China
A country so vast that choosing which city to study in matters more than choosing the country itself. Beijing is historical, monumental, and steeped in thousands of years of culture. Shanghai is international, fast, and business-driven. Chongqing is a sprawling mountain city built on hillsides and rivers with a skyline that looks like it was pulled straight out of a cyberpunk film. Mandarin is essential for daily life, the digital ecosystem runs on apps that don't exist in the West, and the scale of everything is unlike anywhere else you've been.
Universities
Average Monthly Costs (CHF)
Rent
CHF 175
Food
CHF 181
Transport
CHF 20
Fun
CHF 60
Averaged across profiled universities, converted at exchange rates as of 2026-08-14. Set your home currency under My Profile.
Climate
Fall semester (Sep-Nov)
13.2°C
Spring semester (Mar-May)
14.7°C
Average temperature in Beijing (2024), source: Open-Meteo Historical Weather API.
Visa
Exchange students need an X1 visa (programs over 180 days) or X2 visa (180 days or less), based on documents (JW201/JW202 form, admission notice, physical exam record) issued by your host university. Fees depend on nationality and typically run 60 to 140 USD. The X2 is normally issued single-entry and cannot be extended inside China, so leaving the country during the semester generally means you can't re-enter on the same visa. Some universities can request an extra entry on your behalf, but don't count on it, ask your host university's international office before booking regional travel. Within 24 hours of arrival, you must register your accommodation at the local police station (派出所). Hotels and dorms do this automatically, but off-campus renters need to do it themselves with their landlord/lease. X1 holders must then convert their visa into a residence permit within 30 days at the local Entry-Exit Administration Bureau. Missing either deadline risks fines of up to CNY 500/day (max CNY 10,000). All exchange students are typically required to take out local health insurance (often billed as part of the university's semester fee).
China runs on a scale nothing else matches: 1.4 billion people, the world's second-largest economy, and a high-speed rail network that passed 50,000 km in 2025, roughly two-thirds of all high-speed track in commercial service worldwide, connecting megacities like Shanghai, Beijing, Chengdu, and Shenzhen in a matter of hours. Daily life runs through your phone: payments, metro, ordering food, all on Alipay or WeChat Pay, and you can now link a foreign Visa or Mastercard directly with passport verification, no Chinese bank account needed. Install a VPN before arrival, since Google, Instagram, and WhatsApp are blocked. Hypermodern skylines sit next to centuries-old temples, social life revolves around shared meals, and the regional cuisines, from Sichuan heat to Cantonese dim sum, justify the semester on their own. Living costs stay noticeably below most other exchange destinations in Asia, especially outside the tier-1 cities. English is rare in everyday situations and bureaucracy takes patience, but basic Mandarin pays off fast. China demands more than other destinations and gives back more in return.