Candidater à Central South University en tant qu'étudiant international : exigences, frais et échéances

Central South University (中南大学) is a public research university in Changsha, Hunan. Ranked 96th in ARWU 2025 and is China's leading university for metallurgy and mining.

Central South University in Changsha is a large comprehensive university built around the Xiangya medical tradition, which is one of the oldest Western medical schools in China, and around materials, metallurgy and mining engineering.

It has around 57,000 students and is well known for an international student community that is unusually strong in clinical medicine and materials research.

Why international students choose CSU

• One of the best-value MBBS programmes with a genuinely old medical school
• World-class materials and metallurgy research with industry funding
• Changsha is affordable with a lively student culture

Programmes open to international students

Language requirements depend on the track: English and Chinese. Confirm the exact requirement with the international office, because some departments within the same university set different thresholds.

Entry requirements in detail

Bachelor: high school diploma with strong biology and chemistry for MBBS, entrance examination, IELTS 6.0. Graduate: degree, transcripts, two references, study plan.

Deadlines, fees and how to apply

Application deadlines: Bachelor: December – April. Graduate: December – April.. The application fee is CNY 500. Applications are submitted through the university's own international admissions system — see the official international office link at the bottom of this page.

The document set is standard across Chinese universities: passport, notarised diploma and transcripts with certified translations, a study plan or research proposal, two recommendation letters for graduate programmes, the Foreigner Physical Examination Form, a police clearance certificate and, for scholarship applicants, a CSCA score report where required. Start with document authentication eight to ten weeks before the deadline.

Tuition and total cost

CNY 20,000–26,000 per year for bachelor's; CNY 26,000–40,000 for master's; MBBS around CNY 60,000 per year.

Changsha is in the Central China region. A realistic student budget including accommodation, food, transport and insurance typically sits between CNY 2,100 and 7,000 per month depending on whether you live in a university dormitory and how far the campus is from the city centre.

Scholarships you can apply for

Chinese Government Scholarship, Confucius Institute Scholarship, Hunan Provincial Government Scholarship, CSU President Scholarship.

The Chinese Government Scholarship requires a pre-admission document from a target university, which means the university application has to be completed before the CSC deadline. Apply to the university first, indicate every scholarship you are eligible for in the same form, and submit a separate CSC Type A application through your national embassy if its deadline allows.

Where you will study

CSU teaches across 4 campuses. Several Chinese universities deliver programmes in more than one city, so confirm in writing which campus your programme uses before accepting an offer.

Academic strengths at CSU

Faculty and research environment

The university employs around 5,800 academic staff. 19 national academy members. Xiangya School of Medicine supervises international MBBS and postgraduate clinical students in English.

Notable alumni

• Dai Anbang — Materials scientist. Academician; founder of Chinese powder metallurgy.
• Huang Boyun — Metallurgist. Academician and industrial metallurgy leader.
• Chen Xiangbao — Physician. Pioneer of Chinese neurosurgery at Xiangya.
• Liang Wannian — Public health expert. Head of China's COVID-19 expert group; Xiangya-trained.

How to strengthen your application

• Lead with the disciplines where CSU is genuinely strong: Metallurgical Engineering, Mining Engineering, Materials Science & Engineering. A study plan that references specific research groups or courses carries far more weight than a general statement.
• If you are applying for a research degree, contact a prospective supervisor 8–12 months before the deadline with a specific proposal. For Chinese universities this is the single most decisive step.
• Submit the language evidence the programme actually asks for. If you are applying to an English-taught track, ask which language the examination papers are delivered in before you accept.
• Apply to more than one university. Chinese scholarship schemes are assessed by different committees and a rejection from one does not affect the others.

Always verify current requirements on the official Central South University international admissions site and on campuschina.org, since deadlines and tuition are revised each cycle.