As a medical student who has been in China for eight years, it is perfect for me to answer this question. I even think you should pay for my answer because it really cost me a lot of effort to find the whole newest full information about Chinese MBBS programs lol.
1). Newest List of MBBS Cost (Tuition Fee and Accommodation Fee) in China
There are two types of Medical Colleges in China. One is MOE (Ministry of Education of the People’s Republic of China) listed Schools that are allowed to teach MBBS in English Medium in China. The other is the non-MOE listed universities where clinical medicine can only be taught in Chinese language. Here I listed the tuition fees and dorm fees of all MOE listed 45 universities in China for you.
Chinese MBBS Program Price List:
| Serial No. | University Name | Tuition / Year | Accommodation Fee | Enrollment Quota | National Ranking |
| 1 | Fudan University | ¥75,000 | ¥45~80 / day | 40 | 6 |
| 2 | Capital Medical University | ¥50,000 | ¥7,500~11,000 / year | 100 | 45 |
| 3 | Tianjin Medical University | ¥48,000 | ¥11,520 / year | 100 | 61 |
| 4 | Sun Yat-sen University | ¥48,000 | Off-campus Accommodation | 20 | 12 |
| 5 | Shandong University | ¥45,000 | ¥3,510~4,160 / semester | 78 | 21 |
| 6 | Southern Medical University | ¥45,000 | ¥9,000 / year | 100 | 78 |
| 7 | Sichuan University | ¥45,000 | ¥4,500~18,000 / year | 100 | 14 |
| 8 | Tongji University | ¥45,000 | ¥35~80 / day | 30 | 16 |
| 9 | Zhejiang University | ¥42,800 | ¥17.5~120 / day | 110 | 3 |
| 10 | Dalian Medical University | ¥42,000 | ¥27~40 / day | 100 | 112 |
| 11 | Harbin Medical University | ¥42,000 | ¥7,000 / year | 60 | 79 |
| 12 | China Medical University | ¥40,000 | ¥7,500 / year | 100 | 62 |
| 13 | Wuhan University | ¥40,000 | ¥1,300~2,800 / year | 50 | 9 |
| 14 | Huazhong University of Science and Technology | ¥40,000 | ¥700~1,200 / month | 70 | 8 |
| 15 | Xi'an Jiaotong University | ¥40,000 | ¥5,000~19,000 / year | 100 | 10 |
| 16 | Shantou University | ¥40,000 | ¥500 / month | 20 | 131 |
| 17 | Ningbo University | ¥38,000 | ¥2,000~14,400 / year | 40 | 84 |
| 18 | Xiamen University | ¥38,000 | ¥≥1,600 / year | 40 | 26 |
| 19 | Hebei Medical University | ¥36,000 | ¥4,000~5,500 / year | 60 | 105 |
| 20 | Guangxi Medical University | ¥35,000 | ¥6,000 / year | 100 | 151 |
| 21 | Jinzhou Medical University | ¥35,000 | ¥5,500~6,500 / year | 20 | 234 |
| 22 | Fujian Medical University | ¥35,000 | ¥4,000 / year | 60 | 189 |
| 23 | Zhengzhou University | ¥35,000 | ¥15 or 30 / day | 20 | 53 |
| 24 | Kunming Medical University | ¥35,000 | ¥1,200~5,000 / year | 60 | 324 |
| 25 | Nanjing Medical University | ¥34,000 | ¥6000 / year | 100 | 47 |
| 26 | Jiangsu University | ¥34,000 | ¥4,500 or 4,900 / year | 100 | 72 |
| 27 | Jinan University | ¥34,000 | ¥6,000~6,200 / semester | 100 | 57 |
| 28 | Jilin University | ¥33,000 | ¥13~40 / day | 80 | 24 |
| 29 | Xuzhou Medical University | ¥33,000 | ¥4,600 / year | 60 | 216 |
| 30 | Southeast University | ¥32,800 | ¥6,000~8,000 / year | 60 | 17 |
| 31 | Soochow University | ¥32,500 | ¥6,000 / year | 60 | 44 |
| 32 | North Sichuan Medical College | ¥32,000 | ¥5,000 / year | 40 | 367 |
| 33 | Southwest Medical University | ¥31,000 | ¥2,000~4,000 / year | 60 | 293 |
| 34 | Wenzhou Medical University | ¥30,000 | ¥4,000 / year | 100 | 101 |
| 35 | Chongqing Medical University | ¥30,000 | ¥4,800~9,600 / year | 90 | 99 |
| 36 | Qingdao University | ¥30,000 | ¥10,000~13,000 / year | 60 | 100 |
| 37 | Shihezi University | ¥30,000 | ¥5,000 / year | 60 | 165 |
| 38 | Yangzhou University | ¥30,000 | ¥3,000~6,000 / year | 60 | 77 |
| 39 | Anhui Medical University | ¥30,000 | ¥4,000 / year | 60 | 123 |
| 40 | Guangzhou Medical University | ¥30,000 | ¥6,000 / year | 60 | 114 |
