The Shanghai Municipal Education Commission has issued a notice on registration for Shanghai's 2027 college entrance examinations and admissions.

1. Eligibility for foreign applicants

Foreign nationals with permanent residence: Foreign nationals who have settled in Shanghai and hold a valid Foreign Permanent Resident ID Card issued in Shanghai, provided they are due to graduate from, or have graduated from, a senior secondary school.

Children of overseas-educated residence permit holders: Children living with overseas-educated holders of the Shanghai Overseas Talent Residence Permit, provided they are due to graduate from, or have graduated from, a senior secondary school in Shanghai.

Children with foreign passports whose parent studied abroad and has Shanghai household registration: Children holding foreign passports whose parent has Shanghai household registration (hukou) and studied abroad, provided a valid certificate confirming the child's eligibility for preferential policies is presented during registration confirmation. Applicants must either be students due to graduate in 2027 who took the Shanghai senior high school entrance exam (zhongkao) and will have completed their entire senior secondary education in Shanghai, or previous senior high school graduates included in Shanghai's 2026 gaokao registration database.

2. Key requirements and exam structure

Valid identification: The required identification and permit documents must be valid on the first day of the unified academic examination for the relevant examination category.

Examination subjects: The three unified gaokao subjects are Chinese, mathematics, and a foreign language. For autumn undergraduate admissions, candidates must also register for three graded academic proficiency examinations in subjects for which they have passed the corresponding qualifying examinations. The three graded examination scores form part of their overall gaokao score.

Foreign language choices: Candidates may choose from six languages: English, Russian, Japanese, French, German, or Spanish. For the autumn unified gaokao, the foreign language exam is offered twice a year, in January and June. The January exam also serves as the foreign language exam for spring admissions. Candidates must choose the same language for both attempts.

3. Registration

Applicants must register online from Oct 19 to 23, 2026. Registration is open from 8 am to 9 pm on Oct 19, 20, 21, and 22, and from 8 am to 4 pm on Oct 23. Qualification verification and registration confirmation will take place from Oct 29 to 31. Current-year graduates with student registration in Shanghai will complete these procedures through their schools. Previous graduates and current-year graduates without student registration in Shanghai must complete these procedures at confirmation points designated by district examination authorities, bringing the originals and photocopies of the required supporting documents.

Online payment dates vary by examination category. The first payment period, from Nov 2 to 4, 2026, covers candidates registering for the spring examination, the January foreign language examination only, or the unified examinations for arts majors. The Shanghai Municipal Educational Examinations Authority published detailed registration measures on Oct 16, 2026. Candidates who submit false personal information or application materials will be treated as having cheated in a national education examination and lose their eligibility for gaokao registration, examination, and admission that year. Depending on the severity of the violation, they may also be barred from all types of national education examinations for up to three years.

Note: The English text is for reference only. In case of any discrepancies, the Chinese version shall prevail.

Sources: Shanghai Municipal Education Commission, Shanghai Municipal Educational Examinations Authority