Xiamen University (XMU, 厦门大学) was founded in 1921 by Tan Kah Kee and was the first university in Chinese history founded by an overseas Chinese. Today it is a national key university in the 211, 985 and Double First-Class programmes. Its campus on Xiamen Bay, between the mountains and the sea, is often named one of the most beautiful university campuses in the world.

XMU in numbers

• 4 campuses: Siming, Xiang'an and Zhangzhou in China and Xiamen University Malaysia
• 6 academic divisions, 36 schools and 18 research institutes covering 12 disciplinary fields
• more than 48,000 students: about 21,700 undergraduates, nearly 20,000 master's and over 6,800 doctoral students
• nearly 3,000 full-time faculty and 14 academicians of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Engineering
• 19 disciplines in the ESI global top 1%; chemistry, materials science and engineering in the top 0.1%
• 6 disciplines on China's world-class discipline list: chemistry, marine science, biology, ecology, statistics and education

Programmes for international students

• Chinese language courses (spring and fall semesters) at the College of International Chinese Education;
• 80 Chinese-taught bachelor's majors; English-taught Clinical Medicine (MBBS) and three design programmes;
• Chinese-taught master's programmes (3 years; International Chinese Language Education — 2 years) and English-taught master's programmes (2 years);
• Chinese- and English-taught doctoral programmes (4 years).

Tuition fees (2027 intake)

Doctoral students pay tuition only for the first 3 of the 4 years. The application fee is CNY 400 and is non-refundable. Textbooks are paid separately.

Application periods (2027 intake)

Language and age requirements

Applicants whose previous education was taught in the language of instruction may submit a certificate from their school instead; citizens of English-speaking countries do not need an English certificate. Age: bachelor's 18–30, master's up to 45, PhD up to 50 (as of 1 September of the year of entry); applicants under 18 submit a guardian's guarantee letter.

CSCA for bachelor's applicants

All bachelor's applicants take the CSCA: mathematics (compulsory), professional Chinese (for Chinese-taught programmes; Chinese language applicants with a valid HSK 4 are exempt), and physics or chemistry for science, engineering, agriculture and medicine. The test language must match the language of instruction.

Selection process

• eligibility review: nationality, education, grades, language certificate, health and extracurricular activities;
• academic review by the school: document assessment and, if needed, a remote written test or interview;
• an acceptance letter from the school is optional but gives priority;
• results are announced in June–July, and studies start in September.

Siming Campus

The historic main campus in Siming District, Xiamen, covers 167 hectares on Xiamen Bay. It houses the humanities and arts, social sciences, natural sciences and engineering divisions, including law, economics, management, chemistry, mathematics and foreign languages, as well as the Jiageng-style buildings dating back to the university's founding.

Xiang'an Campus

A large modern campus in Xiang'an District that opened in autumn 2012 and was essentially completed by 2021. It hosts medicine (including the MBBS centre), public health, pharmacy, life sciences, marine and earth sciences, environment and ecology, information science, electronics, energy, aerospace and the College of International Chinese Education, where Chinese language courses are taught.

Zhangzhou Campus

Founded in 2002 in the Zhangzhou China Merchants Economic and Technological Development Zone, covering 171 hectares. It houses the Institute of Creativity and Innovation (English-taught design programmes), the International College and other innovation platforms.

Xiamen University Malaysia

Approved in 2013, it made XMU the first Chinese university to build an independent overseas campus. Its students come from more than 50 countries and regions, and 5 of its disciplines are in the ESI global top 1%.

On-campus apartments

Prices exclude water and electricity; the exact rate is stated in the admission notice. Rooms have beds, desks, wardrobes, air conditioning, a water heater, a bathroom (shared within a suite in Xiang'an) and internet (paid by the student); self-service washing machines and dryers are available.

Who gets a place

• beds are limited: priority goes to scholarship holders whose scholarship includes accommodation, then to other scholarship and self-funded students;
• a room is provided until 31 July of the academic year;
• students without a place rent off campus — around CNY 2,500 per room per month near Siming Campus;
• Chinese language course students are not given on-campus housing: rent near Xiang'an Campus is about CNY 600–1,500 per room per month;
• some CSC and International Chinese Language Teachers Scholarship holders can choose off-campus housing with a cash subsidy.

Other living costs

Meals cost about CNY 1,000–1,500 per month. Comprehensive insurance for international students is compulsory and costs CNY 800 per year.

Scholarships for international students

Deadlines and rules (2027 intake)

• Chinese Government Scholarship, Type B: 1 December 2026 — 15 February 2027, through the XMU application system and the CSC system (XMU agency number 10384);
• Fujian Provincial Government Scholarship and XMU Freshman Scholarship: until 10 April 2027, together with the admission application;
• the Xiamen Tan Kah Kee Scholarship for students of Chinese descent is suspended;
• the XMU Coastal Sustainable Development Scholarship is only for ASEAN countries;
• CSC holders may not receive other Chinese government or university scholarships at the same time;
• all scholarship holders take an annual review; if they fail it, the scholarship is suspended or cancelled.

Key milestones

From 1934, when Tan Kah Kee's business closed, he kept supporting the university, and in 1936 he decided to hand it over to the state. Today XMU is part of the 211, 985 and Double First-Class programmes.

Ranking positions

Disciplines

• 19 disciplines are in the ESI global top 1%; chemistry, materials science and engineering are in the top 0.1%;
• chemistry, marine science, biology, ecology, statistics and education are on China's world-class discipline list (2022);
• 40 XMU subjects are ranked in GRAS 2026.

Global partnerships

• inter-university agreements with 277 universities outside mainland China;
• 14 Confucius Institutes in 12 countries on five continents, plus 34 Confucius Classrooms and a Chinese language and culture research centre — one of the largest networks among Double First-Class universities;
• Xiamen University Malaysia, the first independent overseas campus of a Chinese university, with students from more than 50 countries and regions.

International education

• the College of International Chinese Education teaches Chinese to students from around the world and runs bachelor's and master's programmes in Chinese language education;
• English-taught international master's and PhD programmes and an English-taught MBBS;
• a dedicated scholarship system for international students, including Chinese Government, Fujian Provincial, Marine and XMU Freshman scholarships;
• international students join campus events such as Chinese Corner, China Day, sports games and the Xiamen International Marathon.

Сямэнь — один из самых приятных прибрежных городов юго-восточного Китая в провинции Фуцзянь. Это современный, чистый и очень «европейски ощущаемый» город с островной частью (Гуланъюй), набережными и мягким климатом. Исторически важный порт и сегодня — центр торговли, туризма и образования.

Для студентов Сямэнь считается одним из лучших городов Китая: хорошие университеты, высокая безопасность, много иностранцев, красивый климат и комфортная городская среда. Минус — более высокая стоимость жизни по сравнению с внутренними городами.