About
About Shenzhen MSU-BIT University
Shenzhen MSU-BIT University (深圳北理莫斯科大学; in Russian, Университет МГУ-ППИ в Шэньчжэне) is a non-profit Chinese-foreign cooperative university with independent legal-person status, founded by the Shenzhen Municipal People’s Government, Lomonosov Moscow State University (MSU) and the Beijing Institute of Technology (BIT). The Chinese and Russian education ministries signed their memorandum on 20 May 2014 before President Xi Jinping and President Vladimir Putin; the Ministry of Education approved the university on 27 October 2016, and both heads of state sent congratulatory messages to the first opening ceremony on 13 September 2017. Undergraduate and master’s admission began in 2017, doctoral admission in 2018.
Two diplomas, or one — settle this before you choose a major, because it is the most consequential thing about SMBU. The charter (Article 20) sets out both cases: graduates who pass the Russian state final examinations held under Moscow University’s rules receive the diplomas of both the cooperative university and MSU with the corresponding degrees; graduates who pass only the cooperative university’s own final examinations receive the SMBU diploma and degree alone. The 2026 international prospectus turns that into two lists — 15 double-diploma undergraduate majors and 11 single-diploma ones. At postgraduate level the balance tilts the other way: the master’s prospectus says graduates meeting Moscow University’s rules are issued a Moscow University degree certificate, and the doctoral route ends in an MSU doctoral degree. The English Brief page words the undergraduate case more loosely, so go by the prospectus for your own major.
Teaching runs in three languages — Chinese, Russian and English — and that is not a choice you make once and forget. Every student studies Russian, and on the Russian-taught majors the first year is largely a Russian course taken from zero: the Russian Language Center, founded in 2017, has 53 teachers (40 from Russia, 13 Chinese), teaches in groups of about 15, splits the first year into stages of 144, 540 and 540 contact hours, and reports a first-time pass rate above 90% in the B1 examination. English- and Chinese-taught majors are the cheaper ones, and mostly the single-diploma ones.
The campus occupies 333,700 m² in Dayun New Town, Longgang District, in north-east Shenzhen. Close to 4,500 students study across 10 faculties and 5 centres, in 19 undergraduate majors, 23 master’s directions and 21 doctoral directions. About 600 students are international, roughly 14%, and the university’s own pages say they come from five countries — the intake is strongly Russian and post-Soviet rather than globally spread; about 60% of teachers are international, from 18 countries and regions. Staff totals differ by page: the Chinese overview page says 549 full-time academic staff, the admissions site 701 and the English Brief 546 — and so does the doctorate share, 90% of teachers on the Chinese page against 84% of the 410 teaching and research staff counted on the English Brief.
Russian Language, Mathematics and Applied Mathematics, Materials Science and Engineering, and International Economics and Trade
Ministry of Science and Technology level, alongside 5 provincial or ministerial key laboratories and centres
The Chinese overview page says four are full-time, the admissions site three
China’s first Sino-Russian cooperative university, approved by the Ministry of Education in October 2016
A Moscow State University diploma in China
On the double-diploma track you graduate with both an SMBU and an MSU diploma, provided you pass the Russian state final examinations held under Moscow University’s rules. Master’s and doctoral graduates are awarded Moscow University degree certificates.
Three languages of instruction
Chinese, Russian and English. Tuition follows the language rather than the faculty: Russian-taught majors RMB 70,000 a year, English- and Chinese-taught majors RMB 50,000 — Biology in English is the exception at RMB 70,000 — and the two art majors RMB 90,000.
Entrance examinations, not just an application
Admission is exam-based on the Moscow University model — written subject and language papers in July for undergraduates, subject examinations in spring for postgraduates.
