Transferring to another university in China: Article 13 and what the school reports

The English rendering of the Chinese-language official texts used here — Ministry of Education Order No. 42 and the National Immigration Administration service guide — is this site's own translation; the Regulations are quoted from the English text published by the National Immigration Administration.

Yes, an international student can transfer to another university in mainland China, but the written condition is agreement from the original school: under the Measures for the Administration of Schools Recruiting and Educating International Students (Ministry of Education Order No. 42), Article 13, a higher education institution may accept an international student who was admitted by or is transferring from another school once the original admitting school agrees. Order No. 42, the Regulations and the service guide do not set out the residence-permit steps for a transfer: the study-category residence permit is tied to the school's letter stating the study period, and the new school together with the exit-entry administration of the public security organ determine what happens next.

What Order No. 42, Article 13 says about transfer

Order No. 42, dated 20 March 2017 and in force from 1 July 2017, applies to higher education institutions: under Article 2, Chapters 2 to 5 (Articles 7 to 34) cover higher education institutions, so Article 13 applies to a university or college. Article 13 reads, in this site's translation: a higher education institution may, having obtained the agreement of the original admitting school, accept an international student who was admitted by or is transferring from another school.

The article states that one condition — the original school's agreement — and does not set out further conditions or procedures for the transfer. The official text does not describe how the two schools record the move or what the student files beyond that agreement.

Fees, refunds and the currency: Article 14

Article 14 covers money. Schools shall implement fee items and standards for international students according to relevant state provisions. They shall publish the fee items, fee standards, and the refund rules for withdrawal (退学) and transfer (转学). Fees and refunds are denominated in RMB.

The text does not state any amount, and this page does not give any fee figure beyond the requirement that the school publish the rules and that the currency is RMB. The service guide, which carries the National Immigration Administration's own fee figures elsewhere, is not used here for any fee number because the study-category item quoted below does not set one out in the text used.

Changing major inside the same school: Article 17

Transferring to another university is not the only change covered. Under Article 17, after an international student enrols, the student may change major upon the student's application and the institution's consent. The conditions and procedures for changing major are set by the school.

This is a change inside the same school, not a transfer to another institution; Article 13 governs the latter, and Article 17 does not describe a move between schools.

What the admitting school reports when you leave: Regulations, Article 26

The Regulations of the People's Republic of China on Administration of the Entry and Exit of Foreigners (State Council Decree No. 637, promulgated 12 July 2013, in force from 1 September 2013), Article 26, impose a reporting duty. Upon discovery of one of the listed circumstances, the entity that admits a foreign student shall, in a timely manner, report to the exit and entry administration authority of the public security organ of the local people's government at or above the county level.

The listed circumstance relevant here is (2): an admitted foreign student has graduated, completed his or her course(s) or study, has quit school, or has left the school ungraduated. Article 26 does not name "transfer" as such, and it does not set out any residence-permit step; it requires the admitting entity to report when the student leaves in one of those ways. The Regulations do not say what the student must do with the residence permit on transfer.

The residence permit and the school's letter: the service guide

The National Immigration Administration service guide for residence permits, in the study category (学习类), item 2, ties the permit to the school's letter. For a person who entered on an X1 visa, the applicant submits a letter from the school attended stating the study period, together with the admission or enrollment proof; if the relevant information has already been registered through the national system for managing study in China, submission of paper materials may be exempted. For a person who entered on another type of visa, the applicant also submits proof materials issued by the competent department. A residence permit may be issued consistent with the study period stated by the school.

The guide does not describe how this changes when a student moves to another school: it does not say that a permit issued for one school remains valid for another, nor what documents a transferring student must file. Those steps are for the new school and the exit-entry office handling the case, not for the texts used here. This site's page on the residence permit for study after arrival gives the arrival-side steps that lead to the permit described in the guide.

Questions people ask

Can I transfer to another university without my current school's agreement?

No. Order No. 42 Article 13 makes acceptance conditional on the original admitting school's agreement; the text does not set out a route for transfer without that agreement.

Does the official text say how much a transfer costs?

No amounts are given. Order No. 42 Article 14 requires schools to publish fee items, fee standards and the refund rules for withdrawal and transfer, and requires fees and refunds to be denominated in RMB; the text does not state a fee amount, and this page does not give one.

Who reports my departure to the exit-entry administration?

Under Regulations Article 26, the entity that admitted the foreign student reports to the exit and entry administration authority of the public security organ of the local people's government at or above the county level in a timely manner when, among other circumstances, the student has quit school or has left the school ungraduated. The Regulations do not set out residence-permit action for a transfer.

Is my residence permit transferred automatically?

The service guide, study category item 2, ties the permit to the school's letter stating the study period and allows a permit consistent with that period. The texts used here do not say that a permit issued for one school transfers automatically to another, nor what a transferring student must submit; the new school and the exit-entry office handling your case decide the requirement.

Sources

• Measures for the Administration of Schools Recruiting and Educating International Students (Order No. 42) — Ministry of Education
• Regulations of the People's Republic of China on Administration of the Entry and Exit of Foreigners (State Council Decree No. 637) — National Immigration Administration
• National Immigration Administration service guide for issuing, extending, replacing and reissuing foreigners' residence permits — National Immigration Administration

Checked 11 October 2026

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