Overview
Founded in 1898, Peking University (PKU) is the first national university in Chinese modern history. Peking University now consists of five faculties: Humanities, Social Sciences, Sciences, Medicine, and Information and Engineering. The University has 53 colleges and departments, and offers 120 undergraduate programs, 242 graduate programs, and 212 doctoral programs. While still emphasizing fundamental sciences, the university has paid special attention to the development of applied sciences.
Peking University is also known for outstanding research facilities and highly qualified teachers and researchers with extensive research interests and in-depth knowledge. At present, Peking University has 11 national key laboratories, 86 state key laboratories, 2 national engineering research centers and 8 affiliated hospitals and health centers.
The university has effectively combined research on important scientific subjects with the training of personnel with a high level of specialized knowledge and professional skill as demanded by the country's socialist modernization. It strives not only for improvements in teaching and research work, but also for the promotion of interaction and mutual promotion among various disciplines.
Thus Peking University has become a center for teaching and research and a university of a new type, embracing diverse branches of learning such as basic and applied sciences, social sciences and the humanities, and sciences of medicine, management, and education. Its aim is to rank among the world's best universities in the future.
Academics
Medium of instruction at the undergraduate level: mainly Chinese
Exchange students may enroll in the School of Chinese as a Second Language
Chinese proficiency requirement:
- For Chinese School as a Second Language: not required
- For others: Chinese HSK 6 or equivalent level
- English is not required at the application process. Certain courses may require students to submit language proof or take test.
Courses taught in English:
http://dean.pku.edu.cn/englishcourses/index.html
All courses:
http://dean.pku.edu.cn/pkudean/course/kcb.php?ll=1
Spring Semester: Mid February to Early July
Application deadline for Rice/Peking exchange is October 15th (Nomination Deadline: October 30th)
Acceptance notification occurs late December
Note: Chinese citizens are not eligible to apply
Student Life
Peking University has more than a hundred student organizations. Students are encouraged to be active in their university life by getting involved in the various organizations/societies that they are interested in. The Division of International Students Office organizes cultural events, trips and tours around the city for the students. Each program’s department also organizes after-classes/extracurricular activities which students are encouraged to participate.
The university also provides its students with facilities for sports and recreation, including soccer, baseball, basketball, tennis, volleyball, swimming, track and field, ect. Students are also encouraged to join clubs and associations such as the cultural performance club, dance club, athletic clubs, choir, orchestra and other forms of student organizations.
Housing
Estimated cost of living:
Accommodation: approximately 35,000 RMB/year
Board (meals): approximately 15,000 RMB/year
Transportation and other miscellaneous costs: approximately 5,000 RMB/year
PKU has two kinds of dormitory for international students: the Global Village (Zhong Guan Xin Yuan) and Shaoyuan. Both offer shared bedrooms where you will be assigned one roommate upon arrival. The monthly rent is around 3000-4200 Yuan.
Location
Beijing is the second largest Chinese city by urban population after Shanghai and is the nation's political, cultural and educational center. It is home to the headquarters of most of China's largest state-owned companies, and is a major hub for the national highway, expressway, railway, and high-speed rail networks.
The city's history dates back three millennia. As the last of the Four Great Ancient Capitals of China, Beijing has been the political center of the country for much of the past eight centuries. The city is renowned for its opulent palaces, temples, parks, gardens, tombs, walls and gates, and its art treasures and universities have made it a center of culture and art in China.
Peking University is a comprehensive and national key university. The campus, known as "Yan Yuan" (the garden of Yan), is situated at Haidian District in the western suburb of Beijing, with a total area of 2,743,532 square metres (or 274 hectares). It stands near to the Yuanmingyuan Garden and the Summer Palace.
