Research Visits
Research visits in China described here are university desks with a named supervisor, not a company lab tour. 北京大学 prints two of them, with different ages, degrees, and fees, and DragonTrail matches you to neither.
Information checked 29 October 2026 (Asia/Shanghai).
No placement or host availability is confirmed here; contact the institution before making travel arrangements. The research scholar page is stamped 2023-02-01 and still showed 3,320 RMB a month when read on 29 October 2026. Find a supervisor before you apply. A visit without that name is a wish.
At a Glance
| Who this is for | Researchers who already have a supervisor in mind at a Chinese university. Without that name, 北京大学’s own page says you are at a disadvantage. |
|---|---|
| Clock | Apply at least three months ahead. Admission letters normally take four to eight weeks. Senior visiting applications are only 1–31 March. |
| Money | Research fee 3,320 RMB a month, or senior tuition of 30,000 or 34,000 RMB a year, plus 400 RMB to apply. Page stamp 2023-02-01. Not a wage. |
| Who decides | The college or department. Then the consulate. DragonTrail does not introduce professors. |
| Papers | A proposal of at least 1,000 characters, two original references, degree evidence, and a passport copy, in two sets. JW202 comes from the school if they admit you. |
| Outcome | Access to a library and a supervisor, if admitted. Not a patent, not a job, and not a city tour. |
| Easy to mix up | Averaging 3,320 RMB a month with 30,000 RMB a year, or treating six months and 180 days as the same number. |
| Worked example | A doctoral researcher under 55 may ask a 北京大学 professor first, then the research scholar page. A master’s student who wants the senior page must already hold the master’s degree. |
| What we do not do | DragonTrail does not find a supervisor, pay the research fee, or promise a bench. |
Find the Professor Before the Form
北京大学’s research scholar page says most successful candidates already know a professor, and anyone who wants to come is strongly advised to find a supervisor in advance. The college decides. Library and electronic resources are described as open to research scholars. None of that is a DragonTrail introduction. If you do not have a name, you do not have a visit. Writing to a general mailbox is not the same as a yes from a professor.
Two Peking University Products, Two Prices
The research scholar page asks for a doctorate or an associate professor title, age under 55, a non-refundable RMB 400 application fee, and a research fee of 3,320 RMB a month. The senior visiting page asks for a master’s or above, age under 50, 400 RMB to apply, then 30,000 RMB a year in humanities or 34,000 RMB a year in science. The program list says the senior stay is usually one year and the research scholar application is open all year. Do not average a monthly research fee with a yearly tuition.
Clocks: Three Months, Then Four to Eight Weeks
Research scholar applications should arrive at least three months before enrollment. A letter of admission normally takes four to eight weeks. You may ask for a few months, one semester, or one year. The office pauses on legal holidays. The senior visiting window is only 1–31 March, for a fall start that usually falls in September. A research visit planned for next month is already late against the three-month line.
Six Months on the Campus Page, 180 Days at the Embassy
Both 北京大学 pages tell admitted students to use X1 when study is over 6 months and X2 when it is under 6 months, with the admission letter and JW202 for the longer stay. The Sweden note and Article 45 use 180 days, not six months. X1 holders apply for a residence permit within 30 days of entry. We print both clocks. A consulate stamps one category. DragonTrail does not hold JW202.
The File Is Paper, Twice
Both pages ask for a signed form, degree evidence, transcripts, two original reference letters, a proposal of at least 1,000 characters in Chinese or English, and an ordinary-passport copy. Two sets are required, one original and one copy, and the papers are not returned. Incomplete files are not processed. The online system is named on the page as an http address, which we are not linking. Insurance must cover the whole stay or registration stops.
A Visit Is Not a Job and Not a Tour
Article 9’s 研究学者 is an enrollment category, not a consulting contract. Article 30 still forbids employment and business during study. A research visit that turns into paid client work has left the cited page. Housing is not included in the research fee: the pages point self-funded students to campus housing information and a phone, (86-10)-62752288, on a different site we are not linking. Ask the college what “visit” means in weeks and in money before you fly.
