In accordance with the Administration Regulations of Enrolling and Training International Students (the 42^th Instruction of National Education Ministry of China) and Requirements of Notice for Foreign Freshman Status and Academic Certificate Registration in Higher Institutions ([No.5 of 2007]), Notice of the Ministry of Education on the Issuance of <Quality Standards for Higher Education for International Students> (for trial implementation)([No.50 of 2018]) and based on Rules of Implementation of Master-Degree Graduate Student Status of Zhejiang University of Science and Technology(ZUST)([No.12 of 2017])and actual situations of foreign students, the rules and regulations concerning student status for international graduate students is formulated.

Chapter One Application and Registration

Article 1 Application Qualifications

1. Applicants should be foreigners with good moral character, respect for Chinese social customs and habits, and be willing to obey the laws of the People’s Republic of China as well as the rules and regulations of ZUST, and in accordance with the provisions of the Ministry of Education's Foreign Affairs Letter ([No.12 of 2020])

2. Applicants should possess bachelor degree from an accredited university in their home country or abroad, including recent undergraduate graduates who can provide pre-graduation certificates.

3. Those who apply for Chinese-taught majors should have passed the corresponding New HSK 5 with 180 points or higher. Those who have graduated from Chinese schools abroad and passed the examination can be exempted from HSK certificate.

4. Those who apply for English-taught majors should provide an English proficiency certificate if their mother tongue or official language is not English.

5. For those who apply for majors taught both in English and Chinese, their English proficiency refers to Clause 4 of Article 1, and Chinese proficiency refers to Clause 3 of Article 1.

6. For those who fail to meet the corresponding language requirements, Supplementary provisions are made as follows:

6.1. If applicants fail to provide the required language proficiency certificates, they should provide proof of study duration of Chinese language. After being examined and approved by the university, they can be admitted on a trial basis;

6.2. The trial students pay the same fees and have the same class arrangements as normal postgraduate students;

6.3. The trial period lasts for one year;

6.4. During the trial period, if a trial student passes the required HSK test and obtains more than half of the credits of their chosen courses, they can obtain postgraduate students status and ZUST will then accept credits they had gained during the trial period;

6.5. During the trial period, if a trial student fails to pass the required HSK test, or obtains less than half of the credits in their chosen courses, the already completed courses will be considered completed with advanced student status. The school will not return any fees.

Article 2 Required Application Materials that Students Must Submit

1. Application for Admission to Zhejiang University of Science and Technology.

2. Notarized copies of college diplomas and transcripts. The original documents will be checked during registration.

3. Graduating students should provide a certificate issued by the host school to prove their expected graduation. And after admission, the students should hand in the bachelor degree diploma.

4. HSK Chinese Proficiency certificate or certificate of English proficiency or proof of appropriate language study.

5. Those studying in China should provide proof of academic performance and attendance from the original school.

6. Certificate of no criminal records.

7. Anti-drug commitment.

8. Financial guarantee letter.

9. Scanned copies of passports, if in China, scanned copies of all visas and detention authorizations in China.

10. According to Article 5 of the Nationality Law of the People's Republic of China, a person whose parents are both Chinese citizens and have settled in a foreign country and who has acquired foreign nationality at birth shall not have Chinese nationality. Starting from 2021, in addition to meeting the University's eligibility requirements, applicants applying for admission as international students should have held a valid foreign passport or nationality certificate for at least four years and have actually lived abroad for at least two years in the last four years (before April 30 of the year of admission). The actual residence abroad for 9 months in a year can be counted as one year, based on the entry and exit stamp.

11. Proof of payment of application fee.

12. Physical examination form for foreigners.

Article 3 International graduate students from state sponsored exchange programs or school level exchange programs should follow the procedures in accordance with relevant agreements.

Article 4 Applicants who plan to be enrolled for the autumn semester should finish the online application before June 30th or at the certain time each year. The admission decision will be jointly made by School of International Education and relevant subordinate schools, and examined by the Department of Postgraduate Affairs. School of International Education should submit the application to the Zhejiang Provincial Education Department for approval and filing. If approved, the School of International Education should send an acceptance notice and other documents required for a visa to students before the end of July and keep the student's study status on file at the same time.

