I. University Overview
Sichuan Agricultural University (SAU), founded in 1906, is identified as a key comprehensive university under the National Project 211 in China. With a predominance of bio-technology and agricultural sciences, SAU has a multi-disciplinary development in agriculture, science, engineering, economy, management, medicine, liberal arts, law, education and arts.
The university has 3 campuses, located in Ya’an, in Chengdu and in Dujiangyan respectively. SAU has 26 colleges and 15 research institutes and offers 91 undergraduate programs, 87 graduate programs, 48 doctorate programs and 7 post-doctoral working-stations. Today SAU has more than 3600 full-time faculties, of whom 357 are professors and 570 are associate professors, along with 253 doctoral supervisors and 714 master’s supervisors. The University has now over 43,000 students, including 38,000 undergraduates and 4,500 graduate students.
All the educational programs are open to international students. Besides some specialized programs are instructed in English, most of the programs are offered in Chinese or bilingually in Chinese and English.
II. Programs for International Students
International students have the following options of study on both degree-granting and non-degree granting programs at Sichuan Agricultural University:
a. Undergraduate Programs
b. Graduate Programs
c. Degree Programs Offered in English
d. Chinese Language Program
e. Short-term characteristic Specialty Programs
f. Visiting Student Programs
g. Research Scholar Programs
III. Study Duration and academic schedule
The normal duration of study for each program is as follows: 4 years for bachelor’s degrees, 3 years for master's degrees, and 3 years for doctoral degrees. Students may, in particular cases, apply for early or delayed graduation.
SAU divides every academic year into spring and autumn semesters, with the latter marking the commencement of the academic year. The autumn semester starts in late August or early September and ends in mid- or late January of the following year, while the spring semester begins in late February or early March and ends in mid-July. There will be a winter and summer vacation every year. The summer vacation usually lasts 6 weeks and the winter vacation lasts 4 weeks and normally coincides with the Chinese New Year. Please check the latest academic calendar for details.
IV. Application Schedule
Degree programs: November 15th 2018 to June 1st 2019
Non-degree programs: Spring semester: November 15th 2018 to January 15th 2019
Fall semester: November 15th 2018 to June 15th 2019
V. Online application
Apply in the Online System http://113.54.15.22/ and submit all the required documents.
VI. Qualification of Applicants
1. The qualified applicant in principle should be over 18 and under 60 years old with good physical and mental health and qualified school performance.
Programs |
Age |
Educational Background |
Degree programs |
Undergraduate |
Under 35 |
Senior high school diploma |
Master’s |
Under 40 |
Bachelor’s degree |
Doctoral |
Under 45 |
Master’s degree or academic level equivalent |
Non-degree programs |
Chinese language |
Under 60 |
Senior middle school diploma or above |
General visiting students |
Under 40 |
At least one year of undergraduate study at their own university |
Senior visiting students |
Under 45 |
Master's degree or above; supervised by a host-professor to conduct research on a specific subject |
Research scholars |
Under 55 |
Doctoral degree or Associate Professor or higher; collaborate with host-professors to conduct specific research. |
Short-term |
Under 60 |
Senior high school diploma or above |
2 Requirement of language proficiency:
a) For programs offered in Chinese: applicants for the programs of humanities, social sciences, art, management, journalism and law should pass Chinese Proficiency Test (HSK) band 5 or above, and those for science and engineering programs should pass Chinese Proficiency Test (HSK) band 4 or above.
b) For programs offered in English: Applicants should pass TOEFL 80 or IFLTS 6.5.
c) For Doctoral Program applicants: if the English proficiency is sufficient, the Chinese language requirement could be adjusted for some majors.
d) General Visiting Students are allowed to take specialty courses when they pass Chinese Proficiency Test (HSK) band 5 and above, otherwise they are advised to study Chinese in the Chinese Language Training Center for one or two semesters.
e) Senior Visiting Students and Research Scholars are not required to take the Chinese language proficiency exam, on the premise that the candidate experiences no obstacles in communicating with their supervisor.
f) Applicants of Chinese-taught programs without adequate Chinese language proficiency must take Chinese language training courses in the Chinese Language Training Center at SAU for one to two years to reach the language requirements before major studies.
VII. Admission Notice
Admission Notice and Visa Application Form for Study in China (JW202) will be issued to the admitted applicants in early July according to the instruction of the pre-admission notice.
