About
About Southwest Jiaotong University
Southwest Jiaotong University (西南交通大学) was founded in 1896 at Shanhaiguan as the Imperial Chinese Railway College, which its English Overview page calls "the first institution of higher engineering education in China" and "the cradle of railway engineers in China". It moved to Tangshan in 1905, was relocated to Sichuan in 1964, took its present name in 1972 and shifted to Chengdu from 1989, counting more than 300,000 graduates since.
SWJTU’s own pages disagree on how many campuses it has: the Chinese 学校概况 page lists four — Jiuli and Xipu in Chengdu, the Eastern (International) Campus in Chengdu’s East New Area, and Emei — covering "over 5,000 mu", while the English Locations page still describes three. The answer that matters is Xipu: the School of International Education, the admissions offices and the main international dormitory are all at No. 999 Xi’an Road, Pidu District, at the end of Chengdu Metro Line 2. Jiuli, at No. 111, North Section 1, Second Ring Road, is the downtown campus holding the State Key Laboratory of Traction Power, with an international dormitory of its own; Emei sits inside the Mount Emei scenic area, a different city altogether.
The university is directly administered by the Ministry of Education and sits in the Double First-Class initiative, Project 211 and the 985 Advantageous Discipline Innovation Platform. Its Double First-Class discipline is transportation engineering, and its own plan aims to make that discipline world-class and SWJTU "a national strategic scientific and technological force" in rail transit by 2035. It teaches roughly 49,600 full-time students — 29,806 undergraduates, 16,041 master’s and 3,764 doctoral — across 34 schools and centres, with over 2,700 full-time faculty including six academicians of the Chinese Academies of Sciences and Engineering.
SWJTU publishes no international-student headcount of its own. The QS profile lists 487 international students and Times Higher Education puts the international share at 1%, so the international cohort is small by the standards of China’s best-known destinations.
QS also places SWJTU at #=337 in its Asian University Rankings
SWJTU’s single discipline in the national initiative; it is also in Project 211 and the 985 Advantageous Discipline Innovation Platform
Materials science is in the top 0.9‰ and computer science in the top 1‰; 11 disciplines sit in the ESI top 1%
China’s first engineering university
Founded in 1896 as the Imperial Chinese Railway College — the first institution of higher engineering education in China, and still "the cradle of railway engineers".
Rail transit is the whole identity
Transportation engineering is the Double First-Class discipline, and the research platforms — traction power, rail electrification, high-speed rail safety, maglev — cluster in that one field rather than spreading across a comprehensive university.
Four campuses, one that matters for you
International students are based at Xipu in Pidu District, at the end of Chengdu Metro Line 2; the downtown Jiuli campus also has an international dormitory.
Admission
Admission, programs & tuition
SWJTU admits international students to bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees and to non-degree Chinese-language and short-term programs, all through admission.swjtu.edu.cn. Two things set its 2026/2027 entry apart. First, undergraduate applicants must sit the China Scholastic Competency Assessment: the 2026-2027 Self-Supported guide requires "a passing score on the China Scholastic Competency Assessment (CSCA test), organized by the China Scholarship Council (CSC)" and the original score report. That is undergraduate-only — master’s and doctoral applicants submit two recommendation letters instead. Second, the Chinese requirement is split by faculty: HSK Level 5 (≥180) for science and engineering, HSK Level 4 (≥180) for liberal arts and management. The English program pages still print a flat "HSK Level 5 or above" and still carry 2023 application windows, so where they disagree with the Chinese 2026/2027 guides, work to the guides. Age limits are firm — under 25, 35 and 40 by level — and applicants under 18 on 1 September 2026 must file a guardian’s guarantee statement.
Degree programs
Select a degree level to see tuition, duration and entry requirements.
Bachelor’s degreeUndergraduate
Four- to five-year degrees in Chinese or English. SWJTU publishes no major-by-major list for international undergraduates — the Undergraduate Programs page says to "refer to the online application system" — but its strength sits in civil engineering, transportation and logistics, mechanical and electrical engineering, computing and AI, materials, architecture and design. The SWJTU-Leeds Joint School runs four Ministry of Education-approved programs at Xipu.