Article 5 Admitted graduate students should register at the School of International Education within the stipulated time with their passport, admission notice, and JW 202 form. They should pay relevant fees accordingly. Those who do not pay tuition according to the university's regulations or otherwise do not meet the registration requirements will not be registered.

  Those who cannot arrive at the university on time for some reason should ask for leave beforehand. The leave should be less than two weeks. If students do not ask for leave or the leave exceeds the time limit, their admission will be cancelled.

First-year students who cannot arrive at the university before deadline of the leave period can apply to keep their admission qualification for 1 year after being approved by the relevant subordinate school and School of International Education. Resumption procedure should be done in the last semester of schooling retention period. After being approved by the subordinate school and School of International Education, students can start registration procedures. Admission qualification will be considered as abandonment if students fail to finish the registration procedures in required time.

Article 6 After school registration, each student's admission qualifications, moral character, and current health will be re-evaluated by School of International Education. Meanwhile, freshman's files and registration documents will be checked by School of International Education in 1 month. The professional level of freshmen will be re-checked by relevant subordinate schools. If students fail the re-check, admission will be canceled. The re-check standard should be made by relevant subordinate schools and recorded by School of International Education. If students provide fake information on their application materials, admission will be canceled after being confirmed. Students will be sent to relevant departments in serious cases.

Article 7 All new students should take the required health examination at the designated hospital at the scheduled time. If students completed the physical examination overseas, they should have the examination certified by the appropriate authority in Hangzhou. If their health condition does not meet health standards of China, their admission qualification will be canceled.

Article 8 The student ID and school badge of master degree students should be distributed by the relevant subordinate school.

Article 9 School of International Education and other subordinate schools should carry out orientation education respectively for students. The School of International Education is in charge of the orientation education regarding security, local laws, school regulations and rules, explanation of the student handbook, library usage, etc. Subordinate schools are in charge of the educating students on the following: training plan, course plan and syllabus, student status regulations, and how to use the academic affairs management system, etc. The School of International Education is responsible for the organization, management and coordination of supervision.

Chapter Two Training, Evaluation and Teaching Administration

Article 10 International graduate students should, in principle, attend all the classes according to ZUST Regulation of International Postgraduate Training Plan, and take relevant examinations in order to obtain the corresponding credits. In view of international students’ characteristics, the following adjustments are made.

1. The lowest total credits requirement of Chinese-taught postgraduate students is the same as Chinese students. If their public course credits are not insufficient , they can use other major course credits as substitution. Specific reference to the "Cultivation Program for Master's Degree Students Studying in China" of Zhejiang University of Science and Technology.

2. The training plan of English-taught postgraduate students can be carried out according to English-teaching majors.

3. General Introduction to China, with 2 credits,32 teaching periods is a compulsory course for public degree international students and should be completed during the first year. Those who have passed the General Introductions to China can apply for exemption, but they also need to take other courses to make up for credits.

4. Political Theory is a compulsory course for public degree students majoring in Philosophy, Politics and Economics. Credits and teaching periods should be arranged according to the requirement of the professional training scheme of each major. Students majoring in other majors can be exempted from this course.

5. Chinese is the first foreign language for international graduates. With totally 8 credits and 128 teaching hours, Chinese is a compulsory course for international graduates and should be completed during the first year. International graduate students can choose relevant Chinese courses in the School of Humanities and International Education according to one’s Chinese level. Those who reach corresponding New HSK level 5 with 180 points or higher, can apply to participate in the final exam directly or take other courses to make up for credit. For international postgraduate from English-speaking countries , they can not choose English as elective courses；For international graduates from non-English speaking countries, English can serve as optional course.

6. Major courses, elective courses and curriculum assessment for graduate should be based on ZUST Regulation of International Postgraduate Training Plan( Document No. 17 of ZUST Postgraduate in 2015) and combined with the actual needs of each major.

7. Each graduate's course exam result should be logged into graduate education information system of ZUST by the corresponding subordinate schools.

