Guardian in China: the adult a school must have on record for a student under 18

A guardian (监护人) is the adult a school must have on record for an international student under 18 whose parents do not live in mainland China. Article 38 of Order No. 42, the Measures for the Administration of Schools Recruiting and Educating International Students issued by the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Public Security, sets this requirement. For the wider list of documents, see Admission and documents.

Definition

Article 38 sets two qualifications for the guardian. The guardian must be habitually resident in mainland China. The guardian may be a foreign person or a Chinese person. The student's parents make the appointment formally.

What the official text says

The English on this page is this site's translation of the Chinese text.

Order No. 42, Article 38, first paragraph: a school admitting international students under 18 whose parents do not reside in China on a habitual basis shall require the parents to formally appoint a foreign or Chinese person habitually resident in mainland China as the student's guardian. Relevant supporting documents shall also be provided.

Order No. 42, Article 38, second paragraph, on group short-term study:

• A school may accept international students who study in a group for a short term.
• The school shall sign an agreement with the foreign sending unit in advance.
• A primary or secondary school that accepts such a group shall have the foreign sending unit complete, in advance and under the law of its own country, the legal formalities needed to organise the minors' exit and entry.
• The foreign sending unit shall send people with the group who act as guardians of the international students while they study at the school.

Application Guide for Chinese Government Scholarship, document list, item 11: "An applicant under the age of 18 shall submit the legal documents of his/her legal guardian(s) in China." This is a condition of that scholarship. It is published by the China Scholarship Council on Campus China.

Quality Standards for the Higher Education of International Students in China (Trial), issued by Ministry of Education notice 教外〔2018〕50号: the standards are addressed to higher education institutions. Section 17, on protection of student rights, has four items: 17.1 on information disclosure, 17.2 on supervision, 17.3 on appeals, and 17.4 on information security and privacy. None of items 17.1 to 17.4 refers to students under 18.

Related terms

• Chinese Government Scholarship
• Residence permit for study
• Foreign sending unit
• Group short-term study
• Quality Standards for the Higher Education of International Students in China (Trial)

Sources

• Measures for the Administration of Schools Recruiting and Educating International Students (Order No. 42), Ministry of Education of the PRC
• Application Guide for Chinese Government Scholarship, China Scholarship Council (Campus China)
• Quality Standards for the Higher Education of International Students in China (Trial), Ministry of Education of the PRC

Checked 11 October 2026.

This entry is an unofficial summary, is not legal or immigration advice, and is not published by the bodies named. If the official text and the instructions of the body handling your case differ, the official text and those instructions prevail.