国际关系学系

Application for 2026 Master Program in English (CPFP)

Master’s Program in Chinese Politics, Foreign Policy, and International Relations (CPFP)

1. Introduction

In 1997, Tsinghua University established the Institute for International Studies, the predecessor of the International Relations Department (abbreviated IR department). The Institute’s outstanding achievements in teaching and research during the more than ten years of its existence provided a strong basis for the creation of the IR Department. Graduates of the Department have pursued careers at institutions of higher education, major national research institutions, government departments, foreign affairs organizations, media industry and various corporations. A number of outstanding undergraduate and graduate students have continued their studies at well-known universities worldwide. The IR department has 33 faculty members with significant academic and research experience. They all hold PhD degrees from leading international and Chinese universities such as UC Berkley, Yale University, Tsinghua University and Peking University.

In 2010, the Department launched a Master’s degree program in English in addition to its Chinese program. The department is committed to a better understanding of Chinese politics, China’s role in international relations as well as China’s foreign policy through inter-disciplinary and inter-cultural dialogue. Since the establishment of the CPFP program, a total of over 279 students from more than 50 countries have studied in the program. Graduates of the program will be qualified to be administrative and policy analysts at various levels of governments, think tanks, international organizations, multinational corporations and international media. The program is designed to be completed in two years of full-time study, including completion of the course curriculum and the Master thesis. The name of the program has been changed to Master’s Program in Chinese Politics, Foreign Policy, and International Relations (CPFP) since July, 2013.

In 2025, Tsinghua University’s Master’s Program in Chinese Politics, Foreign Policy, and International Relations (CPFP) will be converted from an academic master’s degree to the Master of International Affairs (MIA) degree — marking the transition towards a more professional-oriented  education.

2. Courses

Students are required to complete a minimum of 26 course credits by the end of the 3rd semester in the following categories:

- Mandatory public courses –5 credits

- Required training programs & courses –5 credits

- Electives –minimum 16 credits

Electives outside of department –maximum 4 credits (must be approved in advance by the IR Department.

Note: In order to graduate by the end of the 4th semester (at the end of two years), students must complete all their coursework by the end of the 3rdsemester. The fourth semester is reserved for thesis writing.

（3）Elective Courses Offered by the Department (16 credits)

Courses are not limited to the following list. All English-taught graduate-level Courses offered by the International Relations Department can be counted as degree courses.

Elective courses in English offered by other schools of the Tsinghua university can also be taken after being approved by the IR department, but no more than 4 credits.

3. Thesis

Research for the thesis is supervised by a faculty advisor. The Master degree requires completion of a thesis of publishable quality. The thesis must be defended before a committee consisting of at least five faculty members in the Department. The research area may be, but is not limited to, one of the following:

(1) Chinese Politics

(2) Comparative Politics

(3) International Security

(4) Area and Regional Studies

(5) International Political Economy

4. Required Qualifications of Applicants·

1. Applicants must be non-Chinese citizens holding a foreign private ordinary passport.

Applicants who were formerly residents of Chinese Mainland, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, the Macao Special Administrative Region, or the Taiwan region, and who have immigrated and acquired foreign nationality, must have held a valid foreign passport or other nationality document on or before 30 April 2020. At the time of application, they must already have cancelled their Chinese household registration (hukou) and must provide proof of such cancellation.

Applicants who acquired foreign nationality by birth in a foreign country and whose parents were both Chinese citizens or one parent was a Chinese citizen: the Chinese-citizen parent(s) must have obtained permanent resident status in that foreign country at the time of the applicant’s birth.*

*At the time of application, applicants must submit documentation regarding their parents' information, as well as proof of the applicant's relinquishment of the nationality of the People's Republic of China and a certificate of cancellation of the applicant's Chinese household registration (hukou).

Note: Whether an applicant who holds foreign nationality also possesses the nationality of the People’s Republic of China shall be determined by the nationality appraisal issued by the Exit and Entry Administration of the Chinese public-security authorities. If, after application, admission, or enrolment, an applicant is determined to possess Chinese nationality or to be otherwise ineligible, the applicant’s application, admission offer, enrolment, or student status will be revoked.

2. Master's degree program applicants should have a Bachelor's degree or an equivalent degree to a Bachelor's degree (or above) in China. The students who will enroll in 2026 must obtain the nationally recognized bachelor's degree（for the universities of Chinese mainland）or the degree authentication report issued by Chinese Service Center for Scholarly Exchange,Ministry of Education,P.R.China（CSCSE)(for overseas universities) before THU graduate student registration date of 2026, otherwise the admission qualification is invalid.

