Application Guide for 2026 CUFE International Students (Master's Programs)

Central University of Finance and Economics (hereafter CUFE), as one of China's key universities under the direct leadership of the Ministry of Education, enjoys the patronage of both the central and municipal governments, including the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Finance, and Beijing municipal government. It is listed in Project 211 and also among the first universities to enter Project 985 Innovation Platform, which aims to enhance the strength of double first-class disciplines and the creation of a number of world-class disciplinary clusters.

CUFE is selected into the Double First Class Initiative, a national project with the goal of fostering world standards in China's universities, whose applied economics is rated A+ by the Ministry of Education in the fourth round of national academic evaluation.

CUFE is honored as “cradle of experts in the field of finance and management sectors in China”, which has trained over 190,000 high-quality talents of all levels for the national economic construction and social development. It is the first university of finance and economics created by China’s Central Government shortly after the founding of the People’s Republic of China.

CUFE has 16 first-level disciplines of academic master’s programs such as public administration, sociology, and mathematics as well as 21 professional master's programs such as business administration, law, public administration, finance, and auditing, etc.

CUFE is located in Beijing, the capital of China, with convenient transportation to downtown areas.

Eligibility

1.Non-Chinese citizens with a bachelor degree or above in good physical and mental health, generally under 35 years old.

2.The requirements set by the Document No. 12 (2020) of Ministry of Education of the PRC should be met for CUFE applicants as well.

Application Period

Round 1: November 1, 2025– March 25, 2026

Round 2: April 1, 2026 – June 25, 2026

Application Procedure

1.Submit the online application.

Sign in to CUFE International Student Service System (https://cufe.17gz.org/).

2.Pay 600 RMB application fee.

Please note that payments are accepted only via the online payment system in the online application system, on which WeChat, AliPay, and foreign credit cards can be used, while wire transfers are NOT accepted. Please refer to the payment guide (https://sice.cufe.edu.cn/info/1064/5374.htm).

3.Initial document review.

4.Academic review and online interview

5.Admission results released.

6.Pay one academic year of tuition fees within two weeks of confirming the admission result.

7.Provide Affidavit of Financial Support.

List of Application Documents

1.CUFE Application form (automatically generated in the CUFE International Student Service System). Please note a scanned signature needs to be uploaded.

2.Ordinary passport with personal information.

3.The bachelor degree or a certificate stating student status, expected graduation date, and school performance.

4.The academic transcripts.

5.Language proficiency certificate:

Programs offered in Chinese: HSK-5 210 or above; Programs offered in English: IELTS, TOEFL, DUOLINGO or other standardized test results or other proof of English proficiency.

6.Study plan (about 800-1000 words).

7.Two recommendation letters (the recommender must be an associate professor or a scholar with a corresponding title or above).

8.The Foreigner Physical Examination Form.

9.The Non-Criminal Record (issued by the local police office).

10.The Affidavit of Financial Support (to be submitted after confirming the admission notice).

Important reminders on Application Documents

All application documents must be in Chinese or English; documents not in Chinese or English must be notarized and translated into Chinese or English. Application documents and application fee will NOT be returned regardless of admission results.

All documents submitted must be true, accurate, and complete. CUFE reserves the right to withdraw the admission notice or expel enrolled students otherwise.

Evaluation

Applicants who have passed academic document review will be shortlisted for master’s programs online interviews. The interview time will be sent by email. Therefore, the email address left in the application system must be the applicant’s personal email, authentic and permanently valid.

Admission

Applicants will be informed of the admission results by email. Admitted students must pay one academic year of tuition fees and submit the Affidavit of Financial Support within two weeks of confirming the admission notice. CUFE will start processing the admission materials after receiving the proof of tuition payment and Affidavit of Financial Support.

Review of Documents

After the admission results are released, CUFE will conduct another round of document review. If violations are found, the university reserves the right to withdraw the admission notice and cancel the student's admission.

Registration

1.All international students should purchase health insurance before entry into China, Please refer to the Insurance Payment Instruction for details (https://sice.cufe.edu.cn/info/1088/7369.htm).

2.All international students must register during the time specified in the admission notice. Students who fail to register by the deadline without justifiable reasons will be regarded as giving up the admission. Registration time: early September 2026 (Please refer to the admission notice for the registration date).

Evaluation and Re-evaluation of Admission Qualifications

CUFE will evaluate and re-evaluate student admission qualifications upon and after registration. If the admission notice, personal information, or other documents are found to be inaccurate during the evaluations or if fraud and other similar circumstances exist, the student will be disqualified and admission will be cancelled.

Fees

Application Fee: 600 RMB

Accommodation Fee: 40-80 RMB/bed/day

Resident Permit Fee: 400 RMB/year

Health Insurance Fee: 800 RMB/year

Tuition Fee: Please refer to 2026 International Students Master’s Programs List

Contact Us

CUFE Admissions Office for International Students

Address: Room 1011, CUFE Tower, 39 South College Road, Haidian, Beijing, China

Postal Code: 100081

Tel: +8610-62288286

E-mail: lxs@cufe.edu.cn

Admission Website: https://sice.cufe.edu.cn/admissions/index.htm