Universities in Kunming

[Bakaichi]

Hello all,

I have read through a few of the posts regarding universities in Kunming, but they all seem to be quite old. I was hoping that perhaps we could get some updated information/opinions. I am currently considering enrolling in a Chinese language program, and since I would like to apply for the Chinese Government Scholarship, I am looking specifically for info about university programs. The scholarship information specifies the following institutions:

云南大学

YUNNAN UNIVERSITY

云南民族学院

YUNNAN INSTITUTE OF THE NATIONALITIES

云南师范大学

YUNNAN NORMAL UNIVERSITY

云南农业大学

YUNNAN AGRICULTURAL UNIVERSITY

云南财贸学院

YUNNAN FINANCE AND TRADE INSTITUTE

昆明理工大学

KUNMING UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

云南艺术学院

YUNNAN ARTS INSTITUTE

昆明医学院

KUNMING MEDICAL COLLEGE

I have found some info on the CUCAS site regarding programs at Yunnan, Yunnan Normal, and KUST, but it is very limited. I would love to hear from people who have personal experience with a language program at any of these universities. Any info/advice is greatly appreciated!

Thanks!

[siledouyaoai]

I've studied advanced Chinese and my International Chinese Education Masters at 云南师范大学, both of which were on Confucius institute scholarships. I was at 东方语言学院 before that for a semester. I wouldn't recommend 东方 if you are a serious student, particularly if you want to apply for scholarships.

Most of what I hear is comparisons between 师范大学 and 云南大学, as they have the biggest intakes of foreign students. Many people seem to complain that 云大's class sizes are too big, and the classrooms are located off campus, (maybe 10 minutes away on 文林街 I think). I was happy with the teachers at 师大, who I hear are generally younger than those at 云大. I think a lot depends on the teachers you get though, so I may have just been lucky.

理工大学 is building a new Chinese department on its 学府路 campus and seems to be recruiting a lot of new teachers. It's centrally located, so might be worth considering. I'm not sure when that will open though.

I've heard of people studying at 农大 and 财大, but I think its probably more south east Asian students. The campuses are out on 龙泉路, a fair way from the city center, and not the nicest of environments (dusty, lots of lorries). If you want to live in a more Chinese environment away from most foreign students, then they might be a good choice. I've never heard of anyone studying at 艺术学院. People seem to go there just to pick up girls.

If I were you, I'd focus on 云大 and 师大.

Good luck!

[Bakaichi]

Thank you for your detailed response! It was very helpful. I've noticed that I actually made a mistake - there are only four universities that qualify for the government scholarship - 云南大学, 云南师范大学, 云南财贸学院, and 昆明理工大学. So far I have heard back from 昆明理工大学 and they only offer the scholarship for masters and doctorate degrees (I'm currently just looking at doing a language program). I will update as I hear back from the other universities.

If you don't mind my asking, how was your experience with the Confucius scholarship? Did you apply directly, or did the university help you with it? Does it seem easy to get? It seems to offer only slightly less than the government scholarship, so I'm definitely interested in it, but the official site seems to have information only in Chinese. If it's possible to get it on a language program, I'll definitely be looking into it more. Do you know if it's possible to apply for both the government scholarship and the Confucius scholarship and turn one down if you happen to get both? (Guessing you can't actually receive both...)

Thanks again!

[Bakaichi]

I'm not sure what the deal is with all of those font tags in my previous message... Anyways, I just wanted to update and say that I heard back from 財経 and they are only offering the government scholarship to those pursuing a master's, so it looks like it's going to come down to 云大 or 师大 like you said. I am looking into other possibilities with the Confucius scholarship as well, though, so I'd love to hear about your experiences with that. Thanks!