How to apply to Central Academy of Fine Arts

Foreign-citizen undergraduate admission

For the closed April 1–30, 2026 window, use both QR forms on page 1 of the official brochure: the left form uploads document images and the right form collects application information. Prepare the application form, applicant passport/visa pages, parents’ passport pages, high-school or higher qualifications and transcripts, birth/naturalisation evidence and applicable Chinese-nationality renunciation evidence, valid HSK 5 or above, photo and CSCA results. Take CSCA Mathematics and Humanities Chinese and submit valid results before the professional examination. Select one department. The in-person professional examination was provisionally scheduled for late May, with details to follow in early May; intended results were due in mid-June. Tuition was CNY 52,000 per academic year; an application fee/payment stage is unstated and housing must be arranged off campus. The brochure prints an age date of September 1, 2025 despite its 2026 title: confirm the applicable rule with lxs@cafa.edu.cn. These historical forms do not establish a 2027 application window.

Reference: 2026 undergraduate brochure; April 1–30, 2026; closed. Confirm the latest notice for the same course and route before applying.

Undergraduate application information form

Complete the right-hand QR form with the application information as text, alongside the left-hand image-upload form. Both destinations were decoded directly from the official PDF; their current submission availability was not established. Use the latest brochure for a future intake.

Reference: 2026 undergraduate brochure; second QR form. Confirm the latest notice for the same course and route before applying.

Foreign-citizen full-time professional master’s admission; three years

Scan the brochure’s mini-program for personal information, then email the application form and department-specific professional materials to lxs@cafa.edu.cn. Email separately named personal PDFs: passport/visa pages, birth/naturalisation and applicable Chinese-household cancellation evidence, bachelor’s degree or expected-graduation proof, HSK certificate and photo. Supplement the degree and HSK before admission where permitted. Painting, sculpture, design and architecture require HSK 5; theory requires HSK 6. The form identifies department, research-direction code/name and supervisor. Painting, calligraphy, printmaking, sculpture, mural and restoration tracks require eight works and a paper; Chinese painting includes three observational works and printmaking must show drawing/colour. Architecture requires an A4 portfolio of at most 30 pages. Design adds a paper and a direction statement of at most 500 Chinese characters to that portfolio. Experimental art requires CV, portfolio, a paper of at least 2,000 Chinese characters and a research plan. Arts management requires a 10–20-page A4 portfolio, paper, CV and personal statement. Professional materials are reviewed; changes to examination arrangements may be announced. Results were due in mid-June on CAFA’s website, with no separate rejection notice. Annual tuition was CNY 60,000; arrange housing off campus. The brochure does not specify an application charge or payment stage. Confirm a new notice before applying.

Reference: 2026 professional master’s brochure, signed October 2025; April 1–5, 2026; closed. Confirm the latest notice for the same course and route before applying.

Foreign-citizen full-time doctoral admission; three years

Email all electronic documents in the specified order, named with applicant name and document title, to lxs@cafa.edu.cn, and scan the brochure’s mini-program to enter registration information. Provide the application form identifying department, research direction and supervisor, master’s qualification or expected-graduation evidence, two relevant associate-professor-or-higher references, CV, HSK 5 or above, passport/visa pages, photo and applicable birth/naturalisation/Chinese-household cancellation evidence. Applicants using master-equivalent eligibility need a bachelor’s degree held for at least six years by entry and evidence of equivalent attainment. Submit a direction-specific research plan of at least 3,000 Chinese characters and the required papers. Art studies/design require at least one paper published in a professional academic journal within the past five years, with the applicant as first author or as second author when the supervisor is first author; Fine Arts and Calligraphy requires one or two relevant papers plus the master’s thesis for master’s graduates. Graduate School applicants also submit 8–10 work images or at most three portfolios of at most 80 MB each; Humanities applicants do not submit artwork. The joint Chinese/international doctoral track adds English paper abstracts and a Chinese/English research plan. Selection combines material review, interview performance and other criteria; interview arrangements may be announced separately. Results were due on the website in June, without separate rejection notices. Annual tuition was CNY 68,000, subject to national changes before admission. Dormitory provision was suspended from September 2020. No application charge/payment stage is stated; a future notice is required for a new intake.

Reference: 2026 doctoral brochure, signed March 2026; April 24–30, 2026; closed. Confirm the latest notice for the same course and route before applying.

International preparatory course, September 2026–June 2027; separate from degree admission

Prepare the international application form, passport with visa pages, high-school or higher qualification and transcripts, and photo. Send the prepared materials through Teacher Tian’s published WeChat contact, 13581747200. The brochure lists a CNY 800 registration/application charge (报名费), but does not state its payment method, timing or refund rule. Course tuition is CNY 90,000 for the September 2026–June 2027 course. Registration was planned for late August, with exact dates to be confirmed. Dormitory places are limited and not guaranteed; students may arrange housing off campus. A completion certificate depends on passing assessment. Applicants intending to seek bachelor’s admission in 2027 must meet the Ministry of Education’s relevant nationality/residence rules and apply separately; course completion does not guarantee degree admission or establish a 2027 degree application window.

Reference: 2026 autumn international foundation brochure; March 16–August 20, 2026; closed. Confirm the latest notice for the same course and route before applying.