First, the answer: is the CSCA compulsory?
The short answer first: at present, not everyone who comes to China to study for an undergraduate degree must take the CSCA, but according to the official notice, the requirement is being introduced in stages.
"Phased introduction" means the requirement will not be rolled out all at once. It will first apply to some applicants and then gradually extend to all undergraduate applicants. So even among people who all "want to study for an undergraduate degree in China", the answer can be completely different depending on their status, the year they apply and the program they apply for. When judging your own case, you cannot start with "Is the CSCA difficult?" You first need to be clear about "which category of applicant am I?"
- The official notice states that from the 2026/2027 academic year, applicants coming to China to study for a bachelor's degree must take the CSCA before submitting their application; the first batch of requirements applies to applicants for undergraduate study at Chinese Government Scholarship institutions.
- The official notice also states that it is planned that from 2028, all undergraduate applicants to Chinese universities must take the CSCA, and minimum standards for undergraduate admission will be established.
- So those applying for a Chinese Government Scholarship for undergraduate study must take the CSCA first; those applying for other undergraduate programs need to check the target institution's admissions guide for that year.
You can check your own situation as follows:
- If you are applying for a Chinese Government Scholarship for an undergraduate major at a university, then according to the notice above, the CSCA is part of the application process from the 2026/2027 academic year. The order is "take the exam first, then submit the application"; you cannot wait until you have an admission offer and take it afterwards.
- If you plan to apply to the same major as a self-funded student, you cannot simply apply the conclusion above. You need to go back to that university's admissions guide for that year and check whether it sets out a CSCA requirement for undergraduate applicants.
- If you are still in middle school, judge by the year you will actually enroll, not by the current year. 2028 is the dividing line: from then on, all undergraduate applicants fall within the scope of the requirement.
Who organizes the CSCA and what is it used for
- The CSCA is organized by the China Scholarship Council (CSC) and developed jointly with experts from Chinese universities.
- It is used to assess students' language ability and academic foundation.
- The score is one of the important bases for undergraduate admissions and scholarship review at Chinese universities; the specific score requirements are set by each university according to major.
Taken together, these three points tell us two things. First, the test measures the basic ability to "understand classes and keep up with the course": language ability corresponds to your ability to read materials and understand questions once you are in a Chinese-taught environment, while academic foundation corresponds to how well prepared you are in subjects such as mathematics. Second, it is a score that is "used", not a certificate that means nothing once the exam is over. The same score may carry different weight at different universities and in different majors, because score requirements are set by each university according to major. So when you look up information, do not only check "what the CSCA tests"; also check "what the CSCA requirements say for the major I want to apply for".
Who can register and who cannot
CSCA is intended for non-Chinese students who plan to apply for undergraduate courses at higher education institutions in mainland China. Before you register, confirm that you fall within the eligible scope. This step looks simple, yet it is the easiest one to skip: if your status does not meet the requirements, no amount of preparation will get you registered.
- Can register: non-Chinese students planning to apply for undergraduate courses at higher education institutions in mainland China.
- Cannot register: holders of a Chinese passport, or of a Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan residents' residence permit.
- Age requirement: there is no age limit; minor candidates need guardian consent and assistance with registration.
- Document requirement: a passport is the only accepted identity document, and you must bring the original valid passport on the test day.
A few notes:
- Eligibility depends on nationality and document identity, not on where you attended secondary school or which language you studied in. Holders of a Chinese passport cannot register; this is a clear boundary.
- There is no upper or lower age limit, but registering a minor requires guardian consent and assistance, so parents should understand the process in advance rather than wait until the registration deadline.
- Pay particular attention to the document rule: a passport is the only accepted identity document, and the original must be brought on the test day. If your passport is close to expiry around the test date, or you need to renew it between registration and the test, deal with it as early as possible.
When to take it and which subjects
- The official website states that exams are usually held in January, March, April, June, November and December; each session runs over two days, and details are subject to that session's announcement.
- Mathematics is required of everyone; applicants for undergraduate Chinese Government Scholarship programs must also take Professional Chinese; physics and chemistry depend on the requirements of the institution and the program.
- For mathematics, physics and chemistry, you may choose the Chinese or the English paper separately for each subject; Professional Chinese is offered in Chinese only.
Each of these three points suggests a way to plan:
- With several exam sessions a year, you have room to adjust, but each session runs over two days and your subjects may fall on different dates. Once you have chosen a session, check that session's announcement to confirm which day your subjects fall on, rather than assuming everything is finished on the same day.
- Subjects are not all-or-nothing. Mathematics is common to everyone; Professional Chinese is directly tied to whether you are applying for an undergraduate Chinese Government Scholarship; physics and chemistry depend on the requirements of the institution and the program. You cannot tell from the name of your program whether you need physics, so check the target institution's admissions guide for the current year.
- As for language, you may choose the Chinese or the English paper separately for mathematics, physics and chemistry. That means you can decide subject by subject according to your strengths instead of picking one language for all three. Professional Chinese is offered in Chinese only, with no English paper, so factor this into your preparation in advance.
Four things you can do now
- Check the target institution's admissions guide to confirm whether CSCA is required, which subjects you need and in which language the exam is taken. Guides are usually updated each year, so find the version for your entry year; don't use previous years' versions to infer this year's requirements.
- Go to the preparation section of csca.cn and download the 2025 version of the exam syllabus and the official sample questions. Read the syllabus first to understand the exam scope, then work through the sample questions; doing it the other way round makes it easy to treat the samples as a question bank to memorise.
- Work backwards from your deadline. Results are usually published within 7 working days of the exam, and you need them before the application deadline. So start from the application deadline, set aside the time needed for results to be published, and work back to the exam session you must take.
- Start with a CSCA.PRO 15-minute diagnostic to see where your mathematics is weak. The diagnostic is meant to identify weak areas, not to conclude whether you can get in; once you have your results, decide which part of the syllabus to spend your review time on.