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Zhejiang University Exchange Guide

浙江大学 · Hangzhou · Zijingang main campus

📘 Part of our complete guide to student exchange in China

✓ Built from official ZJU sources · Last checked: September 2026 · See sources

At a glance

Most inbound exchange students at ZJU study and live at Zijingang, the huge main campus in north-west Hangzhou. The Office of Global Engagement handles your nomination and application; once you arrive, the International College (ICZU) takes over registration, housing, insurance and residence permits.

City

Hangzhou — city guide

Main campus

Zijingang (Xihu District); Yuquan and Haining for some programmes

Exchange length

One semester or one academic year

Teaching language

Chinese or English — English-taught course list sent to partners each term

Housing

On-campus international dorms, booked online after admission (not guaranteed)

Exchange office

Office of Global Engagement · zjuexchange@zju.edu.cn

Before you arrive

ZJU only accepts students nominated by a partner university. This is the sequence described in ZJU’s 2026–27 fact sheet — your home office may set earlier internal deadlines.

Nomination — your home university nominates you through the link ZJU sends to its exchange coordinator.
Online application — apply on the International Student Management System with your passport, an English transcript and a language certificate (HSK 5 with 180+ for Chinese-taught courses; IELTS 6.5, TOEFL iBT 88 or CEFR B2 for English-taught courses).
Admission — the admission notice and JW202 form can be downloaded from the portal (early July for the autumn intake).
Visa — X2 for one semester, X1 for a full year. Before You Go explains the visa process.
Housing — a reservation link arrives by email; book and pay on dorm.zju.edu.cn within 48 hours.
Pre-registration & insurance — complete online pre-registration and buy (or upload) the compulsory insurance.
Arrival — check in no more than 3 days before registration, then attend orientation week.

Intake	Nomination & application deadline
Autumn/Winter 2026–27 · Hangzhou campuses	10 May 2026 Source ↗
Autumn/Winter 2026–27 · Haining (ZJUI, ZIBS)	10 April 2026 Source ↗
Spring/Summer 2025–26 · Hangzhou campuses	10 November 2025
Spring/Summer 2027	Not yet published Ask your coordinator

Autumn 2026 classes began on 14 September 2026 and the winter vacation starts on 16 January 2027 (ZJU academic calendar).

Which campus?

ZJU has several campuses, but only three matter for exchange students. Check which one your college teaches on before you book housing.

Most exchange students

Zijingang Campus (紫金港)

Where: 866 Yuhangtang Road, Xihu District, north-west Hangzhou
Who studies here: Humanities, international studies, management, life sciences, medicine, agriculture, civil engineering and architecture, plus most first- and second-year undergraduates. The International College and the main international dorms are here.
Metro: Line 5 “Zijingang Campus, Zhejiang University” station on the south side; Sanba (Lines 2/5) and Xialongxu (Line 2) near the east side.
To the centre: About 12–15 km from West Lake — allow roughly 40–50 minutes by metro (estimate).

Open Zijingang Campus in a map ↗

Engineering & Chinese language

Yuquan Campus (玉泉)

Where: 38 Zheda Road, at the north-west corner of West Lake
Who studies here: Engineering and computer/information science departments, plus Chu Kochen Hall and most Chinese Language & Culture programme students.
Metro: Line 3 stations around Huanglong are closest — check your map app. Bus 89 links Yuquan and Zijingang.
To the centre: Within walking distance of West Lake.

Open Yuquan Campus in a map ↗

Joint institutes only

Haining International Campus

Where: 718 East Haizhou Road, Haining — about 60 km east of Hangzhou
Who studies here: Only exchange students of the joint institutes (ZJUI, ZIBS). It has separate deadlines and its own course system — you cannot mix Haining and Hangzhou courses.
Metro: Not on the Hangzhou metro; ask your institute about transport.

Open Haining International Campus in a map ↗

Accommodation

¥80/day

Zijingang West single room (long-stay rate, per room)

48 hours

to pay after booking online

3 days

earliest check-in before registration

International dorms: Zijingang East (Buildings A & B), Zijingang West (C1–C3, D), Yuquan Chu Kochen Hall, Yuquan International Students Dormitory and Huajiachi.
Room types: singles and superior singles, twins, quads and en-suite rooms, depending on the building.
Official long-stay rates (over 90 days, effective since 1 January 2023, priced per room): Zijingang West single ¥80/day, superior single ¥100/day, twin ¥120/day; Zijingang East twin ¥120/day, quad ¥160/day; Yuquan Chu Kochen single ¥100/day, twin ¥160/day. Source ↗
In the room: bed, desk, wardrobe, air-conditioning, bathroom and campus network. Buildings have shared kitchens, self-service laundry and study rooms.
How to book: after admission a reservation link arrives by email; book and pay online within 48 hours (Alipay, UnionPay, Visa, Mastercard or JCB). Rooms are limited and not guaranteed.
Off campus: allowed if you submit the off-campus dwelling form and your lease to the International College, and register with the police within 24 hours of moving in.