Admission
Admission, programs & tuition
SMBU admits international students to bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral study, and the three levels run on separate calendars and separate portals. Undergraduates apply at hap.smbu.edu.cn/portal/apply between 20 June and 12 July 2026 and sit entrance examinations 15–25 July; non-Chinese postgraduate applicants apply at is.smbu.edu.cn. Undergraduate eligibility is tightly drawn: a foreign national with a valid passport, a high-school graduate, in good health and no older than 25, with notarised guardianship authorisation if under 18 — being under 18 is not a bar. Applicants whose parents are Chinese citizens must have held foreign nationality for at least four years and lived abroad for two of the last four. What you sit depends on citizenship and track: Russian citizens combine MSU’s additional entrance test (ДВИ) with Unified State Exam results; other foreign nationals sit written papers set by the university. The master’s and doctoral prospectuses set no upper age limit, requiring a bachelor’s and a master’s degree respectively, and no application fee is published at any level.
Degree programs
Select a degree level to see tuition, duration and entry requirements.
Bachelor’s degreeUndergraduate
Two tracks, and the choice decides what you graduate with. The double-diploma track (MSU + SMBU) has 15 entries covering 14 majors — Biology is listed twice, in Russian and in English — and is otherwise taught in Russian: Applied Mathematics and Computer Science; Fundamentals of Informatics and IT; Russian Language and Literature; Chemistry, Physics and Materials Mechanics; Economics; Biology; Chemistry; Mathematics; Physics; Management; Chinese Language (Asian and African Studies); Natural Geography and Resource Environment; Choreography; and Drawing and Pictorial Art. The single-diploma track (SMBU only) has 11: Financial Technology, International Economics and Trade, Artificial Intelligence and Chinese Language in English; Electronic and Computer Engineering in Chinese; and six Russian-taught majors that also appear on the other list. The track, not the subject, decides the diploma, and the second one is conditional on passing the Russian state final examinations.
- Russian-taught majors, and Biology in English
- RMB 70,000 / year
- English-taught majors and Electronic and Computer Engineering
- RMB 50,000 / year
- Choreography, Drawing & Pictorial Art
- RMB 90,000 / year
Application requirements
- Foreign national with a valid passport, in good health, a high-school graduate and no older than 25; notarised guardianship authorisation if under 18.
- Applicants with one or both parents who are Chinese citizens must have held foreign nationality for at least four years and resided abroad for two of the last four.
- Entrance examinations: non-Russian citizens sit a written subject paper (mathematics for most majors) and a foreign-language paper on the double-diploma track, or two or three papers and sometimes an interview on the single-diploma track; Russian citizens combine MSU’s additional test with Unified State Exam results. Syllabuses are Moscow University’s published programs.
- IELTS 6.5 or TOEFL 80 exempts you from the English paper; Electronic and Computer Engineering requires HSK level 5. No Russian certificate is demanded at entry — Russian is taught from zero in the first year.
- Documents uploaded between 20 June and 12 July 2026: application form, passport page, a colour PDF scan of the high-school certificate and transcript, and a photo, plus a CV on the single-diploma track.
Master’s degreeGraduate
Eighteen two-year programs, taught in Russian or English, each with a period of study at Moscow State University written into the curriculum — usually a semester, compulsory on some programs and voluntary on others. In Russian: Teaching Russian as a Foreign Language; Fundamental Biology; Urban Ecology and Regional Planning; Fundamental Materials Science; Applied Mathematics and Informatics; Methods and Algorithms of AI; International Economics and Business; International Economic (Commercial) Law; Strategic Development and Regional Management; Educational Management; Fundamental Teacher Education. In English: Nanobiotechnology; Ecology and Management of Global Environmental Changes; Marine Biodiversity and Bioresources; Radiochemistry; Public and Corporate Management of Human Capital Development; Modern Development of Eurasia; Photonics.
- All master’s programs, studied at SMBU
- RMB 72,000 / year
- Semesters spent at Moscow State University
- Charged at MSU’s own rate for that year
- Preparatory Russian year where a program requires it
- RMB 50,000
Application requirements
- A bachelor’s degree, good health and moral character, compliance with Chinese law, and a valid passport; final-year students apply with proof of enrolment.
