The College’s program at Fudan University in Shanghai, China, affords qualified Chicago students an opportunity to study at one of China’s premier higher education institutions in bustling Shanghai.
Students who enroll at Fudan University have the option of choosing their courses from Fudan’s wide selection of English-language taught subject courses for international students, or, for those students with advanced Chinese language skills, selecting courses from Fudan’s regular offerings in Chinese, taking classes alongside local degree-seeking students.
Fudan University is one of China’s oldest and most prestigious universities. Founded in 1905, it has grown into a comprehensive research institution consisting of 29 schools and departments, with seventy undergraduate disciplines. The university incorporates four campuses, with the majority of its schools and departments based at the main Handan campus within the Yangpu District in northeastern Shanghai. The Handan campus is easily accessible to central Shanghai via the city’s excellent metro system, and students will be able to fully explore China’s cosmopolitan center of finance, where the modern contrasts with the traditional in a dynamic amalgam of Chinese cultural styles.
Fudan operates on a two-semester calendar with autumn semester running from late August to mid-January, and the spring semester running from late February to the end of June. Students on this program will normally study at Fudan for the entire academic year and will be enrolled in the standard course load for exchange students at Fudan. Participating in one semester of the program is typically not possible, given the differences between the academic calendar at Chicago as compared with Fudan.
You are responsible for arranging your own housing at Fudan. Staff at Fudan University will offer support for students who wish to live on campus. Normally students will choose accommodation in the Foreign Students dormitory, located in the northwest corner of the Handan campus. Descriptions of the dormitory facilities, explanation of the booking process, room prices, and links to the online booking and payment system can be found on Fudan’s website. Students are also free to arrange their own housing in an apartment off campus, though they will not have staff support for this.
Participants in the Fudan University Exchange Program remain registered as full-time students in the College. As an academic year participant in this program, you will normally register for five or six classes each semester (between 10 and 15 Fudan credits per semester) and receive 10-12 Chicago credits for the academic year, depending upon the number of courses you choose to take. Course titles, units of credit, and grades are placed on your Chicago transcript. Since the use of these credits in a specific degree program is variable, students should consult with their academic adviser and program chair to determine exactly how credits may be distributed toward degree progress. All students are required to read and follow the Direct Enrollment Credit Guide ahead of committing to a direct enrollment program in order to fully understand the process.
Courses for the upcoming fall semester typically become available online in mid-May, and courses for the upcoming spring semester are typically available in December. For Fudan University’s course offerings in English and in Chinese from previous semesters, consult the Incoming Exchange Student website.
Fudan University Exchange Program participants pay regular College tuition and a nonrefundable study abroad administrative fee. The tuition is paid in conformity with the home campus payment schedule, and a deposit toward the nonrefundable study abroad administrative fee is submitted when accepting a place in a program. Students pay additional miscellaneous living expenses, including housing, food, books, travel, and incidentals while in Shanghai. Precise figures for the Fudan University Exchange Program for the 2024-2025 academic year are listed below:
Academic year tuition*: as set by the Bursar’s Office
Study abroad administrative fee: $675
*Semester participants will pay one half of the academic year’s tuition.
Out-of-pocket expenses include:
- Round-trip airfare to and from the program site
- Passport/visa fees
- Transportation on site
- Accommodation
- Meals
- Course materials
- Personal entertainment and travel
- Communications (most students bring or buy a cell phone)
- Health insurance and upfront payments for care
- Other miscellaneous expenses
Study abroad students retain their financial aid eligibility. For more information about financial aid resources, please see our Tuition, Fees, and Funding section.
The Fudan University Exchange Program is open to University of Chicago undergraduate students only. Applications from outside the University are not accepted.
For most students the third year is the most appropriate time to participate in this program. In most cases, fourth-year (or graduating third-year) students will not be able to participate in the exchange for the full academic year since the second semester grades and transcript cannot be issued until September, and will be posted the following autumn. The program is open to all majors.
Students who are proficient in Chinese enroll as a General Visiting Student and can take content classes in the subject they choose. To do so, they must provide a qualified HSK certificate (international Chinese language exam) with a score that passes the HSK Level 6 with a cumulative score of at least 200. Because you will be attending regular Fudan courses, taught largely in Chinese to native speakers, there is a firm expectation that your Chinese will be at a high-functioning level.
Students who are not proficient in Chinese have two options: they may enroll as a General Visiting Student and take content courses in English, with the possibility of an elective Chinese language course. Or, they may enroll as a Chinese Language Student who will exclusively study Chinese language in the International Cultural Exchange School.
While the program specifies no minimum overall grade-point average, the admissions process is competitive, and you will be expected to present a transcript showing solid and sustained work, not only in Chinese (as applicable), but in all of your courses. In general this is a challenging program, which assumes a high level of independence and resourcefulness.
The application process for the Fudan Exchange program is two steps. First, complete the “Shanghai Exchange Program: Fudan University” program application via Chicago’s online application system. Follow all instructions within the program application, submitting all online materials via the application system and all specified supporting documents to Naira Ovsepyan in the Study Abroad Office by the program’s application deadline. Second, if you are selected for Chicago’s nomination to Fudan, you will then apply directly to Fudan University for admission as an exchange student. More instructions will be provided about this process after selection by Chicago.
To discuss the Fudan University Exchange Program and the possibility of participating, please contact Naira Ovsepyan.