Sources
These pages were read on 29 October 2026 (Asia/Shanghai). A fee, an hour cap, and an application window belong to the office named in the link. If a date has passed, or a line on a visa note looks incomplete, the page says so. None of this is a placement or a group visit DragonTrail can reserve, and none of it is legal advice.
- 教育部、外交部、公安部令第42号 — 学校招收和培养国际学生管理办法. Published 2017-06-02, in force 2017-07-01. Articles cited by number are this order. Fees, if a school charges them, are the school’s RMB items, not a DragonTrail price. — retrieved 29 October 2026 (Asia/Shanghai)
- Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in Sweden — Instructions for Applying for a Visa, page date 2026/10/12. Category lines for F, X1, X2, and Z, and the invitation fields for an F visa, are this note. The embassy decides the category. The Z reminder, as fetched, prints “000 days”; that is not a stay length used here. — retrieved 29 October 2026 (Asia/Shanghai)
- 北京大学 Research Scholar Program, page time 2023-02-01, still showing these figures when read on 29 October 2026. Non-Chinese citizens under 55 with a doctoral degree or the title of associate professor or higher. Application fee RMB 400, non-refundable. Research fee 3,320 RMB a month. Apply at least 3 months ahead. A letter of admission normally takes 4 to 8 weeks. Duration may be a few months, one semester, or one year. The page advises finding a supervisor first. — retrieved 29 October 2026 (Asia/Shanghai)
- 北京大学 Senior Visiting Student Program, page time 2023-02-01, still showing these figures when read on 29 October 2026. Non-Chinese citizens under 50 with a master’s degree or above. Application fee 400 RMB, non-refundable. Humanities 30,000 RMB an academic year. Science 34,000 RMB an academic year. Research proposal at least 1,000 characters. Application window 1–31 March. Fall semester usually begins in September. The page’s own visa line says X1 for study over 6 months and X2 for under 6 months, which is not the same clock as 180 days. — retrieved 29 October 2026 (Asia/Shanghai)
- 北京大学 International Students Division — visiting student program list. Senior visiting students usually stay one year. The research scholar application is described as open all year. The International Summer Lab takes no courses and awards no credits, and application and tuition fees are exempted. Phone on the page: 86-10-62751230. This is 北京大学’s list, not a placement DragonTrail holds. — retrieved 29 October 2026 (Asia/Shanghai)
FAQ
Can DragonTrail introduce me to a professor?
No. The research scholar page tells you to find a supervisor yourself. Most people who succeed already have that contact. We do not make it.
What does a research visit cost at Peking University?
On the page stamped 2023-02-01, the research fee is 3,320 RMB a month plus RMB 400 to apply. Senior visiting tuition is 30,000 or 34,000 RMB a year plus 400 RMB. Do not average them. They are not a 2026 invoice.
How long can the visit be?
The research scholar page says a few months, one semester, or one year. The senior list says the usual duration is one year. The admission notice, not this page, sets the day.
When should I apply?
At least three months before a research scholar start. The senior window is 1–31 March for a fall that usually begins in September. A letter normally takes four to eight weeks after a complete file.
Which visa do these pages name?
They say X1 for over 6 months and X2 for under 6 months, with JW202 for the longer stay. The embassy note uses 180 days. Both clocks are real. The consulate decides.
Is the research fee money I earn?
No. It is a fee you pay the university. The page does not print a stipend. Insurance is required or you are not registered.
What if my file is incomplete?
The page says incomplete files are not processed and papers are not returned. Two sets are required. References must be originals, not scans.
Can the visit include paid consulting?
Article 30 forbids employment and business during study. A 研究学者 enrollment is not a consulting contract. Paid client work needs a permission these pages do not grant.
Related Study Routes
- Internships, Research, and Professional ExperienceTeaching practice, research visits, and work permission kept apart.
- Find a Suitable ProgramHow study routes are organized. Not a seat and not a group booking.
- Cost of StudyingSeparate a school’s published fee from flights, housing, and daily spend.
- Plan Your Study StayArrival, housing, and the first days in the city.
- How to ApplyDocuments and the order of a study application.
- Research Summer SchoolsA neighboring experience route. Not a seat.
Compare study routes, or tell us the season, the field, and whether you need a teaching placement, a research visit, or help reading an authorization rule. Neither button enrolls you, finds an employer, or decides a visa category.