At present, nearly 200 Chinese public universities and 10 language schools use CUCAS's online admission system. With so many schools on offer, the biggest problem is making up your mind. How do you choose your ideal university? Consider the following aspects:

• Location preferences

Do you have a favorite Chinese city? Would you prefer to study in a large internationalized city, immerse yourself in traditional Chinese culture or explore China's beautiful landscapes and architectural gems? Each one of China's cities is special and worth experiencing, so don't feel the need to limit your choice of location to one of the more famous cities. If you'd like to find out more about China's cities, take a look at our City Guide or City Index.

Or if you have your heart set on a particular university, why not apply for it now?

• Budget

The cost of living varies widely between China's cities – this includes accommodation, food, transportation, shopping and entertainment. Choosing to study in the inland rather than in a large city in the Eastern region like Beijing or Shanghai could save you a lot of money. Cities such as Chengdu, Xi'an, Chongqing, Changsha, Wuhan, Zhengzhou, are all well-developed, have featured beautiful scenery and countless historical sites and are home to many excellent universities. Tuition fees in these cities are often also lower while the education is of a similar quality.

• University Reputation & Characteristics

The Chinese government has instigated a program designed to create an elite class of international-standard universities. These universities benefit from preferential policies and extra funding and are therefore regarded as China's top universities. Please refer to the list of "Project 985" universities and the list of "Project 211" universities.

If you have a particular major that you want to study, you can make your choice according to the universities' expertise. For example, Beijing Language and Culture University is the earliest, most established and recognized university teaching Chinese to foreign students. Every year, thousands of foreign students attend this university to study Chinese language and culture.

If you're interested in studying in China but aren't fluent in Chinese, there are a number of programs taught in English, such as MBBS programs and Business programs.

• Expat community

Applicants may choose to apply to a university where there are more people from your country or who speak your language. This may help you settle in more quickly to a new environment. Or you can do the opposite and choose a university (or city) that doesn't have that many expats. This may reduce your reliance on speaking your own language and in turn improve your Chinese fluency. Don’t worry too much about the language issue, you can check here to see the information on Chinese language.

• Number of students/Number of international students

Each university provides information on the number of students in total and the number of international students. Generally, more international students may mean the university has more experience teaching foreign students and provides a better environment for them. While more students mean the university has larger scale, more teaching staff, more facilities, etc. So to some extent, the more the better.

• Admission Difficulty of Universities

Whether admission requirements are high or low is totally different regarding every university. If you want to study a degree program in China, then you may need to consider this facet when choosing a right school. For different majors, admission difficulty level is also different. For example, MBBS program of Fudan University is extreme hard to get the admission. Under such circumstances, we suggest you to find some other substitutes such as Tongji University etc. Plan yourself a second or third or even forth choice. These backup plans do not mean their education quality is low, they are just for you to increase your admission rate