3. Applicants should be in good health and of good character(meet the physical examination requirements stipulated by the country and THU), be well-behaved and be willing to abide by China's laws and regulations, as well as Tsinghua's rules.

4. Language competence requirements:

The applicant's English proficiency should meet the language proficiency requirements announced by relevant schools/departments in the ‘Remarks of Application 'of Catalog of Graduate Programs 2026.

5. Some programs have specific requirements for applicants' working years, etc. For relevant information, please refer to the remarks in the Catalog and the Admissions Guide of the programs.

Note: The applicant shall carefully check whether he / she meets the application qualification and application requirements (including the application requirements declared by the target school/department/major/program) before applying. The relevant consequences arising from his / her failure to meet the application qualification and application requirements shall be borne by the applicant himself / herself.

How to Apply

Applicants should complete an Online Application (https://yzbm.tsinghua.edu.cn/intlLogin) during the designated THU application period. (Exceptions: applicants for Schwarzman Scholars programs, please apply on the specified websites). Applicants should fill in the application information online, upload the application documents listed below to the Online Application System, and pay the application fee online at the time of submission.

To start application, click: https://yzbm.tsinghua.edu.cn/intlLogin (The program is listed under “School of Social Science).

Application Schedule

The application period is generally from September to February of the following year, but the deadline and application batches vary among different departments and schools. Please refer to the "Remarks of Application" in the Catalog for the specified deadline and application arrangements of each department or school or program.

☆The winter break of THU will be from Jan 22, 2026 to Feb 23, 2026. The application system will still be available during the winter break, but online verification might be delayed due to the vacation. Applicants are therefore recommended to complete their application at least two or three weeks in advance.

Please submit all the documents listed below to the application system:

1. Personal statement

The personal statement should be completed directly in the application system.

2. Degree certificate and degree authentication

Master's degree program applicants should submit their Bachelor's degree certificate. The degree diploma awarded by overseas universities should be authenticated by Chinese Service Center for Scholarly Exchange,Ministry of Education,P.R.China（CSCSE).The degree diploma awarded by universities of Chinese mainland should be authenticated by Center for Student Services and Development,Ministry of Education,P.R.China（CSSD）.

Applicants who will not graduate before the application deadline shall provide the expected graduation certificate first, and the degree diploma and degree authentication must be submitted before registration. (Applicants who have graduated are required to provide the degree authentication at the same time.)

3. Academic transcript

Master's degree program applicants should submit the academic transcript of their undergraduate study. Applicants who will not graduate before the application deadline shall provide their current academic transcript.In this case,the completed academic transcript must be submitted before registration.If the uploaded transcript cannot directly show the total GPA score, the GPA certification document issued by the university is also required.

4. Language Proficiency Test score report

English proficiency certificate is required for students from countries where English is not the native language. TOEFL score should not be lower than 100 or IELTS should not be lower than 7.0. Other kinds of certificates may be accepted for consideration as well. Students who completed a degree in an English-speaking country can be exempted from the English tests.

5. Two academic recommendation letters

Academic Recommendation Letters from scholars who hold the title of associate professor or higher, or senior professionals in a related academic field. Please follow the instructions on the online system for submission of online recommendation letters or upload the recommendation letters signed by references.

6. Passport (personal ordinary-type passport): Passport bio page

Applicants should present bio page of personal ordinary-type passport. Applicant who holds personal ordinary-type passport and diplomatic visa in China should also provide the scanned copy of diplomatic visa page.

Applicants who were formerly residents of Mainland China, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, the Macao Special Administrative Region, or the Taiwan region, and who have since immigrated and acquired foreign nationality, must have held a valid foreign passport or other proof of nationality on or before April 30, 2020. At the time of application, they must have already cancelled their Chinese household registration (hukou) and must provide documentary evidence of that cancellation..

Note：Use the online application to apply. The online application system offers tools for collecting and submitting some, but not all of ,the documents and information required for application.

Application Remarks

1.Applicants are required to submit scanned images of all required documents at the time of application. All uploaded documents should be in Chinese or in English; otherwise notarial translations in Chinese or English are required. Once translated, the original documents and certified translations should be submitted together to the application system.

2.Please scan the original or notarized application documents in color using a scanner. Images captured by mobile phone or camera are not acceptable. Scans of copies are also not acceptable.

3.For inquiries regarding program details, application for supervisors and the'Remarks of Application'in the catalog, please contact the applying department or program office directly. For personal information of supervisors, please check on the departments'/ schools'websites.

4.The application fee must be paid at the time the application is submitted. (It cannot be covered by the Chinese Government Scholarship). Please apply online and pay the application fee in a safe place. THU is not responsible for any losses caused by your own operation errors or the leakage of your online payment account and password. Please consider carefully before paying the application fee online. If you cannot finish the application due to various reasons, the paid application fee will not be refunded. Regardless of whether the application is successful or not, the application fee is not refundable.

