Shanghai released its management measures for the tuition fees in Sino-foreign cooperative education on Feb 27.

Effective April 1, 2025 to March 31, 2028, the measures aim to standardize tuition charging behavior and boost the sustainable growth of Sino-foreign cooperative education in the city.

The measures will apply to Sino-foreign cooperative educational institutions or programs approved or registered by educational authorities in Shanghai.

Pricing mechanism of tuition fees

Public educational institutions shall set tuition fees for Sino-foreign cooperative programs seeking formal educational credentials as per government guidance, with the tuition fees falling under administrative management.

For programs targeting no formal educational credentials, tuition fees may be adjusted as per market conditions.

Private educational institutions may adjust tuition fees for Sino-foreign cooperative education on the basis of market conditions, following the city's tuition regulations for these institutions.

Pricing management of tuition fees

For public educational institutions, tuition fees for Sino-foreign cooperative programs seeking formal educational credentials will generally not exceed three times those of similar public educational institutions or those for similar disciplines in the city.

Higher tuition fees may be charged only when the programs meet one of the specific conditions — supporting Shanghai's socio-economic development and strategic emerging industries, being a top-tier discipline, or involving a partnership with a world-class educational institution or with an educational institution holding a similar world-class discipline (or university major).

Reporting and approval

For public educational institutions whose tuition fees for Sino-foreign cooperative programs targeting formal educational credentials don’t exceed three times those aforementioned:

Before the first enrollment or any tuition fees adjustment, written information on tuition fees must be submitted to the Shanghai Municipal Development and Reform Commission, the Shanghai Municipal Bureau of Finance and the Shanghai Municipal Commission of Education prior to the end of February of the very year.

The approved tuition fees standards will remain valid throughout the duration of the cooperation.

For public educational institutions whose tuition fees for Sino-foreign cooperative programs seeking formal educational credentials surpass three times those aforementioned:

An application shall be submitted to the Shanghai Municipal Commission of Education for tuition fees adjustment for the coming year prior to June 30 of the very year.

The approval process will involve a review by experts and authorization by the Shanghai Municipal People's Government.

The approved tuition fees standards will remain effective throughout the duration of the cooperation.

Sources: Shanghai Municipal Development and Reform Commission, Shanghai Municipal Bureau of Finance, Shanghai Municipal Commission of Education

Note: The English version of these measures is for reference only; the official Chinese document shall prevail.