- Non-Chinese nationals apply through is.smbu.edu.cn; Chinese nationals use gradadmissions.smbu.edu.cn.
- Official undergraduate transcripts, the bachelor’s certificate and diploma, a résumé, identity and passport copies and a photograph, with a certificate of proficiency in the program’s language — the prospectus names no test or score, so ask what will be accepted.
- Written or oral entrance examinations in the program’s subject and language; admission is by ranked total examination score, program by program.
Doctoral degree (aspirantura)Graduate
Doctoral study on the Russian aspirantura model, ending in a candidate’s dissertation defended before a Moscow University dissertation council and an MSU doctoral degree. The 2026 prospectus advertises 62 places, ten of them flexible rather than tied to one specialisation, across twelve faculties and centres — biomechanics and bioengineering, ecology, Russian literature and language, optics, solid-state chemistry, differential equations, probability theory, mathematical logic, computational mathematics, world economy, economics, chemistry and radiochemistry, land hydrology, atmospheric and climate science, geoecology, public administration, philosophy, education, and the theory and history of culture and art.
- All doctoral programs
- Not yet published — the 2026 prospectus states that tuition and accommodation standards are still to be announced
Application requirements
- A completed master’s degree or an equivalent qualification.
- Application form in Russian or English, scans of the first two passport pages and the master’s certificate, each with a notarised Russian translation.
- A statement of academic achievements and a research plan, plus the written consent of a prospective supervisor — the practical bottleneck, so start that conversation months early.
- Lists of published papers and of other achievements such as patents and competition results, and a photograph.
- Applications 1 February to 15 March 2026; entrance examinations 23 March to 5 April 2026, in person in Shenzhen and Moscow.
Non-degree programs
Preparatory Russian-language year (master’s route)
Applicants to Urban Ecology and Regional Planning or Strategic Development and Regional Management who do not speak Russian spend a first year on the language, at RMB 50,000, before starting the master’s curriculum; the same prospectus prices a first-year Chinese course at RMB 50,000 for non-Chinese nationals who need it. This is a route into a degree rather than a stand-alone course, and the only preparatory pricing SMBU publishes. The university lists no open language program, exchange or visiting-student route for international applicants, so if you want to come for a semester only, write to the admissions office first.
Fee · RMB 50,000 for the year
Documents to prepare
- Completed 2026 application form — undergraduates file at hap.smbu.edu.cn/portal/apply, non-Chinese postgraduates at is.smbu.edu.cn, doctoral applicants in Russian or English.
- Passport information page; Russian applicants also upload their internal ID, and doctoral applicants add a notarised Russian translation.
- Academic records: a colour PDF scan of the high-school certificate and transcript for undergraduates; official transcripts with the bachelor’s certificate and diploma (or proof of enrolment) for master’s applicants; the master’s certificate with a notarised Russian translation for doctoral applicants.
- A 30 mm × 40 mm JPEG photograph, a CV on the undergraduate single-diploma track and at master’s level, and notarised guardianship authorisation for undergraduates under 18.
- Language certificates where they apply: IELTS 6.5 or TOEFL 80 to skip the English entrance paper, HSK 5 for Electronic and Computer Engineering, and a certificate in the language of instruction at master’s level.
- Doctoral applicants only: a research plan, a statement of academic achievements, a supervisor’s written consent, and lists of publications and other achievements.
- After admission: proof of paid tuition and accommodation, the Foreigner Physical Examination (about RMB 448) and the residence-permit application.
Application timeline
These are the dates Shenzhen MSU-BIT University published for the 2026 intake. That cycle has closed. Use them as a guide to when each step falls in the year, and check the official pages for the 2027 dates before you plan around them.
