China

Malaysian students in China exceeded 1,500 while 15,000 Chinese students are studying in Malaysia

United Chinese School Committees Association of Malaysia (UCSCAM)

Studying in China is a popular choice among Chinese-educated students in Malaysia.

Some of the important schools at the state or national level are :

1) Fudan University
2) Shanghai Jiao Tong University of Medicine
3) Tianjin University of Science & Technology
4) Southwest University
5) Chongqing Jiaotong University
6) Jinan University
7) Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts
8) Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine
9) Nanjing University of Aeronautics & Astronautics
10) Zhejiang University
11) Zhejiang Chinese Medical University
12) Huazhong University
13) Hua Qiao University
14) Xiamen University

There are 3,000 Malaysian students studying in China.

Among them, 2,000 are undergraduate students and 1,000 are graduate students.

Malaysian students are ranked the fifth largest group of oversea students in China.

This shows that Malaysia's Chinese-educated students are recognized for their Chinese language ability and academic achievements.

In August 2004, the Chinese Embassy officially recognized the Unified Examination Certificate (UEC) of the Malaysian Chinese Schools.

The UEC is the certificate awarded to Chinese Independent School students who have completed their high school in Malaysia.

Anyone who holds this certificate is exempt from The Chinese Proficiency Test (HSK) and can directly apply to any of the 560 Chinese higher education institutions. This is an encouraging news to the Chinese-educated community.

There are many benefits to studying in China :

1) reasonable tuition fees
2) outstanding professors
3) good teaching facilities
4) easy for Chinese-educated students to study there due to the language and cultural similarities.

Education Structure of China

• Pre-school education is provided for children from three to five years old and is taught at kindergartens

• Primary education begins at the age of six or seven and is followed by secondary schooling at age 12 or 13. The duration of the primary school term is five or six years and secondary school term is three or four yea's.

• There are three types of primary and secondary schooling system The first type is six school years for primary schooling and three years for secondary schooling. The second type is five years and four years respectively and the last type is schooling for nine years through. Most schools in the country practice the six-year primary schooling term and three-year secondary schooling term. Primary schools are usually run by the local educational authorities where free education is offered to students, although there are some private schools owned by enterprises and individuals

• After completing the first three years of State-run secondary school (junior middle schools) which is compulsory and free, students usually proceed to State-run senior middle schools or high school education for a duration of three years. This three-year high school education begins at the age of 15 or 16, is not compulsory and students are required to pay minimal tuition fees Although most of them proceed to senior middle schools after completion, some would transfer to technical workers' schools, specialized secondary schools or upper secondary vocational schools for approximately three to five years

Higher Education Structure

The higher educational institutions in China include universities, colleges and professional schools of higher education. These institutions of higher learning undertake teaching, scientific research and social services.

The universities in China are divided into several categories: one category of universities is under the Ministry of Education, another category is managed by provincial, autonomous regional and municipal governments. Others are run by local city centers and local communities. There are also independent colleges which have status equal to universities.

To ensure that the students enrolled in the universities are the best, the Chinese government has adopted a very strict university enrolment examination system Only students who have obtained a high school graduation certificate and have passed the common National Entrance Examination will have the opportunity to enroll as a university student. The entrance examination usually takes place every July. Getting into State-run unvisited is therefore highly-competitive.

Those who tail to get selected would have to pursue their studies at private colleges if they wish to continue with education The tuition fees at these colleges are more expensive than those charged at the State-run universities Those who lack the financial funds or fail to fulfill the entry requirements for the pursuit of higher education can continue their studies after they have entered the working world.

Full-time institutions of higher learning have two semesters in one academic year (some colleges have three semesters) The first semester begins in early September, while the second semester begins in mid-February One semester has about 20 weeks.

Academic Degree Awards

China's academic degrees arc awarded to students who have completed and fulfilled the requirements of studies which include bachelor's. master's and doctoral degrees
Bachelor's degrees are conferred to undergraduates of universities and colleges who have fulfilled all requirements such as teaching plans. good academic records in curricular subjects and a graduation thesis. A Master's degree is awarded to postgraduates of universities, colleges and research institutes who have passed all examinations of study subjects including g-aduation defence A Doctoral degree is conferred to PhD students of universities, colleges and research institutes who have passed all examinations of study subjects and a graduation oral examination.

