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What happens if I study medicine at a university not on the MOE list?

Unofficial · Sources checked

If a mainland Chinese university is not on the Ministry of Education's 2023–2024 list for English-taught undergraduate clinical medicine, the Ministry's notices place several duties on that university. The university may not enrol international students in the English-taught programme, may not issue the English-version MBBS degree certificate, and may only enrol Chinese-taught students. These are requirements on the universities; whether such a degree meets a home regulator's conditions is for that regulator to decide, and the Ministry's notices set out only the universities' duties.

The Chinese texts below are this site's translation of the Ministry of Education's Chinese notices.

What an unlisted university may not do

Paragraph 2 of the 2023 notice (Notice of the General Office of the Ministry of Education on the 2023–2024 list of higher education institutions enrolling international students in English-taught undergraduate clinical medicine and their enrolment plan, 教外厅函〔2023〕10号, Ministry of Education General Office, 2023) sets out, item by item, what a school not on the 2023–2024 list may not do:

  • It may not enrol international students in English-taught undergraduate clinical medicine.
  • It may not issue the English-version degree certificate for undergraduate clinical medicine (English-taught), or an English-version degree certificate containing the word "MBBS".
  • It may only enrol international students in Chinese-taught undergraduate clinical medicine, and its training standard may not be lower than that for China's own undergraduate clinical medicine students.
  • "Bilingual teaching" used as a disguised route to enrol international students is strictly forbidden.

The same paragraph says a school that is on the 2023–2024 list shall continue to enrol strictly in line with the 2007 notice's requirements.

Supervision and limits on enrolment

Paragraph 3 of the 2023 notice (教外厅函〔2023〕10号, Ministry of Education General Office, 2023) tells local education units to examine enrolment, management and teaching strictly, referring to the 2007 notice, the Measures for the Administration of Schools' Recruitment and Training of International Students (Order No. 42 of the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Public Security), and the Quality Standards for Higher Education of International Students in China (Trial). For a university that seriously violates the spirit of the 2007 notice, the notice says it shall be handled by limiting or suspending enrolment in accordance with law and regulations. Paragraph 3 of the notice sets no other penalty.

Unlisted schools that already had students before the 2007 notice

The 2007 notice (Notice of the Ministry of Education issuing the Interim Provisions on Quality Control Standards for Undergraduate Medical Education in English for International Students, 教外来〔2007〕39号, Ministry of Education, 10 July 2007) addressed schools that were not on the 2007/2008 list but had already accepted English-taught undergraduate clinical medicine international students before the notice was issued. Paragraph 3 of that notice sets three duties on such schools:

  1. Carry out the teaching and management of the already-accepted students properly and to a high quality, following the original teaching plan and the Interim Provisions.
  2. If an enrolled student questions the school's qualification to accept international students, explain that from the 2007/2008 academic year the state implemented planned management of enrolment of international students in English-taught undergraduate clinical medicine, that no enrolment plan was assigned to this school that year, and therefore the school was not on the list.
  3. If an enrolled student requests a transfer, the student shall apply on their own to the prospective receiving school; the current school should not forcibly keep the student. If transfer procedures are needed, the current school shall actively negotiate with the prospective school under the original relevant rules and handle the matter properly.

Can an unlisted school be added to the list later?

The 2007 standard (Interim Provisions on Quality Control Standards for Undergraduate Medical Education in English for International Students, annex 1 to 教外来〔2007〕39号, Ministry of Education) says in Article 30 that the Ministry of Education will entrust an expert group to evaluate the teaching quality of schools offering English-taught undergraduate medical education to international students and publish the list of schools that pass evaluation together with their enrolment scale. A school not on the list may not enrol international students in English-taught undergraduate medical education. A school that applies to enrol such students and, after evaluation by the expert group, meets the conditions shall be included in the next year's list.

Paragraph 4 of the 2007 notice (教外来〔2007〕39号, Ministry of Education, 10 July 2007) says the published school list is a dynamic list; whether a school meets the requirements of the Interim Provisions is assessed by the expert group and announced when the annual enrolment plan is issued. A school not on the list may enrol medical students taught in Chinese, but its training standard must be the same as that for China's own students.

How to check the current list

Paragraph 1 of the 2023 notice (教外厅函〔2023〕10号, Ministry of Education General Office, 2023) says that for the 2023–2024 academic year the Ministry entrusted 44 universities to enrol international students in English-taught undergraduate clinical medicine, with 3,048 places in total. The full list of the 44 universities and their enrolment plans is on this site's recognised universities page.

The list is the one for the 2023–2024 academic year (教外厅函〔2023〕10号). The Ministry's policy index listed no later edition when this site read it on 11 October 2026. Confirm the current year's status with the university and the Ministry of Education.

Related questions

May an unlisted university still enrol Chinese-taught medical students?

Yes. Paragraph 2 of the 2023 notice (教外厅函〔2023〕10号, Ministry of Education General Office, 2023) says an unlisted school may only enrol Chinese-taught undergraduate clinical medicine international students, to a standard not lower than China's own students. Paragraph 4 of the 2007 notice (教外来〔2007〕39号, Ministry of Education, 10 July 2007) says the same for medical students taught in Chinese.

Does an unlisted school's Chinese-taught training have to match Chinese students' standard?

Yes. Paragraph 2 of the 2023 notice (教外厅函〔2023〕10号, Ministry of Education General Office, 2023) requires the training standard not to be lower than that for China's own undergraduate clinical medicine students. Paragraph 4 of the 2007 notice (教外来〔2007〕39号, Ministry of Education, 10 July 2007) requires the standard to be the same as for China's own students.

Sources

Checked 11 October 2026.

This page is an unofficial summary, is not legal or professional-licensing advice, is not published by the bodies named, promises no admission, examination or registration outcome, and the official text and the regulator's own instructions prevail if they differ.

Check the regulator's current document before you act. Medical councils issue new notices often, and a notice can change who may sit an examination. This page reflects the documents as they stood on the date above. It does not promise registration or a licence.

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