VIII. Scholarship
Currently, Sichuan Agricultural University offers two kinds of scholarship to the international students: Sichuan Government Scholarship (SGS), Sichuan Agricultural University Scholarship (SAUSO), Chengdu Government Sister-Cities Scholarship and Chengdu Government “the Belt and the Road” scholarship. The Scholarship is mostly open to both the degree program students (undergraduate and graduate) and the non-degree program students (the visiting/exchange students and Chinese language students). The scholarships cover full or some proportions of tuition, living allowance, medical insurance, basic textbooks, etc. The students will get the scholarship every year until they finish their study on the premise that they are approved by SAU every year.
To get more detailed information about scholarship, please visit the website http://english.sicau.edu.cn/?p=41
IX. Tuition fee and other cost (RMB)
a) Application fee (Non-refundable): 600 Yuan
b) Tuition Fee
Programs |
Tuition fee |
Chinese language program |
15, 800 yuan/year |
Undergraduate program/General visiting student program |
16, 000 yuan/year |
Master’s program/Senior visiting student program |
20, 000 yuan/year |
Doctoral/Senior visiting student/Research scholar program |
26, 000 yuan/year |
c) Insurance: 800 Yuan/year
b) Accommodation:
Room type |
Facilities |
fee |
Double Room |
Air-conditioner, refrigerator, microwave oven, bathroom with warm water, furniture |
3, 500 yuan/bed/year |
★Notes:
a. Bedding and towels are not supplied.
b. For each room, there is a fixed amount of free water and electricity, and the extra amount will be paid by students themselves.
e) Other cost
Living expenses: approximately 1000-1500 Yuan/month (Depends on your personal budget)
Residence Permit: 400 Yuan/year
Physical Examination: 500 Yuan
X. Visa Application and Registration
Successful applicants should bring their personal and ordinary passport, Admission Notice, Visa Application Form (JW202), and original Form of Physical Examination Record for Foreigners as well as other original documents of physical examination to the Embassy or Consulate of the People's Republic of China, and apply for student visa. Students shall come to International Students Office, Sichuan Agricultural University for registration during the dates indicated on the Admission Notice with the aforementioned documents.
A study period of 6 months and above requires an ordinary passport and X1 visa. Accepted applicants need to exchange their X1 visas to a Residence Permit at the local Exit and Entry Administration of Public Security Bureau, within 30 days of arrival in China. If your period of study is less than half a year, you may apply for an X2 visa.
XI. Three campuses
Ya’an Campus is located in Ya’an city, the famous hometown of giant pandas. Ya’an is also an important birthplace of tea culture and the earliest artificial tea planting areas in the world. Winding Fengjiang River separates the campus into the Old campus and the New campus. There are the School History Exhibition Hall and the Animal Specimen Hall in the Old campus. In the east part of the New Campus, there stands the Laoban Hill, where flowers can be seen all the year round and develops into a public garden in Ya’an; there are the Animal Farms and the Experimental Farmland in the west of the New campus.
Chengdu Campus is situated in Wenjiang District of Chengdu. Chengdu, honored as “A Land of Abundance”, is the largest city in the west China and the capital city of Sichuan province. Wenjiang, with the title of the International Garden Town, is near to the Taoist holy place—Mount Qingcheng. The campus is only 15 minutes’ drive to the first-ring area of Chengdu and 20 minutes’ drive to Shuangliu International Airport. Chengdu Campus is established as a high-level research platform of scientific and technological innovation.
Dujiangyan Campus adjoins the Dujiangyan Irrigation Project, the world natural and cultural heritage site. It is also near to the Taoist holy place—Mount Qingcheng. The garden-style campus, characteristic of Western Sichuan Folk-dwelling Houses, stands at the foot of Lingyan Hill, separated by the Yangliu River and surrounded by the Lingyan River. In the west of the campus, there is the Lingyan Intership Forest Farm (80 ha), green with abundant trees and birds.
XII. Contact Information
International Student Office:
Address: Room 606, Administration Building 1, No.211 Huimin Road, Wenjiang District, Chengdu city, Sichuan province, P.R.China
Zip Code: 611130
Tel: +86-28-86293221
Fax: +86-835-2883166
Email: iso@sicau.edu.cn