- 1
Doctoral applications and examinations
1 Feb – 5 Apr 2026Applications 1 February to 15 March, examinations 23 March to 5 April, held in person in Shenzhen and at Moscow State University. Secure a supervisor’s written consent before the window opens.
- 2
Master’s applications close (main round)
By 12 Apr 2026Applicants could check their document review status from 15 April 2026.
- 3
Master’s supplementary round
11 – 30 Jun 2026Fourteen programs re-opened for registration 11–22 June with examinations 24–30 June, including Methods and Algorithms of AI, moved out of the main round in April.
- 4
International undergraduate applications
20 Jun – 12 Jul 2026The only undergraduate application window the prospectus publishes.
- 5
Undergraduate entrance examinations
15 – 25 Jul 2026Written subject and foreign-language papers for non-Russian citizens; MSU’s additional test plus Unified State Exam results for Russian citizens.
- 6
Master’s third round
28 Jul – 18 Aug 2026Nine programs re-opened for registration 28 July–10 August with examinations 13–18 August, mostly online.
- 7
Supplementary undergraduate examinations
27 – 28 Aug 2026Mathematics, geography and chemistry on 27 August, English on 28 August, taken remotely on Moscow University’s exam.msu.ru platform.
Tuition follows the language of instruction rather than the faculty: Russian-taught undergraduate majors RMB 70,000 a year, English- and Chinese-taught majors RMB 50,000, the two Art Center majors RMB 90,000. Master’s study is a flat RMB 72,000 a year at SMBU, with semesters at Moscow State University charged at MSU’s own rate, plus RMB 50,000 for a preparatory Russian year where a program requires one. Doctoral tuition is the gap — the 2026 prospectus says the standard is still to be announced, so ask postgraduate@smbu.edu.cn before committing. No application fee is published. Budget separately for accommodation (RMB 2,400 a year for an undergraduate place, RMB 2,400–3,600 for a postgraduate one), insurance at RMB 800 a year, the medical check at about RMB 448, the residence permit at RMB 400–800, utilities at roughly RMB 100 a month, bedding at about RMB 350 and food from about RMB 2,000 a month.
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Scholarships
SMBU publishes far less about money than a Chinese public university would, and the awards easiest to find on its website are mostly not open to you. The 2026 international prospectus names three sources — the university itself, the Shenzhen municipal Dayun (Universiade) Scholarship and the Guangdong provincial government — then says only that the criteria for students enrolling in 2026 would be announced within June 2026. No grades, no amounts, no deadline. The one aggregate figure published anywhere is on the Chinese-language admissions FAQ: awards across all schemes average roughly 30% of a student’s tuition. Two things follow: no Chinese Government Scholarship (CSC) channel appears anywhere on SMBU’s international admission pages, so confirm with the office rather than assuming one exists, and the generous Qihang freshman scholarship on the Chinese pages is restricted to Chinese nationals. Doctoral study is the one level where real figures are published.
SMBU university scholarships for international students
Not quantified on the international prospectus, which states only that students can receive scholarship support from the university and that the 2026 criteria would be announced within June 2026. The Chinese-language admissions FAQ says aid of all kinds averages about 30% of tuition, with on-campus work-study places alongside it.
Eligibility: Enrolled international students. Neither the grades nor the application window are published, so ask the admissions office for the written criteria and the deadline for your level.
Government scholarships — Shenzhen Dayun (Universiade) and Guangdong provincial
Both are named by the 2026 international prospectus as sources of support, with no value, grade structure or deadline attached. Do not read across from the Dayun notice on SMBU’s Chinese pages: that covers different projects aimed at outbound Chinese students — RMB 55,000 a year for a master’s or doctorate abroad, RMB 20,000 for short exchanges.
Eligibility: Described only as students of Shenzhen MSU-BIT University. Ask the admissions office which municipal or provincial project you would actually be applying to, and on what criteria.