General dorm-versus-rental advice lives in the housing guide; to turn daily rates into a monthly budget, use the budget calculator.

Academics

Course list: ZJU sends partners a tentative English-taught course list and syllabus with each fact sheet — ask your home coordinator for it. Final offerings are confirmed after you arrive.
Registration: course selection opens in the first week of term, after orientation week. Undergraduate courses are chosen in the Modern Teaching System (zdbk.zju.edu.cn); graduate courses in the Graduate Education Management System.
Credits: you can take courses across colleges on the Hangzhou campuses, and there is no minimum credit load for exchange students. Credit conversion is decided by your home university. Programme-dependent
Quarters: ZJU teaches in four roughly nine-week quarters grouped into two semesters, so some courses run for only half a semester.
Add/drop: dates for exchange students are not published — ask at orientation. Programme-dependent
Transcript: issued by the International College after the semester and emailed to your home coordinator.

Campus survival

🪪 Campus card

Physical or virtual inside Alipay. Used for the library, exams, canteens and ID; issued at registration.

🍜 Canteens

Zijingang has many canteens across campus. Pay by campus card or Alipay; halal and ethnic-minority options are available.

📚 Libraries

Zijingang: Library of General Knowledge and the Medical Library. Yuquan: science, humanities and engineering libraries. Enter with your campus card.

📶 Wi-Fi

ZJUWLAN (web login) and ZJUWLAN-Secure cover teaching buildings, dorms and outdoor areas. Internet accounts are paid monthly after a free trial.

🏸 Sports

Courts are booked in the “Zheda Sports & Arts” app. Some are paid, and no-shows get a temporary ban.

📦 Parcels

Several Cainiao stations on campus, including by the East and West dorm clusters. Collect with your ID and pickup code.

Arrival

From the airport

Hangzhou Xiaoshan Airport (HGH) → Zijingang by metro: Line 19 to Chuangjing Road, then Line 5 to “Zijingang Campus, Zhejiang University”. About 1 hour 10 minutes and around ¥9. Line 19 runs from roughly 06:00 to 23:15.
By taxi or ride-hailing: about an hour and roughly ¥130 (estimate).

From the train station

Hangzhou West (杭州西) — the closest: Line 19 one stop to Chuangjing Road, then Line 5 (about 30 minutes). A ride-hail takes about 20 minutes.
Hangzhou Station (城站) — Line 5 direct to Zijingang, no transfer (about 1 hour).
Hangzhou East (东站) — Line 19 to Chuangjing Road then Line 5, or to Shentangqiao then Line 2 (about 1 hour).

First-days checklist

Check in at dorm reception — your accommodation (police) registration must be done within 24 hours of arrival.
Complete online pre-registration and the compulsory insurance (¥800 for 12 months through the university’s insurer, or upload an approved policy).
Attend on-site registration with the International College on the date in your admission letter, then orientation week.
Collect your campus card and a Chinese SIM (sold in the registration hall).
X1 visa holders: apply for a residence permit within 30 days at the Hangzhou Exit-Entry office, with the documents the International College lists (including a health-check certificate for stays over six months).
Select your courses in the first week of term.

Around campus

Cheap eats: Longyu Street (龙宇街) by Zijingang is lined with tea shops and meals for about ¥10–30.
Evenings out: Cambridge Commune (剑桥公社) and the streets east of campus for BBQ and late-night food.
Shopping & groceries: Xixi Intime City by the Line 5 station, plus campus North Street for basics.
Health: there is a campus medical centre; use Amap (高德) to find the nearest 24-hour pharmacy.
Specific places to eat: see Where to Eat Near Zhejiang University.

For the whole-city picture — food, neighbourhoods and weekend trips — use the Hangzhou guide rather than this page.

Your host city

Now explore Hangzhou

West Lake, tea villages, Hangzhou dishes and weekend trips — all in the Hangzhou city guide.

Open the Hangzhou guide

China essentials for ZJU students

These topics work the same everywhere in China, so they live in one national guide each — this page only adds what is specific to ZJU.

Visa & documents: your admission notice and JW202 form decide the visa type — how the process works
Payments: canteens and shops expect a phone wallet — set up Alipay & WeChat Pay
Mobile data: you need a Chinese number for campus accounts and deliveries — SIM, eSIM & internet
Apps: maps, ride-hailing and translation — essential apps
Landing day: what to do before you even reach campus — your first 48 hours
Money: estimate rent and living costs — budget calculator

Official sources

Last checked: September 2026. Deadlines, dorm fees, semester dates and office contacts change every intake. Where a detail differs by faculty or partner agreement it is marked Programme-dependent — your nomination email and the exchange office always override this page.

Spotted something outdated or wrong? Tell us and we will check and update it.

Keep exploring

Photos: Windmemories / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Yinweichen / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)