You can earn a foreign bachelor's or master's degree while never leaving China. The route is the "4+0" Sino-foreign cooperative programs based at the Hainan Lingshui Li'an International Education Innovation Pilot Zone, where students spend all four years on the Hainan campus yet still receive a degree from a foreign partner university — provided the program is approved by China's Ministry of Education.
What is the Li'an model?
The Hainan Lingshui Li'an International Education Innovation Pilot Zone (official site: study-hn.cn) hosts 30 Chinese and foreign universities — 11 Chinese and 19 foreign — with 24 approved Sino-foreign cooperative education institutions and projects covering more than 60 majors. As of June 2026, the zone planned to admit 2,563 undergraduate students that year and ran 337 cross-institution shared courses.
The "model" is the cluster of cooperative colleges that foreign universities operate inside the zone together with a Chinese parent university. Classes often follow the foreign partner's curriculum and are taught in English, but the campus sits in Hainan rather than overseas.
Which programs award a foreign degree with no time abroad?
Most Li'an colleges run a 4+0 format, and the Ministry of Education's approval notes that receiving the foreign degree does not require a period of overseas study. Examples:
| College (Chinese parent) | Foreign partner | Sample majors | Annual tuition (RMB) |
|---|---|---|---|
| BUPT Queen Mary School Hainan | Queen Mary University of London (QMUL) | Information and Computational Science; Digital Media Technology; Intelligent Biomedical Engineering | 100,000 |
| Communication University of China Hainan International College | Coventry / Abertay / Michigan State | Intelligent Science and Technology; Digital Media Technology; Visual Communication Design | Subject to official brochure |
| UESTC Glasgow College Hainan | University of Glasgow | Electronic Information (Electronic Information Engineering, Communication Engineering, Microelectronics, Software Engineering) | Subject to official brochure |
| Beijing Sport University Alberta College | University of Alberta | Recreation, Sport and Tourism; Tourism Management | 75,000 |
| Minzu University of China Hainan International College | Middlesex / City University of Macau | Visual Communication Design and other arts | 100,000 |
| BLCU Hainan International College | ESC Clermont / Northeastern State University | Information Management and Information Systems; International Economics and Trade; Speech-Language Pathology | 100,000 / 82,500 |
| Tianjin University Reading Henry International College | University of Reading (Henley) | Supply Chain Management | 110,000 |
| China University of Political Science and Law Hainan International College | University of Ottawa | English (Legal English); International Business | 100,000 |
| China University of Geosciences (Beijing) Hainan International College | Aberdeen / Birmingham City | Digital Economy; Big Data Management and Application | 100,000 |
At BUPT Queen Mary School Hainan, graduates receive the BUPT graduation certificate and bachelor's degree plus the QMUL degree, all through four years in Hainan. The college admits 300 undergraduates a year across its three majors (100 each), with the approved scale running to 2032 and the MOE licence MOE46UKA02DNR20222214N valid to 2036-12-31.
Which programs do require going abroad?
Not every Li'an program is stay-in-China. Check this before you apply:
- Northeast Forestry University's Xilin College (with the University of Technology Sydney) is 3+1 — the fourth year is spent at UTS in Australia, and the foreign degree requires that overseas year.
- Xi'an Jiaotong University's Hainan programs are 2+2 (with UBC, Carbon Neutrality Science and Engineering) and 3+1 (with Lancaster, English), both mandatory.
- Minzu University's Data Science and Big Data Technology program is 2+1+1 — the third year is at City University of Macau, and the Macau degree is granted only to students who complete that year abroad.
So "study without leaving China" holds for the 4+0 colleges, but not for these.
What degree do you actually receive?
In the 4+0 colleges you typically get two credentials: the Chinese parent university's graduation certificate and bachelor's degree, and the foreign partner's degree. Tianjin University states that the Tianjin University and University of Reading degree certificates are identical to those issued at each institution's home campus. Beijing Sport University describes the University of Alberta degree as the same as what direct overseas students receive.
Recognition in China follows the normal Sino-foreign cooperative education path: because the institution or project is filed on the Ministry of Education's regulatory platform (crs.jsj.edu.cn), the foreign degree can be authenticated by the China Service Center for Scholarly Exchange (CSCSE).
Can a 4+0 foreign degree be authenticated if I never left China?
Yes. CSCSE certifies cooperative-education graduates who studied less than 180 days overseas — the 4+0 case. The application is online; the fee is 360 yuan and results usually take 10–20 working days. The certificate notes the cooperative institution or project's legality.
If you later study a year or more overseas (the 3+1 or 2+2 routes), that time can cross the 180-day threshold, which lets you apply under the standard overseas-study certification type instead.
What about a UK graduate work visa?
A 4+0 student does not qualify for the UK Graduate Route, because that visa requires holding a UK Student visa and studying in the UK. The realistic route to a UK work visa is to use the foreign (or a new) degree to enter a one-year taught master's in the UK on a Student visa, then apply for the Graduate Route from inside the UK.
The same logic applies to Canada's Post-Graduation Work Permit: a 4+0 with the University of Alberta does not meet the in-Canada study requirement, but later Canadian study could.
How much does it cost?
Confirmed annual tuition for the stay-in-China colleges includes 100,000 RMB at BUPT Queen Mary School Hainan, 75,000 RMB at Beijing Sport University Alberta College, 100,000 RMB for Minzu University's arts majors, 82,500 RMB (US-China health programs) and 100,000 RMB (China-France programs) at BLCU, 110,000 RMB at Tianjin University Reading Henry, and 100,000 RMB at China University of Political Science and Law and China University of Geosciences (Beijing). For Communication University of China, UESTC Glasgow College Hainan, Northeast Forestry University and Xi'an Jiaotong University, tuition is subject to the official admissions brochure.
Accommodation is separate; for example China University of Political Science and Law lists it at 1,200 RMB a year.
The bottom line
The Li'an model gives you a foreign degree without boarding a plane for the 4+0 colleges, with the foreign credential recognised through China's cooperative-education certification channel. Check each program's MOE approval and that year's admissions brochure for the exact major, plan and fees, and confirm whether the foreign degree needs an overseas year before you commit.
Sources - Hainan Lingshui Li'an International Education Innovation Pilot Zone press conference (2026-06-13): https://hnxwfbt.hinews.cn/xinwen/show-2960.html - Ministry of Education Sino-foreign cooperative education platform (BUPT Queen Mary Hainan): https://www.crs.jsj.edu.cn/aproval/detail/3077 - Ministry of Education Sino-foreign cooperative education platform (Tianjin University Reading Henry): https://www.crs.jsj.edu.cn/aproval/detail/4004 - China Service Center for Scholarly Exchange (certification materials): https://zwfw.cscse.edu.cn/zwfw/lxfwzxwsfwdt2020/xlxwrz32/sqcl/ndjm/2026042823583912537/index.html - GOV.UK Graduate visa eligibility: https://www.gov.uk/graduate-visa/eligibility - Pilot Zone official site: https://www.study-hn.cn/