Master’s freshman and academic scholarships
The 2026 master’s prospectus states that the university has established freshman and academic scholarships, applied for after enrolment under the scholarship rules and paid out once specialist study begins. No amounts are published.
Eligibility: Admitted master’s students. Note the sequence: you apply after you enrol, not as part of the admission file, so the award cannot be relied on when you decide whether you can afford the first year.
Doctoral (aspirantura) scholarships
The Russian-language doctoral page is the one place SMBU publishes figures: RMB 70,000 for the first year and RMB 85,000 for years two to four, plus a research subsidy of RMB 1,200 a month for ten months, air-ticket reimbursement up to RMB 10,000 and teaching-assistant pay up to RMB 2,000 a month. It describes the 2025 round; the 2026 prospectus says only that freshman and research scholarships exist and are applied for after enrolment.
Eligibility: First-year funding is conditioned on graduating from a top-500 university or on publications indexed in Web of Science or Scopus; the higher rate requires excellent progress and publications in first-quartile journals.
Qihang freshman scholarship — Chinese nationals only
Listed so you do not budget around it. The 2022 notice sets six grades, from a full award of RMB 300,000 per student down to RMB 10,000, paid semester by semester subject to review.
Eligibility: Restricted to Chinese-national undergraduate freshmen and scored entirely on provincial gaokao rank. International applicants are not eligible.
Research
Research at the university
Research at SMBU runs on the same Sino-Russian axis as its teaching, and it is young — read it as a platform being built rather than a settled record. The Chinese overview page counts two national-level Sino-Russian joint laboratories recognised by the Ministry of Science and Technology, five provincial or ministerial key laboratories and centres, two municipal key research bases and seven university-level platforms, and records 375 research projects to date: 65 national (58 of them National Natural Science Foundation grants), 145 provincial or ministerial, 70 municipal and 95 commissioned by industry. The faculty includes 20 academicians, three Clarivate Highly Cited Researchers and eight scientists in the global top 2% list.
Materials science and energy
Battery technology and materials chemistry, with two Guangdong provincial international science and technology cooperation projects approved in January 2026 and a power-battery testing joint laboratory.
Computational mathematics and AI
Doctoral work in differential equations, probability theory, mathematical logic and computational mathematics, plus an Institute of Artificial Intelligence; an engineering team won a best-paper award at IEEE WIFS 2025.
Biology, ecology and the marine environment
English-taught master’s programs in nanobiotechnology, marine biodiversity and bioresources, and the ecology of global environmental changes, with doctoral work in biomechanics and ecology.
Chemistry, geography and earth sciences
Doctoral specialisations in analytical, physical and radiochemistry, land hydrology, atmospheric and climate science and geoecology, with an English-taught master’s in radiochemistry — a transplant of Moscow University strengths.
- Two national-level Sino-Russian joint laboratories recognised by the Ministry of Science and Technology — the anchor of the university’s research claim.
- Four university-enterprise research platforms and close to 70 industry cooperation projects, with partners including BYD, iFLYTEK, Xiamen Torch Group and Beihang Investment.
- Named industry laboratories: microfluidics with Shenzhen Haoke Micro-Nano Technology, energy-carbon sensing smart energy with Bicheng Energy, intelligent cyber-physical systems with Jiangxing Intelligence, a power-battery testing laboratory and a Digital Finance Research Center.
- Undergraduate research is publishable here: work from the Faculty of Economics appeared in an SSCI Q1 journal in December 2025.
Global engagement
Global engagement
SMBU is itself an act of global engagement — a university built by two states — and its outward links follow the same orientation. Its international exchange page counts 50 cooperation agreements with institutions in 13 countries, naming Lomonosov Moscow State University, the Repin Academy of Fine Arts in St Petersburg, Bauman Moscow State Technical University, the University of Cyprus, Eurasian University and the company OZON Global. The most substantial link is structural rather than contractual: master’s curricula build in a period of study at Moscow State University, and doctoral dissertations are defended before MSU councils.