| 41 | Xinjiang Medical University | ¥30,000 | ¥4,500 / year | 100 | 226 |
| 42 | Ningxia Medical University | ¥29,800 | ¥5,000 / year | 60 | 243 |
| 43 | Nantong University | ¥26,000 | ¥3,000~12,000 / year | 39 | 164 |
| 44 | Three Gorges University | ¥24,000 | ¥3,600~4,800 / year? | 20 | 167 |
| 45 | Beihua University | ¥21,000 | ¥5,600 / year | 40 | 301 |
2). MBBS Program Fee Structure in China
- Tuition：The tuition fee of MOE-listed Medical Colleges in China, as you can see in the above form, ranges from 21-75 thousand RMB. Non-MOE-listed universities have a cheaper tuition fee usually between 16-30 thousand RMB with a duration of 5 years plus a one-year Chinese language course. These are the common China MBBS programs tuition prices.
- Accommodation Fee: The Chinese accommodation fees charged by different schools are much different. In some developed cities, the price of everything is expensive, so accommodation fees there also expensive. Some schools offer several different types of hostels for international students such as single, double, triple, and quadruple rooms, all is possible. Some schools such as Tongji University, Zhengzhou University, Xiamen University, and Harbin Medical University, etc. allow students to live off-campus, so you can have more types of accommodation in China to choose from. The Chinese school dormitory generally provides a separate toilet/bathroom, the public kitchen, the public washing machine, and so on equipment which is kind of convenient. However, the use of high-power appliances is usually not allowed in the school dormitory in China. If you pay for a full year's accommodation in one lump sum, you may be able to enjoy a little discount. Whether staying on-campus or off-campus, sometimes you need to pay an accommodation deposit. When you check out, if there is nothing wrong with your room, you will be refunded. If you don't bring bedding with you, then some schools charge it hundreds of RMB or you can buy from the local market.
- Application Fee: When you apply to a Chinese university, you need to pay an application fee with the amount ranges from 200 to 800 yuan (non-refundable) then teacher will check your application. Some schools do not charge application fees while some schools charge an application fee after you arrive in China such as Soochow University and Xuzhou Medical University. This is how university application fees cost in China.
- Registration Fee: When you arrive at your university for registration, you may have to pay a registration fee for China university which ranges from 0-800yuan usually. Some schools charge registration fees at the beginning of each semester/year.
- Insurance Fee: All international students who study in China must buy international student insurance. The two most common insurance charge standards for international students in China are 800 yuan per year and 1,000 yuan per year.
- Medical Examination Fee: When you arrive at your university for the first time, you will be asked to have another medical examination locally. The cost is less than 1000yuan I guess.
- Residence Permit Fee: When you arrive in China, your visa is usually valid for 30 days if it’s an X1 visa, which means that you need to change to a residence permit within 30 days. Your school teacher will lead you to get a residence permit which usually costs 400 to 800yuan each time.
- Book Fees: Some schools charge the book fee at one time while some schools do not force students to buy new textbooks. China MBBS Book fees can range from a few hundred RMB to several thousand RMB.
- Living Fee: As an ordinary international student in China, I usually spend 1500yuan per month as a living fee. For other students, I guess 800-3000yuan is enough to live in any city in China for most students.