5.Applications with incomplete documents or without application fee payment will not be processed.Applicants should take the initiative to understand the application procedures and application requirements before applying. The applicant will be responsible for any consequences arising from failure to complete the application process as required.

6.THU has the right to require applicants to provide original application materials or authentication documents issued by a designated institution for further inspection.

7.As some countries' higher education systems are very different from the Chinese system, applicants from different education systems should refer to THU’s online application website for reference.Click here

8.None of the above application documents will be returned.

9.If the higher-level department issues a new policy, THU will make corresponding adjustments.

10.Applicants must ensure that the application information,application materials,degree certificate and degree authentication provided are true and accurate. If the admissions unit or certification department verifies that anything in the application is not true, the application, admission or study qualification will be cancelled.

11.Applicants who are found to be in breach of academic ethics, professional ethics, honesty and trustworthiness, discipline and law-abiding，etc., will not be admitted or admission/study qualification will be cancelled after this breach has been verified.

12.The relevant information, documents and messages that the THU Graduate Admissions Office and relevant departments / schools publish or send to applicants through websites, phone calls, emails, text messages, etc. are deemed to have been delivered. All consequences caused by the applicant’s personal negligence and other reasons shall be borne by the applicant himself/herself.

Evaluation and Admission

THU admits students based on evaluation of their application documents together with a comprehensive assessment. The application materials are reviewed by an expert group of the relevant departments / schools, and the candidates for the comprehensive assessment will be selected based on the review results. The comprehensive assessment is generally based on interviews. The specific content, format, requirements and time arrangements are determined by each department / school and will be notified to applicants who enter the comprehensive assessment.

Tsinghua University comprehensively considers the results of material review, comprehensive assessment and other factors, selects the best candidates, and determines the admission list . A Certificate of Admission and the appendix will be issued by THU after the final admission result is released. Prior to this, applicants may check their admission status via the Application System.

Scholarships

At present, Tsinghua University mainly provides the following scholarships for outstanding prospective full-time international graduate students.

Chinese Government Scholarship (CGS): The Full CGS usually covers tuition fees, free university dormitory or accommodation subsidy, stipend, and comprehensive medical insurance. The Partial CGS includes one or a few items covered by the Full CGS.

Tuition Scholarship: For example, the Beijing Government Scholarship for International Students, covers full or partial tuition fees with a duration of one academic year. Applicants may apply for Tuition Scholarships annually (competitive).

For further information about scholarships, please click on 'Financial Aid' on the Graduate Admission Website.

Accommodation

Due to limited accommodation on campus, dormitory application must be made online on a first come first served basis. On-campus dormitories can only be reserved for full-time international graduate students who successfully apply for rooms online. Those who fail to make it need to find off-campus accommodation by themselves.

Detailed information regarding THU life, accommodation, student activities, visas and residence permit application, as well as other useful information, is available on the International Students & Scholars Center website: http://is.tsinghua.edu.cn

Visa Application and Registration

Admitted students should apply for a student visa (X1 visa) at the Embassy or Consulate of the People's Republic of China in their home country. To apply, students should provide their personal ordinary-type passport, Admission Notice and its Appendix, Confirmation Form for Study in China (JW201/JW202), and Physical Examination Record for Foreigners (applicants should confirm with the Chinese embassy/consulate for specific requirements).

Students must enter China with an ordinary-type passport (nationality and personal information must be consistent with the passport information as applying) and X1 visa, and must apply for a Residence Permit within 30 days after arrival in China. Students are required to arrive at Tsinghua University and complete their university registration during the dates indicated in the admission package.

Normally, registration is held in late August or early September. All students should present the required original degree certificates, and submit the degree authentication issued by THU designated institutions upon registration at Tsinghua University for enrollment qualification review. Students who fail the enrollment qualification review will be disqualified from enrollment and study at Tsinghua University.

Costs (Unit: RMB Yuan)

(1) Application Fee: RMB 800

(2) Tuition Fees of CPFP Program: 120,000 RMB (Full Program)

(3) Accidental Injury and Hospitalization Insurance: RMB 800/year

(4) Accommodation fee of student dormitories on Tsinghua campus, Beijing: RMB 40/day per person for double rooms, RMB 30/day per person for triple rooms.

Contact Information

Ms. Li

Department of International Relations

Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, P. R. China

Tel: +86-10-62788801

Email: iisws@tsinghua.edu.cn

Any other matters not covered in this prospectus shall be carried out in accordance with Tsinghua University's Admission to Graduate Programs of Tsinghua University 2026（For International Students）