Lomonosov Moscow State University
Co-founder, examiner and degree-awarding partner. MSU sets the entrance examination syllabuses, holds the Russian state final examinations that decide the second diploma, hosts master’s students for at least a semester, and awards the master’s and doctoral degrees.
Beijing Institute of Technology
The Chinese co-founder. The staff-profile page counts 282 teachers seconded from Moscow University and 457 from BIT and global recruitment, including 64 foreign teachers — which is how a three-language curriculum is staffed.
Russian partner institutions
The Repin Academy of Fine Arts in St Petersburg — relevant to the Art Center’s Drawing and Pictorial Art and Choreography majors — and Bauman Moscow State Technical University are named among the partners.
Sino-Russian research and culture centres
The Sino-Russian Comparative Law Research Center, the Sino-Russian Center for Comparative Education Research and the Beimo Sino-Russian Cultural Research Center run joint research and exchange activities, including a Russian-language summer camp.
Career
Career & alumni
Be clear-eyed about what is knowable here. SMBU publishes no graduate employment rate, salary data or destination statistics for international students on its English, Russian or Chinese admission pages; a separate careers site, career.smbu.edu.cn, is linked from the Chinese homepage. The career proposition is the qualification rather than a placement record: a Moscow State University diploma or degree certificate earned in Shenzhen, plus Russian that very few graduates of Chinese universities have, in China’s main technology and trade hub. If graduate outcomes matter to your decision, ask the admissions office for the figures for your faculty and intake, and treat any employment statistic on a third-party site as unsourced.
Career support
- A period of study at Moscow State University written into most master’s curricula — compulsory on some programs, voluntary on others — rather than an optional exchange.
- Doctoral supervision leading to a dissertation defended before a Moscow University council, with research subsidies and teaching-assistant pay.
- On-campus work: the Russian After Admission page states that international students may work within the university, and the Chinese admissions site lists internships and student assistant posts.
- Industry links through four university-enterprise research platforms and close to 70 cooperation projects with companies including BYD and iFLYTEK.
- HSK examinations on campus, through the Chinese Language Center’s authorised test centre.
Notable alumni
Campus life
Campus life
SMBU occupies a single purpose-built campus of 333,700 m² in Dayun New Town, Longgang District, in north-east Shenzhen. Housing is on campus and cheap by Shenzhen standards: undergraduates are quoted RMB 2,400 per person per year in a room shared with two or three others, master’s students RMB 3,600 in a double or RMB 2,400 in a triple. Utilities are extra at about RMB 100 a month and bedding about RMB 350; insurance is RMB 800 a year, the medical examination about RMB 448, and the residence permit RMB 400–800, issued only once tuition is paid. Campus life has a distinctly Russian grain: the Russian Language Center runs drama, poetry and folk-dance groups, tea gatherings and concerts alongside its teaching, and university-wide events include the Silk Road Spirit Choir Competition.
Accommodation
Undergraduate dormitory
RMB 2,400 per person per year
The 2026 international prospectus quotes the same rate for both room sizes. Utilities are extra at roughly RMB 100 a month, and bedding costs about RMB 350.
Postgraduate dormitory — double room
RMB 3,600 per person per year
From the 2026 master’s prospectus. Two official pages disagree: the Russian After Admission page, updated 17 June 2025, quotes RMB 3,200 for the same room type.
Postgraduate dormitory — triple room
RMB 2,400 per person per year
For the semester spent at Moscow State University, accommodation is charged at MSU’s own rates instead.
Dining
SMBU does not publish canteen locations, opening hours or meal prices on its international admission pages. The only official figure for eating on campus is on the Russian After Admission page, which budgets food at from about RMB 2,000 a month — a floor rather than a typical spend.
Facilities
Sport
The Facilities Service page shows an indoor gym, a swimming pool, a gymnasium building, a playing field, basketball courts and outdoor fitness equipment.
