University registration questions

[Ludens]

As I'm planning to enrol in a Chinese language program at a Beijing university, I've got some questions that I can't find the answers to (sorry if some of these are answered elsewhere, I did search, but it's impossible to read every related thread). My situation is as follows: I'm planning to move to Beijing early December, and register for a Chinese language program at a university. Seems easy enough, but there are a few things I'm not sure about:

- I'll be arriving in Beijing early December, while the deadline for registration at the university is 31 December. How much time is needed to register? Can I just walk in, pay, and be done with it? Are the universities/registrations closed between Christmas and new year?

- Online information says the semester starts in "February". When in February? Do semesters start at the beginning of the month? What about spring festival, which also falls in February?

- If I first register for one semester (to 'try out' the university), and after that semester decide to stay at that university (or switch to another one), can my residence permit be extended by the university, or do I first have to leave the country, get a tourist visa, re-enter, etc.? Also, would I need to pay the registration fee (or any other fees) again (when staying at the same university)?

- Every foreigner with a bachelor degree and enough money gets accepted for Chinese language courses at universities, as long as they register before the deadline, right?

- Are there a lot of new students starting in the spring semester, or will I be put in an existing class?

I would be a bit less worried if I knew the answers to these questions, so thanks a lot in advance for any thoughts on these points!