Visiting Scholar Programs
Visiting scholar programs in China described here are three 北京大学 desks with different degrees, fees, and visas. DragonTrail does not enroll visiting scholars and does not average those desks into one price.
Information checked 29 October 2026 (Asia/Shanghai).
The senior and research pages are stamped 2023-02-01. The Law School page charges nothing and will only support a 90-day single-entry visa. On 29 October 2026 the printed spring deadline of 31 October of the previous year was two days away. We do not say that window was open. Confirm current requirements and availability directly with the relevant institution.
At a Glance
| Who this is for | Academics comparing a year, a few months, or a 90-day law visit at 北京大学. Confirm current requirements and availability directly with the relevant institution. |
|---|---|
| Clock | March for senior visiting. Three months’ lead for research scholars. Law School spring files are due 31 October of the previous year. |
| Money | 30,000 or 34,000 RMB a year, or 3,320 RMB a month, or zero at the Law School, plus 400 RMB where a fee is printed. Do not average. |
| Who decides | The college, the Law School faculty member you name, and the consulate. Not DragonTrail. |
| Papers | A proposal of at least 1,000 characters on the two fee pages. A named collaborator at the Law School. JW202 only if the admitting office issues it. |
| Outcome | A library card and a supervisor if admitted. Not a job, not a family move, and not a funded year unless a scholarship letter you actually hold says so. |
| Easy to mix up | Using the Law School’s 90-day invitation as if it were a one-year research scholar stay, or the reverse. |
| Worked example | An associate professor under 55 may ask a science department about the research scholar page. A lawyer who wants 90 days should use the Law School page instead. |
| What we do not do | DragonTrail does not choose the desk, pay the fee, or tell you the 31 October mailbox was still open on 29 October 2026. |
Three Desks, Not One Visiting Product
The program list separates a senior visiting stay, usually one year, from a research scholar application it calls open all year, and from a summer lab that is a different product again. The Law School runs its own visiting scholars program by email, with no fee. A person who says “visiting scholar” without saying which desk has not started the application. DragonTrail will not pick the desk for you.
Degrees and Ages Do Not Match
Senior visiting: non-Chinese citizens under 50 with a master’s degree or above. Research scholar: under 55 with a doctorate or an associate professor title or higher, and a supervisor found first. The Law School does not print an age or a degree floor on the cited page. It does ask for a named faculty collaborator and a recommendation. A master’s student still in progress fits none of the first two degree lines.
Money: A Year, a Month, or Zero
Senior visiting prints 400 RMB to apply, then 30,000 RMB a year in humanities or 34,000 RMB a year in science. Research scholar prints RMB 400 to apply and 3,320 RMB a month. The Law School prints no fee and no financial assistance. All three application or research figures that exist are on sources reviewed on 29 October 2026. The two fee pages still carried the time stamp 2023-02-01. They are not a new invoice, and they are not a DragonTrail charge.
Deadlines Are Not Interchangeable
Senior visiting is open 1–31 March for a fall that usually starts in September. Research scholar files go in any time in the spring or fall term except legal holidays, at least three months ahead, with a letter normally in four to eight weeks. Law School spring visits, three months between March and June, are due 31 October of the previous year. Fall visits, three months between September and December, are due 31 May of the same year. Missing a date is not something we can repair.
The Law School Invitation Is 90 Days
The Law School says it may only issue an invitation for a 90-day single-entry visa. You arrange the visa, travel, and housing yourself. That 90-day line is not X1, which is study over 180 days, and it is not the research scholar option of a full year. Do not ask the Law School mailbox, pkulaweao@law.pku.edu.cn, for a year-long science stay. Do not ask the research scholar office for a 90-day law invitation. The papers are different.
Insurance, Housing, and What Is Not Included
Senior and research pages require insurance for the whole stay, bought at registration if you use the plan they name, or you are not registered. Housing is separate: both pages point to a housing site we are not linking and the phone (86-10)-62752288. The Law School says it does not provide housing help beyond clerical assistance. Article 32 mentions Chinese Government Scholarship for international students in higher education, and the senior page mentions applying through embassies or a language-education center scholarship. Confirm the applicable local requirements with the receiving institution.
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.
- 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 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 Law School — International Visiting Scholars Program. No fee and no financial assistance. Invitation letters only for a 90-day single-entry visa. Spring deadline is 31 October of the previous year, for three months between March and June. Fall deadline is 31 May, for three months between September and December. Mail pkulaweao@law.pku.edu.cn and name a faculty collaborator. On 29 October 2026 the printed spring deadline for a 2027 visit was two days away. This reading does not say the desk was still open. — 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)
- 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)
- 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)
FAQ
Are visiting scholar programs one product?
No. 北京大学 prints a senior visiting year, a research scholar stay, and a Law School visit with no fee. Ages, prices, and visas differ. Do not average them.
What are the printed fees?
Senior: 400 RMB to apply, then 30,000 RMB a year in humanities or 34,000 in science. Research scholar: RMB 400 and 3,320 RMB a month. Law School: no fee. The fee pages are stamped 2023-02-01.
How long is the Law School invitation?
Only a 90-day single-entry visa. You arrange travel and housing. That is not a one-year research scholar stay.
What was the spring deadline as of 29 October 2026?
31 October of the previous year. On 29 October 2026 that date for spring 2027 was two days away. We do not say the window was open.
Who must I name before I apply?
Research scholars are told to find a supervisor first. Law School applicants must name at least one faculty collaborator. DragonTrail does not supply the name.
Which visa do the campus pages mention?
X1 for over 6 months and X2 for under 6 months, with JW202 for the longer stay. The embassy note uses 180 days. The Law School’s 90-day invitation is a third description. The consulate decides.
Is a scholarship included?
The senior page says you may apply for a Chinese Government Scholarship through embassies, or another named scholarship. Confirm the applicable local requirements with the receiving institution. Article 32 says the state sets the scholarship rules.
What should I send?
On the fee pages: a proposal of at least 1,000 characters, two original references, degree evidence, and two full sets. At the Law School: a CV, dates, funding source, a collaborator, and a recommendation, to pkulaweao@law.pku.edu.cn.
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.
- Academic FieldworkA 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.