Russian cultural life
The Russian Language Center runs drama, poetry and folk-dance interest groups, Russian tea gatherings and Russian-language concerts alongside its 53-strong teaching staff.
Art Center, library and services
The Art Center, home to the Choreography and Drawing and Pictorial Art majors, mounts teaching exhibitions and maintains an online gallery; the university library is at lib.smbu.edu.cn and an online service hall at ehall.smbu.edu.cn.
Health, insurance and residence
Insurance is RMB 800 a year and the medical examination about RMB 448. The residence permit costs RMB 400–800 by length of stay and is processed only after tuition is paid.
Campus
Shenzhen MSU-BIT University in photos
Photos of Shenzhen MSU-BIT University
Photos will appear here once they are uploaded from the Qiao admin panel. In the meantime, Qiao is on it.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Will I get a Moscow State University degree, a Chinese degree, or both?+
It depends on the track and the level. At undergraduate level SMBU runs two lists: 15 double-diploma majors, where you receive both an SMBU diploma and a Moscow State University diploma, and 11 single-diploma majors, where you receive the SMBU diploma alone. The second diploma is conditional — the charter requires you to pass the Russian state final examinations held under Moscow University’s rules, so it is earned at the end rather than guaranteed at entry. At master’s and doctoral level the position differs: graduates meeting Moscow University’s rules are issued a Moscow University degree certificate, and the doctoral route ends in an MSU doctoral degree after a dissertation defended before an MSU council. Chinese nationals can have those recognised through the Ministry of Education’s overseas-qualification certification service.
How much is tuition at Shenzhen MSU-BIT University for international students?+
Tuition follows the language of instruction, not the faculty. Undergraduate majors taught in Russian are RMB 70,000 a year, whether on the double- or single-diploma list; those taught in English or Chinese — Financial Technology, International Economics and Trade, Artificial Intelligence, Chinese Language and Electronic and Computer Engineering — are RMB 50,000; the two Art Center majors are RMB 90,000. Master’s study is RMB 72,000 a year at SMBU, with the semester at Moscow State University charged at MSU’s own rate, plus RMB 50,000 if your program requires a preparatory Russian year. Doctoral tuition is the one figure the university has not published: the 2026 prospectus says the standard is still to be announced, so write to postgraduate@smbu.edu.cn. No application fee is published at any level.
Do I need to speak Russian, and what test scores are required?+
You do not need Russian to be admitted to the Russian-taught majors — but you will be studying in Russian within a year. They ask for no Russian certificate at entry; the first year is largely a Russian course taught from zero by the Russian Language Center, in stages of 144, 540 and 540 contact hours, in groups of about 15, with a reported first-time pass rate above 90% in the B1 examination. You will still sit a foreign-language paper in the entrance examinations, and only two thresholds are published: IELTS 6.5 or TOEFL 80 exempts you from the English paper, and Electronic and Computer Engineering, taught in Chinese, requires HSK level 5. At master’s level a certificate in the program’s language must be submitted, but no test or score is named, so ask gradadmissions@smbu.edu.cn first.
When are the deadlines, and can I still apply for 2026?+
The 2026 cycle is closed. International undergraduate applications ran 20 June to 12 July 2026, with entrance examinations 15–25 July and a supplementary sitting on 27 and 28 August held remotely on Moscow University’s exam.msu.ru platform. Master’s admission ran in three rounds: a main round closing 12 April, a supplementary round registering 11–22 June with examinations 24–30 June, and a third round registering 28 July to 10 August with examinations 13–18 August. Doctoral admission was earliest — applications 1 February to 15 March, examinations 23 March to 5 April. SMBU had published no 2027 prospectus by mid-September 2026, so watch the Admissions pages on en.smbu.edu.cn and ru.smbu.edu.cn rather than assuming the same dates repeat.