• Bachelor's degrees usually require four to five years of study, while Master's degrees require two to three years and PhDs are granted after three years

College &University Education for Foreigners

International Students in China

On 31 December 2006. there were 162,695 foreign students from 184 countries studying in China at 519 institutions of higher learning out of which 92 % were self-financed. Out of these. 119,733 were for long term studies and 42.962 were short-term (less than six months)

Entrance Requirement to Educational Institutions in China

Rules on foreign students' enrolment in China's Colleges & Universities are formulate in accordance with the Education Law of the People's Republic of China, tie Higher Education Law of the People's Republic of China and the Law of the People's Republic of China on Control of the Entry and Exit of Aliens.

Some of the rules for China's Colleges & Universities are as follows:

• Higher educational institutions can provide foreign students with education for academic as well as non-academic qualifications.

• The number of foreign students to be enrolled in higher educational institutions is not limited by the state-planned quota

• Foreign citizens applying to study at higher educational institutions in China shall acquire competent qualifications and meet the enrolment requirement, possess economic assurance and a warrantor in China

• Higher educational institutions shall provide qualification assessments. entrance tests or check-ups for foreign students. Higher educational institutions have the authority to decide their own enrolment standard-Foreign students receiving academic education in Chinese should sit for the Chinese language proficiency test, or Hanyu Shuiping Kaoshi (HSK)

• The enrolment of foreign students is determined by the higher educational institutions. Higher educational institutions have the right to enroll foreign students who are self-paying and those under inter-school exchange programmes.

The Application Procedure for Students Who Wish to Study in China

Chinese is the main teaching language for international students in Chinese universities. International students need to have a certain level of command of The Chinese language in order to complete their studies smoothly Malaysian students must first complete their secondary school education and obtain SPM / STPM / UEC / A-Levels qualifications, which is equivalent lo the Senior High School qualification in China (12 years of formal education). and sit for the Chinese proficiency Hanyu Shuiping Kaoshi (HSK) Test

The Application Procedure:

• First, obtain an Application Form directly from the respective universities and send the application form and relevant documents with the application fee to the intended university.

• The applicant will be informed when they are required to sit for the University's Entrance Examination that varies from one university to another, if necessary Successful candidates who have passed the examination will receive a Notice of Acceptance from the respective university.

• Students are required to undergo a health check-up

• The last step is to apply for a Visa through the Embassy of China at:
Embassy of The People's Republic of China
229. Jalan Ampang, 50450 Kuala Lumpur. Malaysia
Tel: 603-2142 8585 Fax: 603-2141 4552

• There are two intakes per year. One is between 15m September to 15th
December and the other intake is between 15th February to 15th June;
depending on the university

Levels	General Entry Requirement	Duration
Undergraduate student (Junior and senior)	Completed 12 years of formal education equivalent to High School m China and pass the examination conducted by the respective university	Junior 4 to 5 years Senior 2 to 3 years
Master's Degree student	College graduate with recommendations room two vice-professors / professors, and pass the enrolment examination	2 to 3 years
PhD student	Postgraduate-qualifications with recommendations from two vice-professors / professors, and pass the enrolment examination	3 to 4 years

Estimated Cost of education in China

General Tuition Fees for Self-financed International Students

Cost of Living

The cost o' living of students varies from place to place. However, generally, the cost is as follows:

Food
• 3 meals: USS55 per month in an international students' dining hall

Lodging
• USS1.5 to 4 per person per bed per day (two-bed room with toilet and bath)
On the whole, a student staying in Beijing needs to spend about USS3.000 per year on accommodation, food and transportation. Foreign students are not allowed to work while studying.

Scholarships for Foreign Students
The Chinese Scholarship Council (CSC) o' the Ministry of Education is responsible 'or awarding Government scholarships to international students who intend to further their studies in China.

Undergraduate Students (Junior and Senior)
1	Liberal Arts Students	USS 1.800 - USS 3,400 per year
2	Science or Engineering Students	USS 2,000 - USS 4.400 per year
3	Medical Students	USS 2.700 - USS 5.700 per year

Master's Degree Candidates
1	Liberal Arts Students	USS 2,300 - USS 3,900 per year
2	Science or Engineering Students	USS 2,600 - USS 5,000 per year
3	Medical Students	USS 3,500 - USS 7,800 per year

PhD Candidates
1	Liberal Arts Students	USS 2,900 - USS 4,400 per year
2	Science or Engineering Students	USS 3,100 - USS 5,700 per year
3	Medical Students	USS 4.300 - USS 8,800 per year