Experts say China’s implementation of standardized admissions tests for international students shows that building a world-class university system is more important to China than increasing enrollment.
Starting with admissions in 2026, most international applicants will be required to take the China Academic Ability Assessment (CSCA), a centrally designed test designed to benchmark students from different education systems against common academic standards.
Starting this year, the exam will become a compulsory subject for Chinese Government Scholarship recipients, and will gradually be rolled out to a wider range of subjects. By 2028, the exam will become a compulsory subject for all international undergraduate applicants.
It will be conducted primarily through online, remote proctoring, with some countries also offering offline exam centers.
Richard Coward, chief executive of Global Admissions, which helps international students apply to university, said the policy was “one of the biggest changes” he had seen for international students studying in China.
“This is more of a shift from quantity to quality, which is happening all over the world. Previously, China’s goal was 500,000 students; now the goal is to move towards a world-class university by 2050 and implement double-first-class construction.”
“Students from different academic backgrounds vary widely and can be difficult to assess,” Coward said. “There are still many countries where math standards are not as high compared to China. This change is intended to hold all international applicants to the same standards so they can follow the education of Chinese universities, so they are at least at the same level as local students.”
Under the new framework, mathematics will be a compulsory subject for all applicants, including those applying for arts and humanities degrees.
Coward said this reflects “China’s educational philosophy that quantitative reasoning is the basic baseline for any university-level scholar.”
Students applying to Chinese-taught programs must also take the “Professional Chinese” paper, available in humanities and STEM versions. Physics and Chemistry are optional, subject to course requirements. Mathematics, physics and chemistry can be taken in Chinese or English.
Gerard Postiglione, professor emeritus at the University of Hong Kong, said the CSCA should be understood as part of a broader shift in China’s approach to internationalization.
“China is paying more and more attention to quality in all fields,” he said. “This also means higher education. If China plans to become a globally influential education system by 2035, then there will be more emphasis on quality.”
Postiglione added that the move also reflects China’s approach to recruiting students locally.
“If you look at how China selects students domestically, there is no back door,” he said, noting the importance of talent development. college entrance examinationChina’s national university entrance exam taken by local students. “this college entrance examination yes college entrance examinationand I don’t think there are many backdoors for international students either. “
But he warned the framework could favor applicants from certain backgrounds.
“Language proficiency and subject preparation will inevitably give some students an advantage over others,” he said. “Students who have already studied in Chinese, or who come from systems with a strong math foundation, may find it easier to meet the requirements.”
Postiglione said that while the examination framework is set centrally, individual universities may retain autonomy over admissions decisions.
“The Department of Education will provide a framework and guidance,” he said, “but it will be difficult for a central agency to make individual admissions decisions across the system.”
Passing thresholds have not yet been standardized, and Coward said colleges may set minimum score requirements in the future, but that is not yet in place.
He added that the additional requirements were unlikely to reduce demand. “Some of the more casual students might be intimidated,” he said. “But for top universities, it can reduce the administrative burden by screening for quality early on.”
In the longer term, though, “it’s a sign that Chinese degrees are becoming more prestigious, which may actually increase demand for highly qualified students.”