- Economics & management / liberal arts
- RMB 18,000 / year
- Science & engineering
- RMB 23,000 / year
- Art & architecture
- RMB 25,000 / year
Application requirements
- Non-Chinese citizen with a valid foreign passport, in good physical and mental health, under the age of 25.
- High-school diploma or equivalent with a strong record; current students may apply with a pre-graduation certificate.
- A passing CSCA score with the original score report — undergraduate applicants only.
- Chinese-taught: HSK Level 5 (≥180) for science and engineering, HSK Level 4 (≥180) for liberal arts and management, with an exemption for previous Chinese-medium study. English-taught: IELTS ≥6.0, TOEFL iBT ≥80 or equivalent.
- Passport valid until at least 1 March 2027, plus a physical examination form, non-criminal record certificate, transcripts and a study plan; a guardian’s guarantee statement if under 18 on 1 September 2026.
Master’s degreeGraduate
Three-year degrees in Chinese or English across engineering, science, management, economics and the humanities. The Silk Road scholarship channel names the five disciplines SWJTU pushes hardest: transportation planning and management, mechanical engineering, road and railway engineering, electrical engineering, and computer science and technology.
- Economics & management / liberal arts
- RMB 22,000 / year
- Science & engineering
- RMB 25,000 — printed "/semester" on the Postgraduate Programs page while the row above reads "/year"
- Arts & architecture
- RMB 26,000 — also printed "/semester" on the same page
Application requirements
- Non-Chinese citizen with a valid foreign passport, in good health, under the age of 35.
- Bachelor’s degree or equivalent with excellent records, and two recommendation letters from associate professors or above. No CSCA test at this level.
- Chinese-taught: HSK Level 5 (≥180) for science and engineering, HSK Level 4 (≥180) for liberal arts and management, with an exemption for previous Chinese-medium study. English-taught: IELTS ≥6.0, TOEFL iBT ≥80 or equivalent.
- A study plan, transcripts, physical examination form, non-criminal record certificate and a passport valid until at least 1 March 2027.
Doctoral degreeGraduate
Four-year supervisor-led study concentrated in rail transit and its supporting disciplines — vehicle and track dynamics, bridge and tunnel engineering, traction power supply, rail electrification and automation, transportation planning, materials and computing. Find a supervisor on the Graduate Faculty Advisors list first; that is the practical bottleneck.
- Economics & management / liberal arts
- RMB 26,000 / year
- Science & engineering
- RMB 36,000 — printed "/semester" on the Postgraduate Programs page while the row above reads "/year"
Application requirements
- Non-Chinese citizen with a valid foreign passport, in good health, under the age of 40.
- Master’s degree or equivalent with excellent records, and two recommendation letters from associate professors or above.
- Chinese-taught: HSK Level 5 (≥180) for science and engineering, HSK Level 4 (≥180) for liberal arts and management, with an exemption for previous Chinese-medium study. English-taught: IELTS ≥6.0, TOEFL iBT ≥80 or equivalent.
- A study plan, transcripts, physical examination form, non-criminal record certificate and a passport valid until at least 1 March 2027.
Non-degree programs
Chinese language program (语言生)
An elementary track over two semesters aiming at HSK 3 and an intermediate track of one semester aiming at HSK 4–5, for applicants aged 17 to 50 who can fund their own costs. The guide now published is the 2027 edition of 7 September 2026: spring term March to July, autumn term September to December, a two-person room at Xipu at RMB 365 per person per month and insurance at RMB 1,000 a year. The 2025/2026 guide quoted the same tuition but RMB 600 for accommodation and RMB 800 for insurance.
Fee · RMB 7,000 per semester or RMB 14,000 per academic year, plus RMB 400 application fee and insurance
Short-term Chinese language & culture program
Language classes with cultural experience, run for groups rather than individuals — the English Non-degree Programs page sets a minimum of 12 students, with content and length agreed with the sending institution.
Fee · RMB 900–2,000 per person per week, by group size, plus registration, insurance and accommodation
Engineering education & internship program
A summer program built around SWJTU’s engineering laboratories and rail-industry contacts, with an internship component. Applications close on 30 April; the weekly rate falls sharply as the group gets bigger.
