i. eligibility
1. applicants must be current degree students from partner institutions of xiamen university;
2. applicants between 18 and 50 (as of september 1, in entry year), in good health, and with a valid regular passport.
note: for foreign citizens of chinese origin, including former chinese citizens who have obtained foreign citizenships, as well as the non-chinese descendants of present or former chinese citizens, they need to pass the procedure of citizenship status preliminary review when submitting an online application and need to be officially recognized as foreign citizens by the division of exit and entry administration of public security bureau after arriving at xiamen university. those failing to pass the preliminary review or foreign citizenship recognition will be regarded as a renunciation of their qualification for enrolment.
ii. application and admissions process
1. applicants that meet the eligibility criteria should apply to the exchange coordinator at their home institution.
2. after being officially nominated by their home institution, applicants should submit an online application via xmu's portal (; register with frequently used email address before clicking “exchange program”) and upload the required documents.
3. exchange coordinators from the partner institution should send the xmu inbound-nomination list.xlsx (see attachment) to xmu's program coordinator, and assist the nominees in completing the online application before the deadline.
4. application will be reviewed by xmu's office of international cooperation and exchange and relevant colleges or schools.
note: in general, applicants are not allowed to change their major after admission.
iii. application documents
applicants must provide the true and correct information in all application documents through the application portal:
1. scanned copy of valid regular personal passport with validity covering the period of exchange;
2. enrolment certificate issued by the home institution;
3. current academic transcripts issued by the home institution;
4. study plan of at least 800 words, written in chinese or english;
5. one recommendation letter written in chinese or english with the referrer’s autograph or the official stamp of the home institutions;
6. language proficiency certificate;
(1) not required for chinese language program offered by the xmu's overseas education college.
(2) for chinese-taught programs, applicants should submit a valid hsk certificate. for applicants for humanities, economics, management, law, arts and traditional chinese medicine programs, hsk band 5 with a score of 210 or higher is required. for sciences, engineering and medicine programs, hsk band 4 with a score of 210 or above is required. applicants who have taken all courses in chinese during their current or previous degree studies are exempt from the hsk certificate requirement, but a medium-of-instruction certificate from the home institutions should be furnished. applicants from countries where the chinese language is commonly used are also exempt from the hsk certificate requirement after providing a certificate of chinese language skills from the home institutions.
(3) for english-taught programs, a valid toefl-ibt ( 80 points or above/ higher) or ielts academic (6.0 points or above/ higher) is required. applicants who have taken all courses in english during their current or previous degree studies are exempt from this requirement, but a medium-of-instruction certificate from the university should be furnished. native english speakers are exempt from this requirement.
7. physical examination form () including chest x ray image, electrocardiogram, laboratory exam results and data sheets of some required items, completed in chinese or english, with the lower part of the applicant's photo stamped by the hospital. physical examination results are valid for six months.
8. financial support guarantee statement () and supporting documents completed in chinese or english, certifying that the applicant has sufficient funds to cover their tuition, accommodation, living expenses, and international travels during their study in china. the statement should be accompanied by a copy of the financial sponsor's valid passport or identification certificate.
iv. application period
for spring semester entry: september 15-october 31
deadline for nomination: october 15
for autumn semester entry: february 15-march 31
deadline for nomination: march 15
note: late applications will not be considered.
v. programs and location of campuses
applicants with no or little command of chinese are advised to choose their major from:
1. english-medium programs
english-medium exchange programs at undergraduate level:
location | school | program |
siming campus | school of economics | economics |
siming campus | school of management | business administration |
xiang'an campus | school of medicine | clinical medicine (mbbs) |
english-medium exchange programs at master's level:
english-medium exchange programs at doctoral level:
2. chinese as a foreign language, an intensive language program taught in overseas education college for international students with no requirement in chinese proficiency (hsk certificate or equivalent), focusing on chinese language learning and chinese culture. (as different from chinese literature, which is a degree program taught in chinese with a requirement of chinese proficiency. hsk5 with a score of 210 or above or equivalent accreditation is required. the program can be challenging to non-native chinese speakers.)
applicants with good command of chinese can choose their major from
1. chinese-medium programs at bachelor's level:
chinese-medium course list:
2. chinese-medium programs at master's level:
3. chinese-medium programs at doctoral level:
location of campuses:
there are 34 schools and colleges in xmu. the following schools/colleges/institutes are located on xiang’an campus: chinese international education college/overseas education college, school of medicine, school of pharmaceutical sciences, school of public health, school of aerospace engineering, school of life sciences, college of oceanography and earth sciences, coastal and ocean management institute, college of environment and ecology, and college of energy, college of electronic science and technology, school of information. xiang’an campus is about a 40-minute drive from siming campus. other colleges are located on siming campus.
vi. fees
1. tuition fee: subject to bilateral mous.
2. on-campus accommodation fee: subject to bilateral mous.
students who live on campus are also required to pay the security deposit, and water and electricity fees in accordance with the university's regulations. please refer to the latest notice for the charging methods and standards.
3. meals: around rmb 800-1200/month.
4. insurance: exchange students should purchase medical insurance to cover their exchange period before landing and provide the insurance receipt on registration.
other expenses for study in china, such as international travel expenses, cost of physical examination and course materials, should be borne by the exchange students themselves.
vii. contact information
program coordinator: jing lee
tel: 0086-(0)592-2580168 e-mail: lee02
common errors on the xmu international exchange application platform.docx