports such as football, volleyball, and basketball. Within this competition, different departments and schools participate to win athletic bragging rights, and the Championships promote health and fitness on campus through sports participation and training.
The Khoo Teck Puat Gymnasium was created for the Summer Olympics held in 2008, and has since been converted into an all-purpose indoor sports and fitness hub. Students can use the facilities to stay fit, to take part in group exercise classes, or to sign up to learn a new sport. In addition to the main fitness center at the Gymnasium, there is also a swimming pool, a rock climbing wall, and areas where table tennis, badminton, squash, and fencing matches can take place. The May Fourth Sports Center is the on-campus hub of all outdoor sports activities, with several grounds and outdoor areas that can be used to play basketball, football, and track and field events. There are many other gymnasiums located at various points within the main campus as well as in the satellite locations of the University.
The Career Development Center at PKU connects students at the University with prospective employers. It provides the following important career services:
There are four main scholarships available to international students at Peking University:
