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The national floor for prior education: senior secondary graduation and what the standards add

Sources checked · Unofficial summary

For an undergraduate place in mainland China, the Higher Education Law names senior secondary graduation, or equivalent academic attainment, as the prior education for entry. The 2018 quality standards for international students add a reference to equivalent qualifications and a rule on intergovernmental agreements. The 2007 provisions for English-taught medical undergraduate study add conditions on results, health and English ability, but set no subject marks and no age. This page covers those Chinese documents only. It does not set out what the home-country regulators of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh or Nepal require. For other pages on this register, see this register's section page.

The three documents

The table lists the three provisions in the order this page takes them. The English wording is this site's translation of the Chinese texts; the Chinese wording is in each Ministry of Education document.

Document Date Provision
Higher Education Law of the People's Republic of China Adopted 29 August 1998; amended 27 December 2015 and 29 December 2018 Article 19
Interim Provisions on Quality Control Standards for Undergraduate Medical Education in English for International Students (教外来〔2007〕39号, annex 1) Issued 2007 Article 20
Quality Standards for the Higher Education of International Students in China (Trial) (教外〔2018〕50号) Notice dated 3 September 2018 Section 1.1

All three are published by the Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China.

Article 19 of the Higher Education Law

Article 19 says that a person who has graduated from senior secondary education, or who has equivalent academic attainment (同等学力), and who passes the examination, is admitted by a higher education institution that runs the corresponding educational programme. The admission gives eligibility to enter junior-college or undergraduate study.

The later paragraphs of Article 19 deal with master's and doctoral entry and are not covered here.

Article 20 of the 2007 provisions

Article 20 applies to foreign citizens who apply for undergraduate medical education taught in English. It says such an applicant shall have a qualification of senior secondary graduation or above, shall have good academic performance and good health, and shall have a strong English language ability.

For applicants whose mother tongue is not English, Article 20 says they must provide either proof of English study throughout primary and secondary school, or proof from an English-ability examination. The same article says they must give an undertaking to obey the Constitution, the laws and the school's rules while studying in China.

Article 20 sets no subject marks and no age.

Section 1.1 of the 2018 standards

The 2018 standards are trial standards. They are addressed to higher education institutions, which under section 1 set their own admission standards for international students in line with national rules and the standards. Section 1 lists academic background, academic level, language ability, status and economic capacity as the areas those standards cover.

Section 1.1 sets the minimum education requirement. For junior-college and undergraduate entry, it requires senior secondary school graduation or equivalent qualifications. The section refers, by reference (参照), to the requirement of having successfully completed ISCED 2011 level 3 or level 4 programmes that lead to higher education.

Section 1.1 also says that where an intergovernmental agreement on mutual recognition of academic qualifications sets entry conditions for the other party's students, the signed agreement is carried out.

What the documents leave open

  • Article 20 sets no subject marks and no age.
  • Section 1.1 names no particular foreign qualification as equivalent.
  • Section 1 leaves each university to set its own admission standards within the national rules and the standards.
  • The Higher Education Law, the 2007 provisions and the 2018 standards do not set the conditions of any home-country regulator. Those conditions are set by the regulator concerned.

How the three provisions differ in scope

Article 19 is in the Higher Education Law. Article 20 is in the provisions on English-taught medical undergraduate study for foreign citizens. Section 1.1 is in the standards addressed to higher education institutions for international students.

Questions people ask

Does Chinese law name senior secondary graduation as the entry route for an undergraduate programme?

Article 19 of the Higher Education Law says that a person who has graduated from senior secondary education, or who has equivalent academic attainment, obtains eligibility to enter junior-college or undergraduate study after passing the examination and being admitted by a higher education institution that runs the corresponding programme.

Does Article 20 set a minimum mark or age for English-taught medical study?

No. Article 20 sets no subject marks and no age. It requires a qualification of senior secondary graduation or above, good academic performance, good health and a strong English language ability. It also sets proof requirements for applicants whose mother tongue is not English.

Which foreign qualifications does section 1.1 name as equivalent?

Section 1.1 names none. It requires senior secondary school graduation or equivalent qualifications, and it refers by reference to ISCED 2011 level 3 or level 4 programmes that lead to higher 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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