Fee · RMB 900–8,000 per person per week, by group size, plus registration, insurance, uniform, accommodation and interpretation fees
Documents to prepare
- Passport information page, valid until at least 1 March 2027; details may not change between admission and enrolment.
- Graduation certificate (or pre-graduation certificate), notarised and translated if not in Chinese or English, with official transcripts.
- Foreigner Physical Examination Form and a certificate of no criminal record.
- Undergraduate applicants: the original CSCA score report. Master’s and doctoral applicants: two recommendation letters from associate professors or above.
- Language proficiency evidence — HSK, or IELTS/TOEFL, or proof the previous degree was taught in that language — plus a study plan.
- A guardian’s guarantee statement if you will be under 18 on 1 September 2026.
- CSC scholarship applicants file twice, in the CSC system under Type B with agency number 10613 and again in the SWJTU system, with "documents ... exactly the same as those in the CSC system".
Application timeline
These are the dates Southwest Jiaotong 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
Self-supported and Presidential Scholarship applications open
From 14 Nov 2025Both 2026-2027 guides were published on 14 November 2025; the CSC high-level postgraduate guide a week earlier.
- 2
Chinese Government Scholarship (CSC Type B) deadline
By 22 Feb 2026The High-level Postgraduate channel, master’s and doctoral only — by four months the earliest deadline of the cycle.
- 3
Silk Road Chinese Government Scholarship deadline
Early May 2026Two official pages disagree: the Silk Road guide says "Now to Early May, 2026 (exact date will be updated later)", the List of Degree Programs gives 25 May 2026. Work to early May.
- 4
SWJTU Presidential Scholarship deadline
By 1 Jun 2026Applied for inside the ordinary admission application, at all three degree levels.
- 5
Self-supported application deadline
By 30 Jun 2026The last date of the cycle, for self-funded applicants at every level.
- 6
Review and admission decisions
Jul–Aug 2026Four undated stages — eligibility review, academic review, expert panel evaluation, then results by platform and email. The Presidential Scholarship page says results for that award come in July.
- 7
Registration and start of the academic year
Sep 2026In-person registration is due by 15 September, with late enrolment of no more than two weeks; bring the admission notice, passport, JW201/JW202 form, degree certificate and six-month-valid physical examination and non-criminal record certificates.
Tuition is charged per academic year and set by discipline rather than by program: RMB 18,000 for economics, management and liberal arts, RMB 23,000 for science and engineering and RMB 25,000 for art and architecture at undergraduate level; RMB 22,000, RMB 25,000 and RMB 26,000 at master’s level; RMB 26,000 and RMB 36,000 at doctoral level. The postgraduate table prints its science/engineering and arts/architecture rows as "/semester" while printing the economics row as "/year" — almost certainly a slip, but one that would double your bill if it is not, so have iso@swjtu.edu.cn confirm the annual figure in writing; both English program pages also still show windows that closed in 2023, and the current Chinese guides do not restate tuition. Budget separately for the RMB 400 application fee, the CSCA test at undergraduate level, insurance and accommodation at RMB 600–1,000 a month plus utilities.
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Scholarships
SWJTU funds international students through three Chinese Government Scholarship channels, a Ministry of Commerce award, the Chengdu sister-city scholarship and its own Presidential Scholarship. These are not one application with one deadline: the CSC High-level Postgraduate channel closed on 22 February 2026, Silk Road in early May, the Presidential Scholarship on 1 June and self-supported admission on 30 June — miss the February date and the fully funded postgraduate route is gone for the cycle even though the university keeps accepting applications for four more months. CSC applicants also file twice, in the CSC system under Type B with agency number 10613 and again in SWJTU’s own system, with identical documents. The figures below come from the English Cost and Aid pages, some last dated for an earlier cycle.
Chinese Government Scholarship — Chinese University Program (CSC Type B)
Tuition and comprehensive medical insurance free. Monthly stipend of RMB 2,500 for bachelor’s, RMB 3,000 for master’s and RMB 3,500 for doctoral students, plus an accommodation allowance of RMB 700 a month for bachelor’s and master’s students and RMB 1,000 for doctoral students — matching SWJTU’s own double- and single-room dormitory rates exactly.
