TSINGHUA UNIVERSITY has been facing criticism for its 2017 admissions requirements for foreign applicants. The previously required entrance examination has been canceled, and international students may now apply for undergraduate studies if they have a high-school diploma and have passed level 5 of the HSK Chinese language test. China Youth Daily comments:

Many people have challenged the new requirements, saying they lower the threshold for admitting foreign students and are thus unfair to domestic students.

Tsinghua responded that it is not the case. According to their spokesperson, with the new policy, Tsinghua will more comprehensively evaluate the academic potential of applicants, instead of relying on the result of just the written test. Besides, the number of domestic students enrolled will remain around 3,300.