8. All the international graduate students should register for assigned courses and participate all the examinations and tests at the stipulated time and place; the result of the examinations will be marked according to the 100 points evaluation method (passing grade is 60 points); The result of the tests will be marked by the five- rating, two-rating evaluation method or 100 -point evaluation method. The conversions between each system are as follows:

Those who fail in examination or tests can take a make-up examination or tests unless it formulates that students can not retake the examination. For practicum courses, students should take part in the practices or debates again, or retake examinations. Make-up time, in general, will be arranged in the first two weeks of the next semester. If students fail the make-up exams, course retaking fees will be charged according to relevant regulations.

9. If the subordinate school deems it appropriate that the international student can be exempted from studying a course or use other credits instead, it should be reported to the Institute of Postgraduate. After approval, student can be exempted from studying the course or use other credits instead. Any exemptions or course changes should be kept on record at School of International Education.

10. In principle, international graduate students can not apply to study a course by self-teaching. But when a course is needed to be retaken and another course is arranged at the same time, the students can submit application to the course-instructor for not attending class. With the permission of the course-instructor, confirmation by the subordinate school, the Institute of Postgraduate, and School of International Education will be allowed to complete their class via self-study. Records of students self-study will also be kept on file. During the period of self-teaching, the students should finish their school assignments, do experiments, and participate in examinations.

11. International graduate students who are unable to attend an examination because of acute illness or other special reasons should strictly follow all necessary procedures of delay as required. The relevant subordinate school should report it to the School of International Education for recording purposes. They can postpone the examination with approval.

12. Those who are in acute illness should apply with disease statement signed by doctors in school clinic. After approval from the responsible person of subordinate School who is in charge of postgraduate teaching affairs (or who is responsible for foreign affairs), it should be kept on record at Institute of Postgraduate.

13. Those who are absent for temporary special reasons should provide supporting materials. After approval from the responsible person of subordinate School who is in charge of postgraduate teaching affairs (or who is responsible for foreign affairs), it should be kept on record at Institute of Postgraduate.

14. The assessment of the postponed examination course is usually arranged in the make-up examination. Those who fail should retake the course directly.

15. International postgraduate who use a non-Chinese language when receiving graduate education should write the abstract of the graduation thesis in Chinese.

16. Minor or double-degree programs developed by the subordinate schools can accept international postgraduates and charge fees according to fee standards.

Article 11 International graduate students should participate all the activities required in teaching plan on time. Those who are not able to attend should ask for leave in advance and be approved. They should go through leave procedures in advance. International graduate students who are ill and unable to attend classes should provide a medical certificate from the school clinic or an acceptable hospital to ask for leave. Absences less than three days should be approved by the supervisor and should be kept record at the relevant subordinate school; Absences exceeding three days and less than a week should be approved by the supervisor and deputy dean, who is responsible for teaching affairs from the relevant subordinate school, and should be kept record at School of International Education; Absences exceeding a week should be approved by the supervisor, the dean from the relevant subordinate school and should be kept on record at School of International Education. Those whose total accumulated leave exceeds 4 weeks in one semester should follow the suspension/leave procedure. Students  missing class without a previously granted excused absence or missing class after the granted time but do not take an extension leave will be considered as skipping class (unexcused absence)and will be punished according to relevant school regulations.

Article 12 The relevant subordinate schools are responsible for the teaching affairs as well as the administration work. Relevant subordinate schools should attach importance to the guidance of the international graduate students, such as course selection, make-up examinations, course retaking, delayed tests, how to use academic affairs management system, etc. Subordinate schools should appoint one person to give assistance to international graduate students in drawing up their study plans. Subordinate schools should also pay attention to the daily life of the students and arrange the top students to help struggling students overcome difficulties and get adapted to the new learning environment as soon as possible.

Article 13 Graduate students’ attendance should be taken by course instructors, and the attendance summary should be kept on record by relevant subordinate schools and School of International Education. The supervisor is responsible for the attendance of students students who are in the period of internship and thesis defense in a way of contacting them by internet or meeting at least once a week. Any exceptional cases should be forwarded to the subordinate schools and School of International Education in time. For students with low attendance, the relevant subordinate schools and School of International Education will be responsible for criticism and dissuasion.

Article 14 Official graduate students status registration and degree registration at the national level are the responsibility of the School of International Education. Relevant subordinate schools are in charge of the arrangement of teaching activities with the coordination by Institute of Postgraduate.

