Shenzhen Polytechnic University — guide for international students

Shenzhen Polytechnic University (深圳职业技术大学) grew out of Shenzhen Polytechnic, which held its establishment symposium in May 1993 and its opening ceremony for the first intake in September 1993. It absorbed a vocational and technical school and a health school in 2000 and 2004, was included in the first batch of national demonstration vocational colleges in December 2006, and in 2019 was selected as one of the top 10 Tier-A institutions of the first national “Double High-Level” Plan for vocational education. In June 2023 the Ministry of Education approved its transition to university status, making it, in its own words, “the first ‘Double High-Level’ vocational college to be upgraded to university status.” It describes itself as a state-funded undergraduate vocational institution; the city of Shenzhen owns and funds it.

The upgrade matters for international applicants because it has not yet reached the international pages. SZPU’s About page lists 15 undergraduate (bachelor’s-level) programs alongside 84 diploma programs for 2024, but the international admission pages offer only “Diploma Programs”, Chinese language courses and exchange programs. Read the international route as a diploma route unless the International Office confirms otherwise in writing.

Two official English pages describe the university’s size differently, which is worth knowing before you quote a figure. The About SZPU page gives over 30,000 full-time students, more than 2,900 faculty and staff, 18 academic schools, 88 majors and three locations — Xili, Xiangmi and Shanwei-Shenzhen (Shenshan), covering over 667 acres. The Admission page gives 33,383 full-time students, 20 secondary schools, 83 majors and six campuses (Liuxiandong, Xilihu, Guanlongshan, Huaqiaocheng, Fenghuangshan and the Shenzhen-Shantou Special Cooperation Zone) covering about 3 million square metres. Neither page says which figures are more recent. The main campus address for international students is 7098 Liuxian Avenue, Nanshan District, reached by Metro Line 5 at Liuxian Dong station, exit C.

SZPU admits international students to three kinds of study: degree-seeking “Diploma Programs”, regular Chinese language courses, and long- or short-term exchange programs. What it does not publish matters as much. None of its international pages offers admission to the bachelor’s-level programs the university has run since its 2023 upgrade, and SZPU publishes no master’s or doctoral admission for international students — so those levels are left out of this guide; if you want a bachelor’s degree, ask the International Office whether any major accepts international students before applying. The general eligibility rule on the English Admission page is short: applicants must be non-Chinese citizens aged 18 and above, in good health, holding valid passports, who abide by Chinese laws and SZPU’s regulations. The diploma pages then add HSK Level 4 and set tuition as a band of RMB 12,000–20,000 a year without saying which majors cost what, which majors are open, or the language of instruction. SZPU also publishes no dated admission notice for a specific year: its registration window (March to June) and Chinese-course deadlines appear as standing annual dates, which this guide applies to the 2026 cycle. Confirm dates, the major list and the fee for your major with the office by email before you pay anything.

Degree programs

Select a degree level to see tuition, duration and entry requirements.

Non-degree programs

Documents to prepare

Application timeline

These are the dates Shenzhen Polytechnic 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.

SZPU does not publish any scholarship for international students. The International Office has a Scholarships (奖学金) page under its international-students menu, but it carries no awards, coverage or deadlines, and the English admission pages mention none. The university does not appear on its own pages as a host of Chinese Government (CSC) or Shenzhen municipal scholarship places. Plan to self-fund, and ask the International Office directly whether any award exists for your intake.

Research at SZPU is applied and industry-facing rather than basic science. The Research page describes 4,471 research projects at all levels — 69 national-level, 374 provincial or ministerial and 735 municipal or district-level — and eight applied technology research institutes working in advanced materials, artificial intelligence, manufacturing and marine biomedicine, with nine high-end think tanks on economic development, cultural creativity and vocational education. Since 2017 it has worked with Huawei, ZTE, China Mobile and government departments on applied research in emerging industries. The About SZPU page counts 43 provincial-level research platforms, 6 academician workstations and laboratories, 14 applied technology innovation centres, 10 public technology service platforms and 9 high-end think tanks.

SZPU’s international profile is built on vocational education cooperation: UNESCO-UNEVOC status since 2006, a research and training centre for the UNESCO Asia-Africa TVET project since 2017, and overseas TVET centres. Two official pages count partners differently: About SZPU gives 205 institutions across 45 countries and regions, while the International Cooperation page gives 181 partners in 40 countries and regions “as of December 2021”. The latter also says nearly 800 students from more than 40 countries studied at SZPU in the preceding five years, and over 2,100 international students in total; About SZPU puts the total at over 2,200.

SZPU’s teaching is built around employment in Shenzhen’s industries — its history records a Huawei Cooperative Training Center from 2008 and its first dual-certificate graduates in 2015, and its partner showcase includes Alibaba, BYD and Huawei. SZPU publishes no career services, internship arrangements or employment statistics for international students on its English or international-office pages, and no guidance on working in China after graduation. Ask the International Office what support diploma graduates receive.

The Campus Life page describes general student housing: four student apartment complexes with 4-, 6- and 12-person rooms, each with a separate toilet and bathroom with showers and hot water, plus beds, desks, chairs, water dispensers, air conditioning and internet access. It does not say where international students live or what they pay, and the international pages do not either — ask the International Office about housing and its cost when you apply.

Accommodation

Dining

Canteens on each campus: Zhixingyuan and Jinyuan I and II at Liuxiandong, Gewuyuan, Liuyuan and Junyuan at Xilihu, and Hanyuan at Guanlongshan. Typical hours are breakfast 6:30–9:30, lunch 10:30–13:00 and dinner 16:30–19:00, with supper until 22:30. Meal prices are not published.

Facilities

Reach the International Exchange and Cooperation Office (International Office), Shenzhen Polytechnic University — admissions contact Martin Zou (Zou Geng) for questions about applications, documents, scholarships and arrival. Type university programs and offices are based on campus in Shenzhen.