Eligibility: Non-Chinese citizens at bachelor’s, master’s or doctoral level, and general and advanced scholars; SWJTU’s CSC agency number is 10613. The High-level Postgraduate channel closed on 22 February 2026: doctoral applicants need a master’s degree and must be no older than 40, master’s applicants a bachelor’s and no older than 35. HSK 4 (≥180) applies, waived for previous Chinese-medium study; English-taught applicants need IELTS 6.0 or TOEFL iBT 80.
Chinese Government Scholarship — Silk Road Program (CSC Type B)
"Tuition, living expenses and comprehensive medical insurance during the applicant’s study period in China; on-campus accommodation is provided." The Silk Road guide does not restate the monthly stipend amounts.
Eligibility: Master’s (3 years) and doctoral (4 years) applicants only, in five disciplines: transportation planning and management, mechanical engineering, road and railway engineering, electrical engineering, and computer science and technology. Age limits 35 and 40; HSK 4 (≥180) or exemption; IELTS 6.0 / TOEFL iBT 80 for English-taught study.
Chinese Government Scholarship — other channels
Terms are set by the China Scholarship Council for each channel; SWJTU does not restate them.
Eligibility: SWJTU also lists the Bilateral Program (Type A) and a Sino-US Degree Program. Type A candidates are nominated by their home government, so start with your national education ministry or the Chinese embassy, not with SWJTU.
SWJTU Presidential Scholarship
A full award covers tuition, on-campus accommodation, a living stipend and comprehensive medical insurance; a partial award covers one or more of those. The English page’s table gives a stipend of RMB 1,500 a month for master’s and RMB 2,000 for doctoral students, with RMB 500 a month towards accommodation in both cases, paid over twelve months.
Eligibility: The 2026-2027 guide opens the award to undergraduate, master’s and doctoral applicants, with the usual age limits and the same language requirements as self-supported entry. Note the discrepancy: the English page describes only master’s and doctoral candidates and gives no undergraduate rate, so undergraduate applicants should ask iso@swjtu.edu.cn. The deadline was 1 June 2026.
Chengdu Government Scholarship (sister cities)
Awarded by the Chengdu Municipal People’s Government. The published table reads: bachelor’s "20000 RMB/academic year", master’s "3000 RMB/academic year", doctoral "3500 RMB/academic year" and non-degree students RMB 1,000 a month. The postgraduate figures being lower than the undergraduate one does not read as intended — possibly a unit slip for a monthly amount — so rely on the bachelor’s figure as printed and ask the office about the rest.
Eligibility: Full-time registered bachelor’s, master’s, doctoral and non-degree students from Chengdu’s international sister cities, studying more than three months, who do not already hold another Sichuan provincial international-student scholarship.
MOFCOM Scholarship
Tuition and comprehensive medical insurance free, a monthly stipend of RMB 3,000 for master’s and RMB 3,500 for doctoral students, and RMB 2,000 a month towards accommodation — the most generous housing line SWJTU lists.
Eligibility: Master’s and doctoral students from recipient countries of Chinese foreign aid, aimed at training "high-end, versatile and application-oriented talents" in commerce, management, transport, agriculture, science and education, normally nominated through their own government.
Research
Research at the university
SWJTU’s research is narrower and deeper than a comprehensive university’s: almost everything is organised around rail transit. The Research Overview names its fields as "rail transit infrastructure, mobile equipment, traction power supply, communication signal & train control, transportation organization & dispatch and command and advanced material", and the platforms read the same way — the State Key Laboratory of Traction Power, the National Rail Transit Electrification and Automation Engineering Technique Research Center (the only national platform of its kind), six national engineering laboratories, five Ministry of Education key laboratories, ten international cooperation bases and 31 provincial laboratories. A National Laboratory for Rail Transit is under construction, towards which the former Ministry of Railways contributed RMB 300 million.
Vehicle & track dynamics
The field SWJTU is cited for internationally: railway macrosystem dynamics, the Shen-Hedrick-Elkin creep theory built on Shen Zhiyun’s wheel-rail nonlinear creep force model, and Zhai Wanming’s locomotive-track coupling dynamics — the "Zhai-Sun Model".
