Studying in China is becoming more and more popular. If you have also applied for a Chinese University or intend to apply for a Chinese University, it is necessary for you to learn more about the relevant knowledge and skills of application. In this article, I will share some experience in tracking the application results of Chinese universities and explain to you the meaning of the common application status. If you want to get the admission letter with more chance, you’d better check my sharing carefully.

Part #1: Common Chinese University Application Status and Their Meanings

Part #2: How to Check and How Often Should I Track My Application Status

Part #3: What if My Application Status Hasn't Updated for a Long Time

Part #1: Common Application Status and Their Meanings

When we filling out application information through the university application system or scholarship application system by ourselves, we may encounter various problems. At different stages of application, our application status is also different. We always intend to check our application status after we apply but do not always understand what happened. What is the meaning of different application statuses? I am gonna explain for you:

Status 1: Filled in / Incomplete / Unsubmitted

Your Chinese university application status may be indicated as “Filled in / Incomplete / Unsubmitted” from the time you fill in the application information to the time you submit the application. Don't forget to keep your information “Saved” when you fill in the information. Before submitting, you should repeatedly check whether the uploaded documents and filled-in contents are accurate and complete because once submitted, you may no chance withdraw your application for modification except CSC applications.

Status 2: Processing / Preliminary trial / Waiting for processing / In process / Pending / Material submitted for review / Application fee to be paid

This kind of status usually appears after you submit your application, which means that the admissions office can access your application now. Your application status usually won't be changed until the admissions teacher processes your application to the next step.



Status 3: Please re-submit / Back submission / Dismissed

This does not mean your application has been rejected but means you need to modify your application information or supplement necessary application documents then resubmit your application again. The teacher will usually tell you the reason and guide you on what to do by email or message when returning your application, so this is good news, which shows that your application has been seen and has a probability of success if you supplement necessary information/documents as required.

Status 4: Waiting for academic review / Final result unreleased / Waiting for results

If your Chinese university application status changes to this, it probably means that your application has passed some review steps and is waiting for other review steps.

Status 5: Pre-admission / Pre-admission passed / Approval by admissions department / Conditional Pre-accepted / Interview Passed

If you receive such an admission status, it may indicate that you are one step closer to being officially admitted. But please note that before receiving the formal admission notice, other application status does not mean that you will be admitted for sure. I had a friend whose application status was shown as pre-admission, but in the end, he didn't get the admission letter, while the pre-admission of some other school means that they had accepted the student and it's only a matter of time or deposit payment before the formal admission results are announced. This shows that different schools have different explanations for the status of pre-admission, so we should always keep close contact with schools to clarify our admission situation.

Status 6: Admitted / Check E-Offer / Accepted / Send offer

Congratulations, you have been officially admitted if your Chinese university application status comes to these.

Status 7: Rejected / Refuse / Denied by academic qualification / Having not passed the initial review

If your Chinese university application status becomes like this, that means the school no choose you to be their student. Please understand that admission is merit-based, the university has to select from a large group of applicants and the competition is fierce. At least it is better news that the school refuses you directly rather than ignore or not reply to your application. 

Part #2: How to Check and How Often Should I Track My Application Status

If what you applied for is March intake, then the admission result usually comes out in January or no later than March if it's delayed due to the COVID-19. If what you applied for is September intake, then the admission result usually comes out in June/July or even early. For this, you’d better submit your application no later than December for March Intake or submit your application no later than May for Autumn intake. But different universities have different application deadlines, please check their latest application guidance for details and double confirmation.

As shown on the picture above, I suggest you check your Chinese university application status once a week during the "Best Tracking Time" to receive feedback from the admission office in time. For example, if the university returns your application for documents supplement, what a pity it would be if you miss the re-submit time just because that you forget to check your status. And if you get the news in time that the first university rejected your application, you can immediately turn to apply for another university before the deadline. Before the duration of the "Best Tracking Time", you can check your result every 2~4 weeks.

How to check the Chinese university application status? 

Method 1: If you applied for universities via an agent, just contact him or her for updates about your application. This is the most likely way to receive feedback.

Method 2: If you applied for universities via their application system/website, just log in again to check if there are any changes or any unread messages from the school. This is the most reliable way.

Method 3: You can also check the email box if you bind your application account with that email address or you apply to the university via email directly.

Method 4: If you applied to CSC, do not forget to submit your application on the website of the target university too and track your result there.

Part #3: What if My Chinese University Application Status Hasn't Updated for a Long Time

The reasons may be as follows:

1. There were so many applicants that the school didn't notice your application. / The school did not check applications that come from the online system.

2. Application with incomplete documents may not be reviewed/processed.

3. You have not uploaded the application fee payment proof.

4. The school hasn't started to deal with this work yet.

5. The school reviewed your application but did not select you.

6. The school has no plan to recruit new students this year.

7. The quota is full and the enrollment is over.

8. The school responds to applications in other ways than by changing your status in the system.

9. Your agent is not very professional.

Any of the above may be the reason why your Chinese university application status has not been changed. What should we do once this happens?

Tip 1: Call the admission office during their work time and ask the result of your application if you can find their contact information on the website or through other ways.

Tip 2: Send an email to the admission officer and ask the result of your application if you can find their email address on the website or through other ways.

Tip 3: Send messages to the admin in the application system and ask the result of your application.

Tip 4: If the school does no reply to you, you can try to search for some professional counselor who works on studying in China for a long time and ask for help from them.

Tip 5: Turn to apply for other universities instead of wasting more time on that one.

If you can find the specific reason for your application situation then you will have a chance to take corresponding measures to solve the problem. Never give up studying and you will have your dream come true in the future!