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Insurance for international students in China: the rule and what scholarships pay

Unofficial summary · Sources checked

Insurance is compulsory for every international student in mainland China. Under Ministry of Education, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Public Security Order No. 42 Article 40 (Measures for the Administration of Schools Recruiting and Educating International Students), an international student must be insured as the state regulations and the school require. The English wording of that article is this site's translation of the Chinese text.

A student who does not buy the insurance shall be ordered to purchase it within a time limit. Those who still do not purchase it after the time limit shall not be admitted by the school; those already studying at the school shall be ordered to withdraw or shall not be registered.

Order No. 42 Article 40 requires the insurance but names no insurer and sets no price for a self-funded student.

Check the documents your case needs with the document checklist. It prints the items Order No. 42 requires of every school — including insurance — and the visa documents you will need later (admission letter or notice, and form JW201 or JW202 for an X1 visa).

Who pays under each scholarship

Each scholarship notice states its own medical insurance line. The notices are listed separately below; the terms of one programme are not presented as another's.

  • Chinese Government Scholarship — Application Guide, III (Scholarship Coverage), item 4: comprehensive medical insurance is CNY 800 per person per year; CNY 400 per person for programmes lasting less than six months.
  • ASEAN-China Young Leaders Scholarship (ACYLS) — Guidebook, Medical Insurance: it is covered by the ACYLS programme. To check the policy and claims, the guide refers to the Comprehensive Insurance & Protection Scheme for Foreigners Staying in China via campuschina.org. The guide names no amount.
  • MOFCOM Scholarship-CSC Program — Enrollment Guide, IV (Scholarship Coverage), item 5: free medical insurance for international students. The guide names no amount.
  • International Chinese Language Teachers Scholarship 2025 — Application Guidelines, Appendix 1, item 4: the comprehensive medical insurance is purchased by the host institutions under the applicable Ministry of Education regulations on overseas students. The premium is RMB 100 per person for a four-week study programme, RMB 400 per person for a one-semester study programme, and RMB 800 per person per year for students studying more than one year.

Questions people ask

Is medical insurance compulsory for self-funded students?

Yes. Order No. 42 Article 40 applies the universal insurance system to every international student and requires insurance as the state and the school require. The article names no insurer and sets no price, so a self-funded student must follow the school's own requirement.

What happens if I do not buy the insurance?

Order No. 42 Article 40 states you shall be ordered to purchase it within a time limit. If you still have not purchased it after the time limit, the school shall not admit you; if you are already studying there, you shall be ordered to withdraw or shall not be registered.

Does the Chinese Government Scholarship pay the insurance?

Yes. The Application Guide, III (Scholarship Coverage), item 4 lists comprehensive medical insurance at CNY 800 per person per year, or CNY 400 per person for programmes lasting less than six months.

Sources

Checked 11 October 2026 and 10 October 2026.

This page is an unofficial summary, is not legal or immigration advice, is not published by the bodies named, and the official text and the instructions of the body handling your application prevail if they differ.

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