Chinese Admissions FAQs

  • If I am a Chinese national, can I apply to NYU Shanghai without taking the Gaokao?

    No. All Chinese nationals must take the Gaokao (College Entrance Examination) to be eligible for applying to NYU Shanghai (excluding students from Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan). This is true even if you are spending time abroad outside of China (studying or traveling) or if you are on an SAT/IB/AP track at school. Students from Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan must take either the Joint Entrance Examination for Students from Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan (港澳台联考) or the Taiwan GSAT (台湾学测考试) to be eiligible. 

  • What is the admission process at NYU Shanghai?

    Applicants will be rigorously evaluated not only on the basis of national entrance examinations, like the Gaokao for Chinese students, but through a holistic analysis of multiple quantitative and qualitative variables. All applicants are required to submit the Common Application, along with the additional application requirements outlined here. In addition to submitting the Common Application, the most competitive Chinese applicants will be invited to attend a Candidate Weekend, a unique program to determine student fit with NYU Shanghai.

  • What is NYU Shanghai looking for?

    An outstanding transcript is necessary but does not guarantee a place at NYU Shanghai; we evaluate a student’s overall abilities. First, our students must all be able to communicate in and out of the classroom. We require all students to have a strong grasp of English – listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Our classes will be conducted in English. With regard to individual characteristics, the ideal NYU Shanghai student will possess a willingness to open him/herself to new experiences, a sense of intellectual adventure, and a desire to push him/herself by learning to listen and ask questions. At his/her core, the NYU Shanghai student possesses a deep sense of curiosity, a sense of civic responsibility, and empathy. In short, we are looking for tomorrow’s inventors, entrepreneurs, scholars, and leaders.

     
  • What majors does NYU Shanghai offer?

    NYU Shanghai offers an array of majors and minors/concentrations, with additional options phased in over time. Initial offerings include majors in the areas of Humanities, Biology, Neural Science, Physics, Chemistry, Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Mathematics, Interactive Media Arts, Business & Finance, Economics, etc. Please click here to learn more about our majors. 

  • Do I need to live on campus in the Residence Halls?

    All students are required to live in our residence halls, where Chinese and international students are paired together, during their first year. Residential life, co-curricular, and extracurricular activities are central to your experience at NYU Shanghai. Living in our residence halls is a great way to be engaged in all aspects of NYU Shanghai. In the second year, many students continue to live in the residence halls, however some participate in home-stay programs around Shanghai.

  • Does NYU Shanghai accept transfer students?

    NYU Shanghai does not currently accept transfer students, only applications from first-year applicants are currently considered.

  • What kind of degree can I obtain from NYU Shanghai?

    Students at NYU Shanghai will receive the following diploma/certificate upon the successful completion of their study:

    1. A bachelor degree conferred by New York University

    2. A bachelor degree conferred by 上海纽约大学 (NYU Shanghai)

    NYU Shanghai is recognized in China as the first China-U.S. joint university that is authorized to grant degrees, certified by China's Ministry of Education.

  • How much is tuition at NYU Shanghai for Chinese Students?

    Tuition is uniform across the three campuses within the global network of NYU, which is approximately 49,000 USD for academic year 2016-2017. However, Chinese students will be granted special financial aid and their tuition will be lower. More details will be released on our website soon. In addition, need-based financial aid will be available for students with financial difficulties and merit scholarships will be available for top students. 

  • How does the student body look like at NYU Shanghai?

    NYU Shanghai enrolled its first class in 2013, with half of the student body being Chinese while the other half comes from all around the globe. The current student body at NYU Shanghai comes from over 70 countries such as America, Canada, Mexico, Venezuela, Chile, Peru, England, Spain, Poland, Netherlands, Russia, Egypt, Morocco, Uganda, Turkish, Pakistan, Vietnam, Thailand, India, New Zealand, etc., and 31 provinces of China such as Shanghai, Beijing, Sichuan, Jiangsu, Shandong, Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia, Taiwan, Guangxi, Hunan, Guangdong, Hainan, Fujian, etc. Every Chinese student will be living with an international student from a different cultural background in the dormitory.

  • Do I have the opportunity to study abroad if I am enrolled at NYU Shanghai?

    Yes. As part of the global network of NYU, typically students at NYU Shanghai will spend the first two years studying in Shanghai, the next year studying at NYU's global academic centers such as Accra, Prague, Sydney, Berlin, Florence, Buenos Aires, London, Madrid, Paris, Tel Aviv, Washington D.C., and of course, NYU New York and NYU Abu Dhabi, and the fourth year back in Shanghai. Students are required to spend at least one semester of the third year abroad, with many students electing to stay abroad for the entire year.  A maximum of two semesters abroad is allowed. Tuition will remain the same when students study abroad while students should pay the living cost, airfare, etc. Please click here to learn more about the estimated expenses for one semester at each campus or global academic center within NYU's global network. 

     

  • Does NYU Shanghai offer master and PhD degree programs?

    Yes, NYU Shanghai offers various master and PhD degree programs. For more information, please visit the Office of Graduate and Advanced Education pages here. Questions about admissions for these programs may be directed to shanghai.ogae@nyu.edu.