Traction power & rail electrification
The State Key Laboratory of Traction Power, approved in 1989 and nationally accredited in 2006, with the national engineering research centre for rail electrification alongside it. SWJTU’s high-speed pantograph-catenary technology holds over 60% of the domestic market.
Maglev & high-speed trains
SWJTU developed China’s first EMS maglev vehicle and the world’s first high-temperature superconducting maglev vehicle; the National Laboratory for Rail Transit focuses on the basic theory of high-speed trains.
- Engineering sits in the ESI global top 0.14‰, materials science in the top 0.9‰ and computer science in the top 1‰; eleven disciplines are in the ESI top 1%.
- SWJTU holds 12 national key disciplines, 20 first-level doctoral degree authorisations and 17 postdoctoral research stations.
Global engagement
Global engagement
SWJTU’s international work rests on the same subject base as its research: the joint laboratories are about railways, and the partner countries are the ones buying or building Chinese rail systems. The flagship teaching partnership is the SWJTU-Leeds Joint School at Xipu, approved by the Ministry of Education, running four undergraduate programs that combine UK and Chinese curricula with a 2+2 route to Leeds. SWJTU also hosts two intergovernmental joint laboratories, a Ministry of Science and Technology cooperation centre, a national cooperation base and five Overseas Expertise Introduction Centers. It publishes no count of partner universities, so if the exchange network matters to you, ask the International Cooperation and Exchange Office rather than trusting a directory site.
SWJTU-Leeds Joint School
A Ministry of Education-approved joint school at Xipu offering BSc Computer Science, BEng Civil Engineering with Transport, BEng Electronic and Electrical Engineering and BEng Mechanical Engineering, with a 2+2 pathway to the University of Leeds.
Intergovernmental rail laboratories
The China-Latin American United Laboratory for Rail Transit, approved in March 2018, and the China-Indonesia Joint Research Center for High-speed Rail — platforms that follow China’s rail export projects.
National and MOST cooperation bases
The International Cooperation Research Center of Communications and Sensor Networks for Modern Transportation, approved in September 2015 as SWJTU’s first national-level international cooperation base, plus a national base for rail vehicle design and safety assessment.
Career
Career & alumni
SWJTU’s standing with employers is specific rather than general: it is the university China’s rail sector recruits from, and its institutional partners — the National Railway Administration, China State Railway Group and the International Union of Railways — are the industry its students join. What it does not publish is any employment or salary statistic for international graduates, and the School’s Jobs & Internship page is a link hub rather than guidance, so treat any placement rate quoted elsewhere as unsourced. What SWJTU does set out clearly is the rule for working while you study, and it is stricter than many expect: work-study must be approved in advance, is capped at eight hours a week, must not clash with classes, and requires an annotation on your residence permit — working without it is described as illegal. Scholarship holders are in principle not permitted to work at all, nor are undergraduates in their first two years or graduate students in their first year, and off-campus posts must be in Chengdu, related to your major and outside restricted industries.
Career support
- The university-wide career guidance and recruitment network, where SWJTU’s rail, civil, electrical and transport employers do their hiring.
- Direct institutional links to the National Railway Administration, China State Railway Group and the International Union of Railways.
- International student counsellors in the School of International Education, who issue work-study approval letters.
Notable alumni
Mao Yisheng (1896–1989)
Civil and bridge engineer and educator, designer of the Qiantang River Bridge, and the alumnus SWJTU is most identified with.
Lin Tongyan / T.Y. Lin (1912–2003)
Graduated in 1931 and became one of the world’s foremost structural engineers, the pioneer of prestressed concrete.
Zhu Kezhen (1890–1974)
Meteorologist, geographer and educator, one of the founders of modern Chinese earth science.
Zhai Wanming (1963– )
Founded the theoretical system of locomotive-track coupling dynamics, the "Zhai-Sun Model".
Campus life
Campus life
International students at SWJTU live on campus, at least to begin with: the School’s rules state that international students generally reside on campus and that new students should do so during their first academic year. Two dormitories take them — Hongzhe Building 11 (鸿哲斋11栋) at Xipu and Yanghua Building 7 (扬华斋7栋) at Jiuli — and rooms are allocated by level, singles first to doctoral students, doubles to master’s students and triples to undergraduates, which in practice sets your rent. Xipu is the terminus of Chengdu Metro Line 2, and a university shuttle runs between the two Chengdu campuses for RMB 2. Medical insurance is compulsory before you can register: SWJTU uses Ping An’s plan for visitors to China, covering hospitalisation up to RMB 400,000 and outpatient care up to RMB 20,000 at 85% reimbursement above a RMB 650 deductible.
