Peking University: the complete guide for international students

Peking University (北京大学, Běijīng Dàxué), universally known as Beida (北大), is China's most prestigious university for the humanities, social sciences, law, and basic sciences. Founded in 1898 as the Imperial University of Peking, it is the oldest modern university in China and has been at the center of every major intellectual and political movement in modern Chinese history, from the May Fourth Movement to the reform era.

If Tsinghua is China's MIT, Beida is its Harvard — a comparison that both universities would resist but that captures the essential distinction. Tsinghua dominates in engineering and technology; Beida dominates in the liberal arts, social sciences, and theoretical sciences. Both are ranked among the top 15-20 universities globally, and both are in Beijing's Haidian district, but they have distinct academic cultures and student identities.

For international students, Beida offers a unique combination: access to China's most influential thinkers in the social sciences and humanities, a campus culture that values intellectual discourse and debate more than most Chinese universities, and the Yenching Academy — a fully funded master's program specifically designed to bring future global leaders to study China.

The Yenching Academy (燕京学堂, Yānjīng Xuétáng) is Beida's flagship program for international students. Launched in 2015, it offers a two-year fully funded master's degree in China Studies with concentrations in economics and management, history and archaeology, law and society, literature and culture, or politics and international relations. The program is taught in English, though students are required to study Chinese during the program.

Yenching Scholars receive full funding: tuition, accommodation in the Yenching Academy's residential college, a living stipend, round-trip international airfare, and fieldwork funding. The cohort is approximately 120-130 students per year, drawn from dozens of countries. The acceptance rate is highly competitive — roughly 3-5 percent of applicants are admitted.

The Yenching Academy has its own residential college within the Beida campus, creating a close-knit community of scholars. The program includes weekly guest lectures by prominent Chinese and international figures, study trips within China, and a thesis requirement. Graduates go on to careers in diplomacy, academia, consulting, journalism, and international organizations. If you are a high-achieving student with an interest in China and a global career, the Yenching Academy should be on your radar.

Beyond the Yenching Academy, Beida offers English-taught master's programs in international relations, public policy, Chinese law, economics, and several science and engineering fields. The School of International Studies runs a well-regarded English-taught master's program. The Guanghua School of Management offers an English-taught MBA. The Peking University Health Science Center offers English-taught programs in public health and clinical medicine.

At the doctoral level, many departments accept English-taught dissertations, particularly in the sciences. Graduate students working with specific supervisors can often arrange to conduct research and write their dissertations in English, even in programs that are nominally Chinese-taught. This flexibility is one of Beida's advantages for international graduate students.

For undergraduates, most programs are Chinese-taught, and HSK 5 or 6 is required for admission. A small number of English-taught undergraduate courses are available, but full English-taught undergraduate degree programs are limited. Undergraduate international students should plan to study in Chinese.

Beida's campus is iconic. The 275-hectare site in Haidian features Weiming Lake (未名湖, literally 'Nameless Lake'), the Boya Pagoda, and historic buildings dating to the university's founding. The campus is widely considered the most beautiful in Beijing, with traditional Chinese landscaping, ancient trees, and classical architecture alongside modern academic buildings. It is adjacent to the Summer Palace, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The international student community at Beida is large and active. With over 2,000 international students from more than 100 countries, there are numerous student organizations, cultural events, and social activities. The International Students Division organizes orientation, cultural trips, and support services. The proximity to Tsinghua means that you can also participate in events and activities at both universities.

Beida's intellectual culture is its distinguishing feature. The university has a long tradition of student debate, public lectures, and intellectual engagement that is more open than at most Chinese institutions. While there are limits to what can be discussed publicly in China, Beida's campus remains one of the most intellectually vibrant spaces in the country, with frequent guest lectures by prominent scholars, policymakers, and business leaders.

Admission to Beida as an international student is highly competitive, though slightly less so than for Chinese students (who face the gaokao). For Chinese-taught programs, HSK 5 (score 210+) is required for undergraduates and HSK 6 for some graduate programs. For English-taught programs, IELTS 7.0 or TOEFL 95+ is typically required. The Yenching Academy has its own admissions process with a separate application, essays, and interviews.

The application opens in October through Beida's International Students Division website. CSC scholarship applications must also be submitted through the CSC portal by the late March deadline. Self-funded applications are accepted through late April. Graduate programs require a detailed study plan or research proposal and two recommendation letters from associate professors or above.

Beida values academic excellence above all else, but for the Yenching Academy and some other programs, leadership potential, cross-cultural experience, and commitment to understanding China are also important criteria. Your personal statement should articulate clearly why studying at Beida specifically — rather than another Chinese university — matters for your academic and professional goals.

Tuition for Chinese-taught undergraduate programs is approximately 26,000 RMB per year. Chinese-taught master's programs cost 28,000-32,000 RMB per year. English-taught master's programs range from 40,000 to 80,000 RMB per year, with the MBA at Guanghua being the most expensive. The Yenching Academy is fully funded.

International student dormitories at Beida include the Shaoyuan (勺园) complex, which offers single and double rooms at 800-1,500 RMB per month. Demand is high, and not all international students can be accommodated. Off-campus housing in the Haidian area starts at 3,500 RMB per month for a room in a shared apartment.

Living costs in Beijing are high by Chinese standards. Budget 2,500-4,000 RMB per month for food, transportation, and personal expenses, in addition to housing. The CSC scholarship stipend of 3,000-3,500 RMB per month covers basic expenses if you live in the dormitory, but additional personal funds are recommended.