Student visa requirements by type of student: degree, non-degree and school pupils

The kind of student you are does not, on its own, decide which Chinese student visa you apply for or which documents you submit. The student categories in the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Public Security Order No. 42 (dated 20 March 2017, in force from 1 July 2017), Article 9 — junior college, undergraduate, master's and doctoral students for degree education, and preparatory, advanced/visiting and research-scholar students for non-degree education — are categories used in the administration of schools; the visa and the document lists are built on other tests. The visa type follows the length of study: study of more than 180 days is long-term study and takes the X1 visa, while study of no more than 180 days is short-term study and takes the X2 visa (Order No. 42, Article 45; Regulations, Article 6(11)). The embassy pages that ask for documents divide applicants by level of school instead, and no separate list for non-degree students appears in the official documents cited here.

The student categories in Order No. 42, Article 9

Under Order No. 42, Article 9, the categories are these (the English here is this site's translation of the Chinese text): for degree education, junior college student (专科生), undergraduate (本科生), master's degree student (硕士研究生) and doctoral degree student (博士研究生); for non-degree education, preparatory student (预科生), advanced/visiting student (进修生) and research scholar (研究学者).

Article 2 of the same Order provides that Chapters 2 to 5, Articles 7 to 34, apply to higher education institutions, and that schools providing preschool, primary and secondary education recruit and manage international students under the provisions of the province, autonomous region or municipality directly under the Central Government. Article 3 adds that schools and international students must observe Chinese laws and regulations, and that international students must respect Chinese customs, observe school rules and complete their study tasks. These articles describe how schools administer students; they do not set out visa documents.

X1 or X2 is decided by length of study

Order No. 42, Article 45 defines the two periods: short-term study means study at a school in China for no more than 180 days, inclusive; long-term study means study for more than 180 days. The Regulations (State Council Decree No. 637, promulgated 12 July 2013, in force from 1 September 2013), Article 6(11), then ties the visa to that distinction: the X1 visa is issued to persons who apply for long-term study in China, and the X2 visa is issued to persons who apply for short-term study in China. Neither text refers to the degree or non-degree categories when it assigns the visa. For an admitted student, the test is the intended length of study, not the title of the category. More detail on the two visas is on this site's page X1 vs X2 visa.

How the embassy pages divide the document list

The Regulations and Order No. 42 do not publish the document list; the list is on the page of the embassy or consulate where you apply. The two embassy pages cited here both divide X1 applicants by level of school rather than by degree or non-degree status.

Applicant group (X1)	Embassy of the PRC in the United States — Requirements and Procedures for Chinese Visa Application (Updated September, 2025)	Embassy of the PRC in the United Kingdom — Part Two: How to Apply for a Visa for China (Mainland only)
Higher education institution students	Confirmation Form for Study in China (Form JW201 or Form JW202); photocopy of the Admission Letter issued by a school or other entity in China	Admission Letter issued by a college, university or other educational institution in China; original or photocopy of "Visa Application for Study in China" (Form JW201 or Form JW202)
Elementary, junior/senior high school pupils	Confirmation Form for Elementary Stage Students Study in China. (The page adds that, for foreign elementary, junior/senior high school students who reside in China for family reunion purposes, an X1 visa is not compulsory.)	Original or photocopy of Confirmation Form for Elementary Stages Students Study in China issued by Chinese relevant authorities (for Elementary Stage)

These are statements by the named embassy for applications made to that mission, not a general rule for every Chinese embassy, consulate or visa application centre. The US notice applies to applications made to the Chinese Embassy in Washington through the COVA system, which that embassy launched there on 30 September 2025; consulates-general and other missions may differ. The UK page carries a time stamp of 1 July 2020 and lists what the UK missions ask for; requirements of other missions may differ. Neither page states a fee figure: the US notice links to a separate fees page, and the UK page points to the latest notice on visa fees on the embassy website.

Non-degree students: what the documents do not say

The official documents cited here give no separate document list for non-degree students. Order No. 42, Article 9 names the non-degree categories — preparatory, advanced/visiting and research scholar — but that article is in the part of the Order which, under Article 2, applies to higher education institutions' administration of students. The Regulations, Article 6(11), does not mention categories at all; it links X1 and X2 only to long-term and short-term study. The two embassy pages do not use the degree/non-degree distinction: they ask for the higher education documents (admission letter plus Form JW201 or Form JW202) from higher education institution students, and for the elementary-stage confirmation form from pupils. Because the pages say "higher education institution students" without limiting the group to degree students, a non-degree student at a higher education institution is covered by the same higher education list on these pages. The official documents cited here do not state that research scholars, visiting students or preparatory students must submit a different set, and this article does not fill that gap from practice or from another country's mission.

Questions people ask

Does a master's student need a different visa from a visiting student?

The official documents cited here do not say that they do. The visa depends on the length of study, not on the category: more than 180 days means long-term study and the X1 visa; 180 days or fewer means short-term study and the X2 visa (Order No. 42, Article 45; Regulations, Article 6(11)). Article 9 of Order No. 42 lists master's degree students as a degree category and visiting students as a non-degree category, but that article does not assign a visa.

Do primary or secondary school pupils need Form JW201 or JW202?

The two embassy pages cited here do not ask pupils for JW201 or JW202. For elementary, junior or senior high school pupils they ask for the elementary-stage confirmation form: the US page calls it the Confirmation Form for Elementary Stage Students Study in China, and the UK page calls it the Confirmation Form for Elementary Stages Students Study in China issued by Chinese relevant authorities. The US page adds that, for foreign elementary, junior/senior high school students who reside in China for family reunion purposes, an X1 visa is not compulsory. These are statements on the pages of the Embassy of the PRC in the United States and the Embassy of the PRC in the United Kingdom, not a rule stated for all missions.

Which form applies to me, JW201 or JW202?

The embassy pages cited here accept Form JW201 or Form JW202 for higher education institution students and do not state in these passages which one applies to which student. This site's page JW201 and JW202 discusses the two forms; the official documents cited here do not set out the distinction.

Is there a separate application route for non-degree students?

No separate route appears in the official documents cited here. The Regulations and Order No. 42 give no separate list, and the two embassy pages divide applicants by level of school rather than by degree or non-degree status. Where a rule is not written in the official text, this article says the text does not say it, rather than answering from practice or from another country's mission.

Sources

• Measures for the Administration of Schools Recruiting and Educating International Students, Order No. 42 (Chinese) — Ministry of Education
• Requirements and Procedures for Chinese Visa Application (Updated September, 2025) — Embassy of the PRC in the United States
• Part Two: How to Apply for a Visa for China (Mainland only) — Embassy of the PRC in the United Kingdom
• Regulations of the People's Republic of China on Administration of the Entry and Exit of Foreigners (English text) — National Immigration Administration

Checked 11 October 2026

This page is an unofficial summary, is not legal or immigration advice, is not published by the bodies named, and if the official text or the instructions of the visa office or exit-entry office handling your case differ, the official text and those instructions prevail.