Accommodation
Hongzhe Building 11 (鸿哲斋11栋) — Xipu campus
CNY 1,000 / month single, CNY 700 / month double, CNY 600 / month triple
The main international dormitory, on the campus where the School of International Education and the admissions offices sit. Utilities are charged on top and fees are non-refundable; more than 15 days in a month is billed as a full month, 15 days or fewer as half.
Yanghua Building 7 (扬华斋7栋) — Jiuli campus
CNY 600 / month
The downtown option, beside the State Key Laboratory of Traction Power. Utilities excluded, same billing and non-refund rules.
Language-program accommodation — Xipu campus
RMB 365 per person per month
The 2027 language-student guide quotes this rate for non-degree students, below the degree-student double rate; the 2025/2026 guide and the English Non-degree Programs page both quoted RMB 600. Ask sie@swjtu.edu.cn which applies.
Dining
The Xipu campus has several student canteens — the campus-life page names the No. 2, No. 3 and No. 4 student canteens — paid for with the campus e-card, topped up at self-service machines using an ICBC card. SWJTU does not publish meal prices for international students, so budget for food separately; Chengdu is cheaper for eating than Beijing or Shanghai.
Facilities
Laboratories you can actually use
The State Key Laboratory of Traction Power, the State Laboratory of Rail Transit and the National University Science and Technology Park are all on the Jiuli campus.
Getting around
Xipu is the terminus of Metro Line 2; Jiuli is served by Metro Line 7 at Jiulidi and by BRT K2/K2A. Metro fares run RMB 2–6, buses RMB 1–2, and the inter-campus shuttle RMB 2.
Health cover, support and testing
Insurance is compulsory and checked at registration — RMB 800 a year and RMB 400 for a single semester per the standing enrolment guide, against RMB 1,000 a year in the 2027 language-student guide. The School also runs student counsellors, psychological counselling, a student union and an HSK examination centre.
Campus
Southwest Jiaotong University in photos
Photos of Southwest Jiaotong 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
How much is tuition at Southwest Jiaotong University for international students?+
Tuition is set by discipline: at undergraduate level RMB 18,000 a year for economics, management and liberal arts, RMB 23,000 for science and engineering and RMB 25,000 for art and architecture; at master’s level RMB 22,000, RMB 25,000 and RMB 26,000; at doctoral level RMB 26,000 and RMB 36,000. One caveat matters: on the Postgraduate Programs page the economics row is printed "/year" but the science/engineering and arts/architecture rows are printed "/semester", and that page still shows a 2023 application window. That is almost certainly a slip, but get the annual figure confirmed in writing by iso@swjtu.edu.cn before accepting an offer. The current Chinese guides state only the RMB 400 application fee.
Do I have to take the CSCA test to apply to SWJTU?+
Only for a bachelor’s degree. The 2026-2027 Self-Supported guide requires undergraduate applicants to obtain a passing score on the China Scholastic Competency Assessment, run by the China Scholarship Council, and to submit the original score report. Master’s and doctoral applicants do not take it — they submit two recommendation letters from associate professors or above instead.
What are the language requirements at SWJTU?+
For Chinese-taught programs the level depends on your faculty, not your degree level: HSK Level 5 with at least 180 in science and engineering, HSK Level 4 with at least 180 in liberal arts and management, with an exemption if your previous degree was taught in Chinese. For English-taught programs, non-native speakers need IELTS 6.0, TOEFL iBT 80, an equivalent report, or proof the previous degree was taught in English. The older English program pages still print a flat "HSK Level 5 or above" — the 2026/2027 Chinese guides are current.
When are the application deadlines for SWJTU?+
There is no single date for the 2026 cycle — there are five. The Chinese Government Scholarship High-level Postgraduate channel closed on 22 February 2026. The Silk Road scholarship closes in early May 2026 per its own guide, though the List of Degree Programs gives 25 May 2026 — work to the earlier date and confirm with is@swjtu.edu.cn. The Presidential Scholarship closes on 1 June 2026 and self-supported applications on 30 June 2026. All lead to enrolment in September 2026, with registration due by 15 September.
