Chinese language during an English-taught MBBS: what the standard and the quality norms require

Sources checked 11 October 2026 · Unofficial summary

Three Chinese Ministry of Education documents set Chinese language requirements for English-taught undergraduate medical programmes in mainland China, and this page sets out what each one says. Under the 2007 interim standard, Chinese is a compulsory course that runs through the whole teaching process. Under the 2018 quality notice, undergraduates in programmes taught in a foreign language shall reach at least level 4 of the International Chinese Proficiency Standards (《国际汉语能力标准》) by graduation. These are Chinese Ministry rules, and this page does not cover the conditions of any home-country regulator; for the register's admission pages, see this register's section page.

The 2007 interim standard

The Interim Provisions on Quality Control Standards for Undergraduate Medical Education in English for International Students (来华留学生医学本科教育（英语授课）质量控制标准暂行规定) are annex 1 to document 教外来〔2007〕39号 of the Ministry of Education. The English wording of the Chinese text on this page is this site's own translation.

Article 8(1) says that a medical graduate shall have basic Chinese knowledge and an understanding of China (掌握基本汉语知识，了解中国概况). Article 8(1) names no level of Chinese.

Article 13(1) sets out the first group of the curriculum. That group includes China overview (中国概况), Chinese (汉语), medical Chinese (医学汉语), mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology and physical education. Each course in that group is required to be passed by examination or assessment.

Article 14 says that Chinese, as a compulsory course, shall run through the whole teaching process. The article gives its reasons: the convenience of studying and living in China, and the later need to contact patients. Article 14 names no level.

The 2018 quality notice and its Standards

The Ministry of Education issued notice 教外〔2018〕50号 on 3 September 2018. The notice issues the Quality Standards for the Higher Education of International Students in China (Trial) (来华留学生高等教育质量规范（试行）), which this page calls "the Standards". The notice says that regions and universities may formulate supporting norms on the basis of the Standards.

The section of the Standards headed 语言能力 (language ability) sets the Chinese level at graduation. Its first paragraph covers disciplines and programmes whose teaching language is Chinese. Its second paragraph covers disciplines and programmes whose teaching language is a foreign language. The levels are:

Provision	Programme teaching language	Chinese level at graduation
Standards, 语言能力, first paragraph	Chinese	Level 5 of 《国际汉语能力标准》
Standards, 语言能力, second paragraph	Foreign language, undergraduates	At least level 4 of 《国际汉语能力标准》
Standards, 语言能力, second paragraph	Foreign language, master's and doctoral students	At least level 3 of 《国际汉语能力标准》

The section names these levels and names no test or score. This page does not convert them to any test scale.

Chinese and China overview in degree programmes

Article 16 of Order No. 42, the Measures for the Administration of Schools Recruiting and Educating International Students (学校招收和培养国际学生管理办法), was issued jointly by the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Public Security. The promulgation text says the order takes effect from 1 July 2017.

Article 16 has two paragraphs. The first says that international students shall take courses under the school's curriculum and teaching plan and shall sit the graduation examinations or assessments. The second says that Chinese and China overview shall be compulsory courses in higher education degree programmes. The text of Article 16 does not mention medicine.

Section 6.2 of the Standards says that a training programme shall include Chinese language proficiency requirements and compulsory requirements for China overview courses. It also says that universities shall arrange sufficient and suitable Chinese courses and China overview courses to meet the course needs of international students.

Questions people ask

Do English-taught MBBS programmes in China include Chinese courses?

Article 13(1) of the 2007 interim standard places Chinese (汉语) and medical Chinese (医学汉语) in the first group of the curriculum, and each course in that group is required to be passed by examination or assessment. Article 14 says Chinese is a compulsory course that shall run through the whole teaching process. These are Ministry of Education provisions for English-taught undergraduate medical education, not a home-country regulator's conditions.

What Chinese level must an undergraduate reach at graduation?

Under the second paragraph of the language-ability section of the Standards, an undergraduate in a programme taught in a foreign language shall reach at least level 4 of the International Chinese Proficiency Standards (《国际汉语能力标准》) by graduation. That section names this level and no test or score for it. This page does not map the level to any test.

Who arranges the Chinese courses?

Section 6.2 of the Standards says that universities shall arrange sufficient and suitable Chinese courses and China overview courses to meet the course needs of international students. The 2018 notice adds that regions and universities may formulate supporting norms on the basis of the Standards.

Sources

Checked 11 October 2026.

This page is an unofficial summary. It is not legal, medical or professional-licensing advice, it is not published by the bodies named, and it promises no admission, examination or registration outcome. If the official text differs from this page, the official text and the regulator's own instructions prevail.