Chapter Three Change of Major, Advisor and University

Article 15 International graduates are not supposed to transfer to any other universities, majors and tutors. According to relevant regulations, those who have to change majors or tutors due to major adjustments, tutor replacement or any other particular reason need to first submit application forms in person and get approval from both tutors, from people in charge of issuing degrees, the leaders of the corresponding subordinate schools, as well as the Institute of Postgraduate Affairs. Records should submit to the School of International Education to be put on file.

Chapter Four Suspension, Resumption and Dropout

Article 16 International graduates who are absent for a period of time due to illness or other reasons can apply for suspension/leave. The conditions are as follows:

1. Those whose sick leave lasts more than 4 weeks during one semester.

2. Those who have not paid accommodation fees for one semester or have not paid tuition fees for 2 consecutive semesters.

3. Those who are not able to continue to study due to illness and are examined and suggested for suspension/leave by doctors.

4. Female postgraduates who are about to give birth and require postnatal rest.

5. Those who cannot register due to other reasons.

Article 17 International graduates who want study suspension should go through all the procedures and get permission from subordinate school and School of International Education, then Institute of Postgraduate files. The school should retain their school status. The suspension period is usually one year. During the period, students are not able to participate in school activities and will not be treated as graduates. School is not responsible for any accidents or infringements. Generally speaking, those who leave school should go back to their own countries to recover and they should pay the round trip fees and medical treatment fees by themselves. Those who are on school scholarship will not receive it during the time.

Article 18 International graduates who are on suspension are supposed to apply for resumption of study two weeks before the semester begins (those who are on leave because of illness should provide hospital proof from secondary-level or above hospitals and need to be checked by school clinic). After getting approved by subordinate schools, School of International Education, and Institute of Postgraduate files, students can go through study-resumption procedures.

Article 19 International graduates will be expelled from the university if they have one of the following situations:

6. Voluntary withdrawal from school.

7. Those who do not register after more than two weeks without any valid reasons.

8. Those who haven’t completed their studies within the maximum year of schooling (including suspension).

9. Those who do not apply for resumption of study in time or application failed

10. Those who are not able to continue to study due to illness or accidental injury according to diagnosis from appointed hospital.

11. Those who do not participate in the school's teaching and research activities for 2 consecutive weeks or more without a reason..

12. Skip classes for more than 50 periods every semester.

13. For those whose credits obtained are less than 1/2 credits they should obtain, relevant subordinate school will give them warning for the first time, which will be kept on record in the School of International Education.

14. Those who study for a degree at another school without the permission of the university.

15. Those who cause serious social influence on school due to violation of discipline and law, receive paper warning from School of International Education 3 or more than 3 times.

16. Those who commit anti-Chinese conduct during the period of school.

17. Those who have violated Chinese laws and regulations and are taken custody by Chinese police.

18. Those who apply for tuition fee deferment but are unable to clear the arrearage beyond the deadline.

19. Those who have not purchased the comprehensive medical insurance coverage for incoming visitors within the prescribed period or whose medical examinations have expired and refuse to take the examinations within the prescribed period.

Article 20  For the withdrawal treatment of the graduate students studying in China,  subordinate schools and the School of International Education shall put forward the proposed treatment, and after the School of International Education's examination and approval,Institute of Postgraduate shall report to the university director in charge of graduate students for approval. School of International Education will give the final documents to expelled international postgraduates. For those who are not able to receive the documents, the documents will be dispatched in a legal way. Those who are expelled are supposed to go through all the needed school-leaving procedures within fifteen days after receiving the documents.

The expulsion decision of Chinese Government Scholarship winners should be reported to Chinese Scholarship Council by School of International Education in paper and the student's home embassy should be informed as well.

Article 21 International graduates who have disagreement with expulsion can appeal to the Student Appeal Committee.

Chapter Five Schooling, Graduation, Completion of Study

Article 22 The schooling of an international graduate student lasts 2 or 3 years. Those who cannot complete their studies in time for any reason can apply for an extension. The extension can be 5 years at most(including suspension). School will provide study visa for postgraduate students at most schooling years+1. If students are unable to complete study during the longest period of time for visa, they should leave China and return to school for examinations during the schedule time. School will help them with short-term entry visa.

