The start of 2023 intake has started, to help international students who applied through CUCAS and will come to China and start their new study life in 2023, we created this article to show you some important tips according to this year's latest situation. You are highly suggested to follow the tips below to avoid unnecessary problems and register for the university smoothly and successfully.

1. Do not come to China too early

Usually, your visa will be expired 30 days after you entered China, if you come to China too early you may not be able to change your visa into a residence permit(which allows you to live in China for a longer time) in time, and you will need to go back to your country for a new visa and you will waste a lot of time and money.

Please make sure you register during the registration period stated on the admission letter you received. A smooth registration is more important than a cheaper flight. Of course, if you have special circumstances and have to come to China earlier, it is best to communicate with the school in advance and register for school immediately after coming to China.

2. Do not take too much luggage

Every year we met a lot of students who encountered problems due to luggage, such as lost luggage in the airport, the delay of luggage, or their luggage broken. You are suggested to only bring the necessary things with you, travel light will help you save energy for registration and avoid a lot of problems, and believe me it is very convenient for you to buy different things in China.

3. Make an arrival plan

l  Prepare Visa

Before receiving the paper materials for admission, you can make relevant preparations in advance. After admission, go to the local embassy as soon as possible to find out what materials need to be prepared. Some materials can be prepared in advance, and it takes time, and the embassy of some countries needs to make an appointment to apply for a visa. It is necessary to understand the relevant information in advance and prepare for the visa application.

The passport number information is very related to admission. The admission documents contain the passport information when you apply. In principle, it is not recommended to renew the passport after admission. If there is damage or other special circumstances that need to renew the passport, you must keep in touch with CUCAS and the school.

Note: Some schools can apply for a visa without paper materials(the school will send the materials directly to the local embassy by email), and you must communicate with the school in advance about the relevant matters.

l  Arrival Plan

In addition to buying air tickets, you also need to consider the transportation method from the airport to the city station where the school is located. Train tickets can be purchased on the 12306 websites one month in advance. It is best to inform the school of your arrival time and itinerary in advance.

l  Accommodation Booking

Some universities will provide students dormitories for international students. There will be different types of dormitories at different prices. Students need to book in advance. If there is the accommodation on campus, but you still want to live off-campus, you need permission from the school. If there is no dormitory within the campus, students should book other accommodations by themselves off-campus.

Qualified applicants can reserve university accommodations through the CUCAS accommodation booking service system. This service mainly provides options for student dormitories. You can book your accommodation after you login into your CUCAS account. CUCAS will also direct you to choose nearby hotels if you are not interested in living on campus. And yes, this service is free for students applying through CUCAS!

4. Book airport pick-up service

Book airport pick-up service in advance will help you a lot. Since many students found it difficult to go to university from the airport due to the language barrier. Although more and more people in China now speak English, a lot of them don't, such as taxi drivers and some staff at the airport. After you booked an airport pick-up service, you will have people wait for you at the airport and bring you to the university directly, this will help you avoid problems. You can book airport pick-up service from the university or through CUCAS. (Click to book now)

5. Arrive during working hours

Make sure you arrive during working hours during the registration period of universities in China, which is usually from 8 am to 4 pm. You may not be able to find someone for help if you arrived late in the night or on weekends out of the registration period. Though there are teachers in the dormitory on the weekend and at night, in most cases, they do not speak English, so it will be difficult to register.

6. Make sure you fill in the registration of temporary residence for visitors

If you check-in in the dormitory directly, the university will help you handle the related process, but if you live in the hotel on your first night in China, make sure you ask the hotel to give you registration of temporary residence for visitors (Check sample) and fill it within 24 hours after you checked in. Before booking a hotel, it is very important to confirm with the hotel whether it can accommodate international people. Otherwise, the hotel cannot provide the accommodation registration form.

If you don't live in a university or hotel, but live off-campus, you need to contact these things by yourself. First, you need the school’s approval to live off-campus, and then you need to communicate with the landlord in advance and contact the local police station to fill it out within 24 hours after you arrived at the place you live in. For your first arrival in China, this is necessary.

7. Prepare different ways for payment

You need to bring a small amount of Chinese currency along with you. This will help you save time and avoid unnecessary problems at the airport. We suggest you keep 500-1000 RMB in cash when you first arrive for transport and check-in.

In addition to tuition fees, most Chinese universities require payment of tuition fees upon registration. It is recommended to communicate with the school in advance about the payment method, and the school will give suggestions. If parents need to remit money to themselves in the future, they need to inform the bank when opening the bank account. This card can accept foreign transfers, otherwise, the remittance will not be received. Universities generally have ATMs, or there are banks near the university, which are very convenient to use. The four commonly used banks are the Agricultural Bank of China, China Construction Bank, Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, and Bank of China.

8. Bring enough original documents

Most Chinese universities require you to bring original documents such as diploma certificates, transcripts, physical examination forms, etc. You are suggested to bring all original copies of application documents(and other documents mentioned in the admission letter) with you to the university so that you can show all necessary documents in time.

One thing to note is that some schools only send the original JW202 form, which is the so-called first page and is used for visa applications. But some schools send a copy paper besides the original, which is the so-called third page. The school will take back the third page when you register for school.

9. Buy insurance before you come to China

According to the relevant regulations of the Chinese government, international students coming to China must buy insurance before entering the country. Those whose study period exceeds 180 days need to pay the medical insurance premium for one academic year at one time; those whose study period is less than 180 days need to pay the medical insurance fee covering the entire study period at one time. International students can log on to the Study Abroad Insurance Network (www.lxbx.net) to purchase by themselves.

10. Download some useful apps before you come to China

WhatsApp, Facebook, and other foreign apps cannot be used normally in China. You can download some useful apps before you come to China, such as WeChat. It is recommended that the students and their parents download, install and activate WeChat in advance, and be familiar with its functions in it. Almost everyone in China uses the WeChat app, and it will help you better get used to Chinese society. 

Above are 10 tips we think are useful for international students, wish all of you a smooth registration and welcome to China~!

Emergency contact for CUCAS applicants during the registration period: Tel: 010-82865135, 18022632578(Catherol LAI)