Home / Test and apply

The CSCA test

The CSCA (China Scholastic Competency Assessment) is China's academic test for international students applying to bachelor's programmes. Universities use your scores to decide on admission and scholarships.

Which subjects you take

Everyone takes mathematics. Whether you also take Professional Chinese depends on whether you apply with a Chinese Government Scholarship and on the language your programme is taught in. Physics and chemistry depend on your major.

Mathematics: Taken in Chinese or EnglishFor: Required for everyone
Applying with a Chinese Government Scholarship: Mathematics and Professional Chinese are compulsory (take the Professional Chinese paper your university's major asks for). Check with the university whether your major also needs physics or chemistryFor: Applicants for Chinese Government Scholarship bachelor's programmes; universities: the Chinese Government Scholarship universities listed by CampusChina
Applying without a Chinese Government Scholarship: Mathematics is compulsory. Professional Chinese is compulsory for Chinese-taught programmes (take the paper your university's major asks for). Check with the university whether your major also needs physics or chemistryFor: Applicants for bachelor's programmes without a Chinese Government Scholarship; universities: the Chinese Government Scholarship universities listed by CampusChina
Physics: Optional, in Chinese or EnglishFor: Science, engineering, agriculture and medicine majors usually need at least one of physics or chemistry
Chemistry: Optional, in Chinese or EnglishFor: Science, engineering, agriculture and medicine majors usually need at least one of physics or chemistry

Papers and scores

Where you take it: Mostly online at home. Test centres are being set up step by step in the main countries and regions students come from
Maths, physics, chemistry papers: In Chinese or English, 60 minutes each, 48 multiple-choice questions
Scores: Each subject is scored out of 100. Scores come out within 10 working days after the test

Dates, fees and registration

Test dates: Usually six sittings a year, in January, March, April, June, November and December. Each sitting runs over two days, and exact times depend on the sitting
Fee, one subject: CNY 450
Fee, two or more subjects: CNY 700
How to register: Create an account on csca.cn and register online: create an account, fill in the form, book a test, then pay
Payment: Pay the test fee online when you register: Visa or Mastercard credit, debit or prepaid cards issued outside mainland China (enabled for international payments), WeChat Pay or Alipay

Each sitting's exact dates and registration window are announced on csca.cn. Check there before you plan.

Shanghai University's subjects

Shanghai University requires the CSCA for bachelor's applications. Your scores are a compulsory part of the application, count toward admission and scholarships, and help decide which major you are admitted to.

The subjects depend on your major:

CSCA subjects: MathematicsFor: Chinese Language major
CSCA subjects: Humanities Chinese, MathematicsFor: Management, Economics, Liberal Arts, Law, Sociology, Journalism and Communication, Cultural Heritage and Information Management, Music; Shanghai Academy of Fine Arts (except Architecture); Shanghai Film Academy (except Digital Media Technology); TCSOL
CSCA subjects: Science Chinese, Mathematics, PhysicsFor: Materials Science and Engineering; Mechatronic Engineering and Automation; Mechanics and Engineering Science; Computer Engineering and Science; College of Sciences; Communication and Information Engineering; Architecture (Shanghai Academy of Fine Arts); Digital Media Technology (Shanghai Film Academy)
CSCA subjects: Science Chinese, Mathematics, ChemistryFor: School of Life Sciences (Bioengineering, Biopharmaceutics, Biomedical Engineering); Chemical Engineering and Technology
CSCA subjects: MathematicsFor: All SILC Business School programmes
CSCA subjects: Science Chinese, Mathematics, PhysicsFor: Lisbon School (里斯本学院): Environmental Engineering, Electrical Engineering and Automation, Civil Engineering

Upload your CSCA score report. If you don't have scores yet, upload a screenshot of your test registration, then email the official report to the programme officer by 15 May (scholarship applicants) or 30 June (self-funded applicants).

Shanghai University's bachelor's requirements

Still checking

We haven't confirmed these yet, so we don't state them as facts:

The two Professional Chinese papers (humanities and sciences): which one you take, how long they are and how many questions they have
Whether there is a CSCA test centre in Indonesia
How long CSCA scores stay valid, and which attempt counts if you sit it more than once

Need an answer for your case now? Ask us.