Sichuan University (SCU) Admission Guide for International Students

Two mergers, three campuses — what SCU actually is

Sichuan University (四川大学, SCU) is based in Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province in southwest China. Its official profile describes the university as formed by merging three formerly separate national universities: the former Sichuan University, the former Chengdu University of Science and Technology, which merged in 1994, and the former West China University of Medical Sciences, which followed in 2000.

That history is the most useful thing to understand about SCU, because it explains the shape of the place. Its engineering base and its medical complex did not grow out of one another — they arrived as fully formed institutions and were joined together. The result is a university with heavy engineering and applied science on one side, a long-established medical centre on the other, and its older humanities faculties alongside both.

SCU teaches on three campuses: Wangjiang and Huaxi, both in Wuhou District, and Jiang'an in Shuangliu District. All three are in Chengdu, so an SCU offer decides which part of one city you live in rather than which city.

• Wangjiang Campus (Wuhou District) — the older central campus; the Overseas Students Office is based here
• Huaxi Campus (Wuhou District) — the West China medical and dental campus
• Jiang'an Campus (Shuangliu District) — further out from the central districts
• Confirm which campus hosts your programme on the Overseas Students Office site

The West China medical and dental campus

The Huaxi campus is what most distinguishes SCU from other large comprehensive Chinese universities. "Huaxi" (华西) means West China, and the campus carries the medical institutions that joined the university in 2000.

Dentistry is the clearest example. The West China School of Stomatology — stomatology is the term used in China for dentistry and oral medicine — traces its roots to a dental clinic opened in Chengdu in 1907, with the school itself established in 1917. The school's official site describes it as the birthplace of contemporary dental education in China, and its integrated West China Hospital of Stomatology as the first stomatological hospital in the country and the home of the National Center of Stomatology.

If you are weighing SCU against another Chinese university, this is the concrete difference worth checking rather than a general impression of size or reputation: the medical and dental schools are not a recent addition but long-standing institutions folded into the university. Programme listings, entry requirements and the language of instruction still vary by school and by year, so confirm them on the official pages for the exact subject you want.

The CSCA — a new entrance test to sit before you apply

The most important recent change for undergraduate applicants is not specific to SCU, but it governs how you apply there. China has introduced the China Scholastic Competency Assessment (CSCA), a standardised test for international students seeking bachelor's degrees at Chinese universities.

According to the official notice, the CSCA assesses language proficiency and academic readiness, and applicants for bachelor's degrees are required to complete it before submitting an application, with the requirement extending to all undergraduate applicants — and minimum admission standards to be established — from 2028. The first global sitting was held in December 2025, and the test then runs five times a year, in January, March, April, June and December.

SCU has built this into its own requirements: its undergraduate application page lists a CSCA score report among the required documents, and the subjects you need depend on the programme type you apply for (liberal arts, science and engineering, or medical) and the language of instruction.

The sequencing is what catches applicants out. You need your CSCA result before you apply, not after, so the test date effectively sets your whole application timeline. Because this is a phased national rollout, confirm the current sitting dates, the subjects your programme requires, and whether the requirement applies to your intake, on the official CSCA notice and SCU's undergraduate requirements page before planning around it.

• Subjects include Professional Chinese, Humanities Chinese and STEM Chinese, plus Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry
• Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry are offered in both Chinese and English
• SCU requires a CSCA score report; the subject set depends on programme type and teaching language
• Sittings run five times a year — you need the result before applying, so verify current dates on the official notice

Undergraduate entry requirements SCU currently publishes

SCU sets out its undergraduate requirements in reasonable detail. The figures below are what its Overseas Students Office states at the time of writing, and they are exactly the kind of thing that changes between cycles — treat them as a starting point and verify the current version on the official website.

For general eligibility, applicants must be foreign nationals in good health and of good conduct. For undergraduate entry SCU states applicants should be at least 18 and, in its own wording, "under 25 years old in principle" — an age guideline worth noting early, because it is stricter than many applicants expect and is not universal across Chinese universities.

On language the two routes are separate. Chinese-taught degrees call for HSK Level 5 with a score of 180 or above, or an equivalent certificate, with Chinese Language majors exempt. English-taught programmes call for TOEFL 80 or above, or IELTS 6.0 or above, and native English speakers are exempt.

