Important Alert! Recently, the Guangdong Education Examinations Authority released the "2026 Prospectus for the Joint Entrance Examination for Overseas Chinese, Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan Students to Ordinary Higher Education Institutions in the People's Republic of China." Please join the WorldWay Group to take a look.
Registration Requirements for the Joint Entrance Exam for Overseas Chinese Students
For overseas Chinese candidates, both the candidate and one of their parents must have obtained long-term or permanent residency in the country of residence and have resided in that country for at least 2 consecutive years, with a cumulative stay of no less than 18 months within those two years. Specifically, the candidate must have actually resided in the country of residence for no less than 18 months within the 2 years prior to registration (i.e., April 1, 2024, to March 31, 2026).
If the candidate or one of their parents has not obtained long-term or permanent residency in the country of residence, but has obtained a legal residence qualification in the country of residence for 5 consecutive years or more (including 5 years), with a cumulative stay of no less than 30 months within those 5 years, and the candidate has actually resided in the country of residence for no less than 30 months within the 5 years prior to registration (i.e., April 1, 2021, to March 31, 2026), they may also register.
Academic Requirements
Candidates must possess a high school diploma from an academic education program (non-academic education does not qualify). Current graduates must provide a graduation certificate and transcripts from the first year of high school to the first semester of the third year. Previous graduates must provide a high school diploma and three-year transcripts. Foreign academic credentials must be certified by the Chinese embassy or consulate in that country.
*Prohibited registration: Students currently enrolled in ordinary higher education institutions or those who have been admitted but have retained their enrollment status are not eligible to register.
Registration Time
March 1 to March 31, 2026
• March 1 to 15: Online registration period
• March 11 to 31: Registration confirmation period
Registration Method
A combination of online registration and registration confirmation is adopted.
• Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan candidates: Online registration confirmation
• Overseas Chinese candidates: On-site registration confirmation
Examination Schedule
May 23 (Saturday):
• 9:00-11:30 Chinese
• 13:30-15:30 English
May 24 (Sunday):
• 9:00-11:00 Mathematics
• 13:00-15:00 Physics, History
• 16:00-18:00 Chemistry, Geography
Application Submission
Examination results will be announced in mid-June, and applications will be submitted online in late June. Candidates may apply for 10 undergraduate programs, with 6 major preferences per institution and an option to accept adjustment; candidates applying for preparatory programs may apply for 5 preparatory programs.
Admission
Admission work will be organized in early July. Following the order of "undergraduate first, then preparatory," parallel volunteer filing and admission will be implemented. Admitted high school graduates must log in to the registration system between July 15 and September 30 of the current year to upload their high school graduation certificate (proof) and transcripts from the second semester of the third year. The verification of the high school graduation certificate (proof) will be part of the freshman review after enrollment, conducted by the universities in accordance with relevant regulations.
Six Advantages of the Joint Entrance Exam for Overseas Chinese Students:
• Admission quotas do not occupy domestic college entrance exam quotas; over 300 undergraduate universities nationwide recruit overseas Chinese students, including 211 and 985 institutions.
• Only 5 subjects are tested for both liberal arts and sciences; liberal arts do not test politics, and sciences do not test biology. The overall difficulty of the test is relatively low.
• Ordinary institutions (majors): 430 points for liberal arts/history, 460 points for science/engineering. Art institutions (majors): 330 points for liberal arts/history, 360 points for science/engineering. Sports institutions (majors): 330 points for liberal arts/history, 360 points for science/engineering.
• The number of participants in the Joint Entrance Exam for Overseas Chinese Students is only about 10,000 per year, with very low competitive pressure and a wide range of available universities and majors.
• Candidates can apply for 10 undergraduate universities, with 6 majors per school, and 5 preparatory programs, offering a wide range of choices.
• University tuition fees and graduation certificates are the same as those for domestic students.
Key Reminder: Status Planning is a Prerequisite for the Joint Entrance Exam for Overseas Chinese Students
It is important to remind parents that the core threshold for the Joint Entrance Exam for Overseas Chinese Students is not just "having an overseas status," but the simultaneous fulfillment of "status + actual residence time."
Because of this, to ensure children can successfully participate in the Joint Entrance Exam for Overseas Chinese Students, status planning must be done in advance, rather than considered temporarily near the stage of further education. Educational planning has always been a process of "trading time for space"—the earlier you plan, the more relaxed your choices, and the more secure the path.
For families intending to take the Joint Entrance Exam for Overseas Chinese Students, parents need to stand from the perspective of medium-to-long-term educational planning as early as possible, comprehensively consider status arrangements, residence rhythm, and academic衔接 (academic transition), and complete the status conversion through legal and compliant means to reserve sufficient policy time windows for their children.
Currently, status planning can be carried out through the Portugal Golden Residence Permit Program, Cyprus Permanent Residency Program, Panama Investment Immigration, Malta Permanent Residence Program, and Greece Permanent Residency Program. This not only allows for the rapid acquisition of overseas Chinese student status to fulfill the dream of children easily entering top domestic universities, but also allows the whole family to enjoy an international lifestyle at any time, which can be described as achieving multiple goals at once!
For detailed inquiries, please contact Mainland China: 400-138-2929, Hong Kong Customer Service Center: (852) 2802 8798