What scholarships can international students get at SWJTU?+
Six routes. Three are Chinese Government Scholarship channels — the Chinese University Program (Type B), where tuition and insurance are free and the stipend runs RMB 2,500 to RMB 3,500 a month by level with RMB 700–1,000 for accommodation; the Silk Road Program, for master’s and doctoral applicants in five named disciplines; and the Bilateral Program (Type A), applied for through your own government. SWJTU’s Presidential Scholarship covers tuition, accommodation, a stipend and insurance in full form, with RMB 1,500 a month for master’s and RMB 2,000 for doctoral students. MOFCOM covers tuition and insurance with RMB 3,000–3,500 a month plus RMB 2,000 for housing. The Chengdu sister-city award is for students from Chengdu’s partner cities holding no other Sichuan provincial scholarship.
Where do international students live, and how much does it cost?+
On campus — the School’s rules say international students generally reside on campus for their first academic year. At Xipu the dormitory is Hongzhe Building 11: RMB 1,000 a month for a single room, RMB 700 for a double, RMB 600 for a triple. At Jiuli it is Yanghua Building 7, RMB 600 a month for a double. Utilities are extra, fees are non-refundable, and rooms are assigned by level, singles going to doctoral students first. Non-degree language students are quoted RMB 365 per person per month in a two-person room in the 2027 guide, against RMB 600 in the previous edition.
Contact
Contact the admissions offices
Reach the School of International Education (国际教育学院) / International Students Office, Southwest Jiaotong University for questions about applications, documents, scholarships and arrival. Type university programs and offices are based on campus in Chengdu.
- Office
- School of International Education (国际教育学院) / International Students Office, Southwest Jiaotong University
- Address
- School of International Education, Southwest Jiaotong University, No. 999 Xi’an Road, Pidu District, Chengdu, Sichuan 611756, P.R. China (Xipu campus). Jiuli campus: No. 111, North Section 1, Second Ring Road, Chengdu, Sichuan 610031.
- iso@swjtu.edu.cn — self-supported degree applications and the Presidential Scholarshipis@swjtu.edu.cn — Chinese Government Scholarship applications (High-level Postgraduate and Silk Road)sie@swjtu.edu.cn — Chinese language, short-term and non-degree programs
- Phone
- +86-28-66366343 — International Students Office, self-supported and Presidential Scholarship admissions (08:30–12:00, 14:00–17:30 Beijing time)+86-28-66366902 — International Students Office, second admissions line+86-28-66367381 — Chinese Government Scholarship applications+86-28-66367389 — Chinese Government Scholarship applications, second line+86-28-66366920 — Chinese language and non-degree programs
Verified from official sources · last checked 2026-09-17
Tuition, fees and deadlines change every intake. Always confirm the current figures on the official Southwest Jiaotong University pages before applying.
- 2026-2027 Self-Supported Program Admission Guide
- 2026/2027 List of Degree Programs
- 2026-2027 Presidential Scholarship admission guide
- CSC High-level Postgraduate Program 2026/2027 (Type B)
- Silk Road CSC Scholarship 2026/2027 (Type B)
- 2027 Chinese language student guide
- SWJTU International Students Enrollment Guide
- Accommodation introduction (dormitory rates)
- International student insurance
- International student work-study rules
- Undergraduate Programs (tuition)
- Postgraduate Programs (tuition)
- Non-degree Programs (English)
- CSC Scholarship coverage at SWJTU
- SWJTU Presidential Scholarship (English)
- Chengdu Government Scholarship
- MOFCOM Scholarship
- University overview (English)
- Research overview
- International research institutes
- Notable alumni
- Campus life — other useful information
- University profile (Chinese, 学校概况)
- Discipline construction and ESI rankings
- QS profile
- THE World University Rankings profile
- Wikipedia (history and relocations)
- 2025/2026 Chinese language student guide
- Locations (campus addresses)
- Research centres and laboratories
- SWJTU-Leeds Joint School
- How to arrive at SWJTU
- Double First-Class construction plan