SCU also asks for financial proof, recommending an amount of no less than USD 5,000, along with sealed high-school certificates and transcripts, a personal statement, a medical examination form and a non-criminal record certificate.

• Age: at least 18; "under 25 in principle" for undergraduate entry (SCU's published guideline)
• Chinese-taught: HSK Level 5, score 180 or above (Chinese Language majors exempt)
• English-taught: TOEFL 80+ or IELTS 6.0+ (native English speakers exempt)
• Financial proof: SCU recommends no less than USD 5,000
• Also required: sealed certificates and transcripts, personal statement, medical examination form, non-criminal record certificate

Intakes and deadlines — the spring intake is not for degree students

SCU runs two intakes and they are not equivalent, a detail that quietly rules out a lot of plans.

The spring intake is limited to non-degree study and undergraduate Chinese Language programmes, with applications published as 15 September to 30 November. If you want a bachelor's, master's or doctoral degree, the spring intake is not open to you.

For the fall intake, degree programmes — undergraduate, master's and doctoral — apply from 1 November to 30 May, and non-degree programmes from 15 March to 30 May. SCU says it determines its pre-admitted list in batches, and that applicants can generally expect a result around four to eight weeks after submitting.

Dates move between cycles, so check the current application period on the official page before you build a timeline — and remember the CSCA sitting has to happen before your application window closes.

• Spring intake: non-degree and undergraduate Chinese Language only (apply 15 Sep – 30 Nov)
• Fall intake, degree programmes: apply 1 Nov – 30 May
• Fall intake, non-degree programmes: apply 15 Mar – 30 May
• Results are released in batches, typically about 4–8 weeks after submission

English-taught MBBS at West China — and the India-side rules that decide it

SCU publishes an official degree plan for an English-taught MBBS programme. Its own documentation puts the programme at six years, with a minimum of 308 credits for graduation and medical internships completed under the guidance of senior physicians. Six years is longer than some applicants assume, so factor it into any comparison you are making.

For Indian students, the decision is not really made in Chengdu. Whether a foreign medical degree lets you practise in India is governed by Indian authorities: NEET eligibility, the National Medical Commission's rules for studying medicine abroad, and the FMGE/NExT screening examination required for registration in India. Those conditions are set in India, they have changed before, and no Chinese university has any say over them.

Check each one directly at nmc.org.in, neet.nta.nic.in and natboard.edu.in before committing money or years. Nobody — not a university, not a recruiter — is in a position to promise you a seat, a licence, or the right to practise in India, and an offer that arrives with that promise attached is telling you something about the person making it. This guide describes a study route only; it is general information, not medical, legal or immigration advice.

The same logic applies if SCU's dental strength is what draws you. A stomatology degree earned abroad is subject to India's own dental regulator and its screening requirements before you could register to practise in India — verify the current position with the official Indian regulator rather than with an agent.

Applying, scholarships and steering clear of agent promises

Applications go through SCU's Overseas Students Office, which runs its own online system at scu.17gz.org, where you register, complete the form and upload your documents. The office is based at the Wangjiang campus and publishes its contact numbers, which are worth using if something about your case is genuinely unclear.

On funding, it helps to name what SCU actually lists rather than what agents tend to imply. Its scholarship page names the Chinese Government Scholarship (in Type A and Type B forms), the "Study at SCU" Outstanding Student Scholarship, the Chengdu Sister Cities Scholarship Program, and the International Chinese Language Teachers Scholarship. Coverage and amounts are not worth taking second-hand — they change by year and are published on the official pages.

Tuition and living costs are likewise published by the university rather than estimated here; check the current figures on SCU's official admissions pages.

Once you hold an admission notice, you apply for a Chinese student visa at a Chinese embassy or consulate using your admission and visa documents. Requirements are set by the authorities and change, so check the official embassy website rather than a forum. This is general information, not immigration advice.

Finally, apply through the Overseas Students Office's own channels. Paid "guaranteed admission" or "guaranteed scholarship" offers are a warning sign rather than a shortcut: admission and funding decisions rest with the university and the scholarship sponsors, and no intermediary can commit them in advance.