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Six years: the length of the English-taught MBBS in China and the general rule on study lengths

Sources checked · Unofficial summary

Under Article 5 of the Ministry of Education's 2007 interim provisions, the English-taught MBBS for international students in China has a study length of six years. Article 17 of the Higher Education Law separately sets the basic study length for undergraduate education at four to five years and lets each institution adjust its own study length. This page sets out each rule with its document, so you can read the wording yourself. For the register's section on admission, fees and study, see this register's section page.

This page is an unofficial summary. The English wording below is this site's translation of the Chinese text.

What Article 5 of the 2007 provisions says

The provisions are titled 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 (Interim Provisions on Quality Control Standards for Undergraduate Medical Education in English for International Students). They were issued by the Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China as annex 1 to 教外来〔2007〕39号.

Article 5 says that the English-taught undergraduate medical education for international students has a study length of six years (学制六年). It then says that a student who completes the requirements of the teaching plan and whose results are qualified is approved for graduation after review, and that the school running the programme issues the graduation certificate. A student who meets the Degree Regulations of the People's Republic of China is granted a bachelor's degree in medicine. The English copy of that certificate may read MBBS (Bachelor of Medicine & Bachelor of Surgery).

Article 3 of the same provisions allows the programme to add or remove some courses and to adjust course hours, within the aim of training students to the level of Chinese undergraduate medical graduates. Article 3 does not name a study length.

The graduation internship in Article 13(3)

Article 13 of the same provisions sets out three parts of the curriculum. Part (3) concerns the graduation internship.

Article 13(3) says that the graduation internship lasts one academic year, not less than 48 weeks. It is arranged at the school's teaching hospital or at a teaching hospital recognised by a foreign health department. The schools must follow the teaching plan when setting the content and requirements of the internship. After the internship, international students must sit the graduation examination of the school they attend.

The general rule on study lengths in Article 17

The Higher Education Law of the People's Republic of China was adopted on 29 August 1998 and amended on 27 December 2015 and 29 December 2018. Its text is published by the Ministry of Education of the PRC.

Article 17 gives the basic study lengths for each level of higher education. The lengths are set out below.

Level of education Basic study length (Article 17)
Junior college education (专科教育) 2 to 3 years
Undergraduate education (本科教育) 4 to 5 years
Master's postgraduate education (硕士研究生教育) 2 to 3 years
Doctoral postgraduate education (博士研究生教育) 3 to 4 years

Article 17 also says that the study length of non-full-time higher education should be extended appropriately. Its last sentence says that higher education institutions may adjust the study length of their own institution according to actual needs.

Reading the two documents

The two documents have different scopes and different dates. The 2007 provisions cover the English-taught clinical medicine undergraduate programme for international students at the schools they govern. Article 17 of the Higher Education Law covers higher education in general and sets basic lengths for each level. Each rule is written in its own document, and this page does not combine them into one rule.

Questions people ask

How long is the English-taught MBBS programme in China?

Article 5 of the Ministry of Education's 2007 interim provisions (annex 1 to 教外来〔2007〕39号) says that the English-taught undergraduate medical education for international students has a study length of six years.

How long is the graduation internship under the 2007 provisions?

Article 13(3) of the same provisions says that the graduation internship lasts one academic year, not less than 48 weeks, and is arranged at the school's teaching hospital or at a teaching hospital recognised by a foreign health department.

Does the Higher Education Law allow a university to adjust its study length?

Article 17 of the Higher Education Law says that a higher education institution may adjust the study length of its own institution according to actual needs. The same article gives 4 to 5 years as the basic study length for undergraduate education.

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. The official text and the regulator's own instructions prevail if they differ.

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