Article 23  The university will issue diploma to a foreign postgraduate who finishes the specified curriculum, manages to pass the assessment within the specified length of time, passes the thesis defense and meet the graduate requirements.

Article 24 If a graduate completes their curriculum, compulsory courses and thesis early, makes outstanding achievements in scientific research, and is approved by their tutor and Academic Degree Evaluation Committee, he/she can apply for graduation in advance, but the study duration should be no less than the minimum graduation duration.

Article 25

1. International graduates who fail to finish the specified courses due to personal reasons can apply in person for prolonging time of study and therefore delay graduation. After getting permission of their tutor, leaders of relevant subordinate schools, and the School of International Education, he/she can submit the application to Institute of Postgraduate. But the study duration should not exceed the pre-defined maximum study time.

2. International graduates who apply for delay of graduation are supposed to go through all the related procedures three months before graduation.

3. The applications for extending study for international graduates who have a government scholarship should be submitted to the China Scholarship Council by the School of International Education. Those who get approved will retain their previous privileges and don’t have to pay the postponing fee. Those who fail to get approved need to bear the related charges on his/her own according to fee regulations. The self-paid international graduates with a study visa fromZUST should bear the related charges on his/her own. International graduates who fail to graduate on time due to mentors or poor-arranged agenda and therefore apply for delayed graduation do not need to bear the related charges after applying by supervisor and subordinate school.

Article 26 Based on cooperation agreements or approval by the university, if graduate goes for cooperative research or joint training program overseas, the time at overseas should be counted into their total study time.

Article 27 International graduates who have passed prescribed curriculum or other procedure, but fail to pass the dissertation will be qualified to get the certificate of course completion. They can also apply to revise their dissertation if the dissertation committee permits the student. If passing, students can get the normal degree certificate. Graduation time starts from the date the students receives the degree certificate.

Article 28 International graduates who graduate and meet with the standards noted in the Master Degree Conferring Regulation can receive the degree certificate.

Article 29 As specified in the Regulation of Higher Education Qualifications Electronic Registration Management, the university will submit graduation information to the Zhejiang Provincial Education Department for registration and recorded by the national education department.

Article 30 Those who violate the provisions of admission will not be issued a graduation and degree certificate; The school will nullify the graduation certificate and degree certificate, and then report to the Zhejiang Provincial Education Department and national education department that the certificates are invalid.

Article 31 If the degree or graduation certificate of a graduate student studying in China is lost or damaged, the university can issue a corresponding certificate after verification of the applicant's application. The certificate has the same validity as the original certificate.

Article 32

1. The name list of graduates, courses completion students and undergraduate should be submitted to Department of Postgraduate Affairs for approval together with domestic students who apply for degree by the relevant subordinate schools and then keep record in School of International Education.

2. Degree certificates of graduates should be declared by relevant schools. Degree certificates, graduation certificates, certificate of completion, with versions in Chinese and English, should be printed together by the Institute of Postgraduate.

3. The transcript of international graduate will be made according to the format of postgraduate studying abroad(with one Chinese version and one English version) and audited and sealed by the Department of Postgraduate Affairs.Students' qualification for graduation and degree will be reviewed by each subordinate school and submitted to then Institute of Postgraduate for approval.

4. The Chinese degree certificate, copies of Chinese transcripts, and dissertation should be collected and submitted to school archives by relevant subordinate schools.

Article 33 Students' qualification for graduation and degree will be reviewed by each subordinate school and submitted to subordinate school for approval.

      Chapter Six Supplementary Provisions

Article 34 The right to interpret these regulations remains with Institute of Postgraduate and School of International Education. Matters not mentioned here shall be implement in accordance with Rules of Implementation of Master-degree Students Status Graduate Students of ZUST. In special cases, submit to the Dean's Office for study and decision.

Article 35  This regulation takes effect after it is passed at the regular president’s conference from Class of 2022 postgraduate students. Other postgraduate students at all levels refer to the implementation. In case of inconsistency with the regulation, this one shall prevail.