Are there scholarships for international students?+
Yes, but the university publishes remarkably little about them, so plan on paying and treat an award as upside. The 2026 international prospectus names three sources — the university, the Shenzhen municipal Dayun Scholarship and the Guangdong provincial government — and says the 2026 criteria would be announced within June 2026, without publishing amounts, grades or a deadline. The Chinese-language admissions FAQ says aid of all kinds averages about 30% of a student’s tuition. Two warnings: no Chinese Government Scholarship (CSC) channel appears on SMBU’s international admission pages, and the large Qihang freshman scholarship is restricted to Chinese nationals. Doctoral study is the exception — the Russian aspirantura page publishes RMB 70,000 for the first year and RMB 85,000 for years two to four, plus a monthly research subsidy.
Where do international students live, and what does it cost?+
On campus, in Dayun New Town in Longgang District. Undergraduates are quoted RMB 2,400 per person per year in a room shared with two or three others. Postgraduates pay RMB 3,600 a year in a double room or RMB 2,400 in a triple according to the 2026 master’s prospectus, though the Russian After Admission page quotes RMB 3,200 for the double — confirm which applies to your intake. Utilities are extra at roughly RMB 100 a month, bedding about RMB 350, insurance RMB 800 a year, the medical examination about RMB 448 and the residence permit RMB 400–800. Tuition and accommodation are paid before registration, though payment by semester is allowed on request.
Contact
Contact the admissions offices
Reach the Admissions Office, Shenzhen MSU-BIT University — international undergraduate admissions; Graduate Admissions Office for master’s and doctoral study for questions about applications, documents, scholarships and arrival. Type university programs and offices are based on campus in Shenzhen.
- Office
- Admissions Office, Shenzhen MSU-BIT University — international undergraduate admissions; Graduate Admissions Office for master’s and doctoral study
- Address
- No. 1 International University Park Road, Dayun New Town, Longgang District, Shenzhen, Guangdong 518172, P.R. China
- interundergraduates@smbu.edu.cn — international undergraduate admissionspriem@smbu.ru — Moscow-side contact for undergraduate admissiongradadmissions@smbu.edu.cn — master’s admissions officedzyubinskayaav@my.msu.ru — second master’s admissions contact, from the 2026 master’s prospectuspostgraduate@smbu.edu.cn — doctoral (aspirantura) admissionsadmission@smbu.edu.cn — undergraduate admissions office (Chinese-language site)international@smbu.edu.cn — international cooperation and exchange officeinfo@smbu.edu.cn — general university enquiries
- Phone
- +86 755 28323360 — admissions office (undergraduate and graduate)+86 755 28323359 — international undergraduate admissions+86 755 28323398 — graduate admissions office; also the admissions fax number+7 499 348 8002 — Moscow office, undergraduate admissions+86 755 28323345 — international cooperation and exchange office+86 755 28323024 — university switchboard+86 755 89892377 — university fax
Verified from official sources · last checked 2026-09-17
Tuition, fees and deadlines change every intake. Always confirm the current figures on the official Shenzhen MSU-BIT University pages before applying.
- 2026 Undergraduate Admissions Prospectus for International Applicants
- 2026 Master’s Programs Admissions Prospectus
- 2026 supplementary postgraduate enrolment notice
- 2026 third-round postgraduate enrolment notice
- 2026 doctoral admissions prospectus (Chinese)
- 2026 master’s admissions prospectus (Chinese)
- Doctoral study (aspirantura), Russian site
- Information booklet for international applicants 2026 (Russian)
- Supplementary undergraduate entrance examinations, August 2026
- After admission — fees, accommodation and registration (Russian)
- Brief — about the university (English)
- University overview (Chinese)
- University charter — Article 20 on diplomas and degrees
- Faculty and staff profile
- Russian Language Center
- International exchange and partners
- Undergraduate admissions FAQ (Chinese)
- Qihang freshman scholarship notice (Chinese nationals)
- Shenzhen Dayun Scholarship notice
- Contact us (English)