More than 1,000 Chinese institutions now enrol international students

The official Study in China platform maintained by the China Scholarship Council lists more than 1,000 Chinese institutions that enrol international students, with students drawn from over 190 countries and regions. Roughly 90 of those institutions enrol international students in arts disciplines, according to the platform's own data.

The scale matters for applicants in two ways. First, it means the choice of institution is far wider than the few hundred universities that international students typically consider. Second, it means quality varies enormously, and the Ministry of Education's list of recognised institutions should be the starting filter for any application.

Around 300 institutions are designated to host Chinese Government Scholarship students.