- Others: All I can remember are these fee structures for medical students mentioned above. In addition, Jinzhou Medical University charges medical students a fee of 120 yuan for white coats. Some other schools may charge this as well but at different prices.
In general, the fees for studying MBBS in China is not too much. In addition to the price advantage, China has many other advantages for international student to study in.
3). Overview of Chinese MOE-Listed University MBBS Programs
1. About the Duration: The MBBS programs listed before all have a duration of 6 years including a one-year internship. Non-MOE-listed universities usually have a duration of 5 years plus a one-year Chinese language course. If you already have HSK4 before apply bachelor clinical medicine course in China, then you can just apply a 5-year clinical medicine course.
2. About the Seats: We can see from the previous form that these schools have a certain number of seats to enroll, but not every school is strictly enforced by this standard. Some schools have many places, but only have a small number of MBBS students. Some schools have only a small number of MBBS seats, but usually, they recruit a large number of students each year without any problem. So it's not like that it will be easier to be accepted if the school has more quotas. Less seats do not mean that the application will be difficult.
3. About the Scholarships: Some schools have few partial scholarship seats available for MBBS students. But generally, most of the MBBS students in China are at their own expense. But if you are willing to study MBBS in Chinese medium, then maybe CSC full scholarship is available for you.
4. About the Intake: The MBBS class in China usually begins in September. Most schools enroll new students only once a year. But there are also some schools, such as Dalian Medical University, where it has enrollment in both spring and fall seasons. Some schools such as Zhengzhou University also run pre-medical courses in the spring and if the students pass final exams, they can start MBBS in September.
5. About the Application Time: The application time for autumn admission is generally from the beginning of the year to July. But different schools have their differences on the China MBBS application deadline. The MBBS application deadline of Sun Yat-sen University in 2021 is as early as April 30. The application time of Fudan University is from 2020 November 14th to 2021 January 15th which is really different and short. At the same time, the application deadline for Xuzhou Medical University is late to August 8th. For those who want to apply to the Chinese university MBBS program, please must pay attention to the application deadline of your target university.
6. About the Age: students’ age from 18-25 is acceptable by most Chinese medical schools. Some universities also accept 16-30 years old students as long as you have a good academic performance.
4). Overview of Non-MOE-Listed Medical Universities in China
At present, many students study clinical medicine in some medical colleges taught in Chinese. In fact, in practice, these schools may use bilingual teaching as the Chinese language is really not easy for international students.
The cost of such schools is relatively cheap. Their packages like take one year to learn Chinese, and after passing HSK level 4, students can start to study 5-year clinical medicine in Chinese university. But where your budget is slightly adequate, I would not recommend you study this type of clinical medicine in China because the quality of this kind of school is really uneven.
1. Firstly, they use bilingual teaching, or if they use English teaching only, it is a violation of Chinese MOE regulations.
2. Secondly, there was a junior from such a school who complained to me that there were only two students in their school can have confirmed internship seats in Chinese hospital. It is really difficult for other foreign students to find internship hospitals by themselves in China.
3. Thirdly, I have seen many students from different schools who have to transfer or quit school because the colleges they study in are not on the list recognized by their medical council in their country. Chinese schools usually do not accept transfers unless you are willing to start as a freshman. Some students' schools were initially on the list recognized by their country but later left that list which is not controllable. Any of the situations described above, once present, are tricky.
But I don't mean all non-MOE schools are like this. There are also some good non-list medical schools. If your budget is really limited then I hope you find a good school from these.
I also hope you will have a good admission agent if you must have one. If the package is like study Chinese in the first year, then the tuition is much lower than clinical medicine from the second year actually. But usually, the local agent may charge you a package price that includes an expensive agent service fee instead of a real study fee to be paid to university. They may name some costs like management fees, visa fees, teachers fees, and so on which don't exist at all. Those expenses are just another statement of their agent service fees. But in my opinion, the agent service fee is an agent service fee, and cannot be called other fees as like charged by the school.
Anyway, I hope I put together this information about cost of studying MBBS in China, is useful for you. The future is bright but tomorrow will be tough. The medical road is long and has no ending, let’s search up and down.