Academic Year Study Abroad Programs in China

I studied Mandarin at Peking University for 3 months through GAC. I arrived knowing almost no Chinese, but my homestay family was incredibly patient and kind. My teacher made classes fun and practical. By the end, I could hold conversations, order food, and even bargain at markets. The GAC team organized weekend trips to the Great Wall and Summer Palace. I returned to Japan with confidence and a love for Chinese culture. Every food was very tasted and appetite bringing and I would eat more than usual. Highly recommend.

I studied Mandarin at Peking University for 4 months through GAC. I arrived knowing only "ni hao." My homestay family was amazing – they only spoke Chinese, so I had to practice every single day. My teacher was patient and made classes fun. By month three, I could order food, take the subway, and have real conversations with locals. The GAC team organized weekend trips to the Summer Palace and the Great Wall. I came back to Belgium with confidence and a second family in Beijing. Highly recommend.

My study abroad trip to Shanghai was one of the best experiences I’ve ever had. The city is full of energy, with an amazing mix of modern skyscrapers and rich cultural history. Every day felt like a new adventure, whether I was exploring local markets, trying authentic Chinese food, walking along the Bund, or visiting beautiful temples and gardens. One of the most rewarding parts of the trip was experiencing a different culture firsthand and meeting people from around the world. It helped me become more independent, confident, and open-minded. I also learned so much about China’s history, traditions, and daily life in a way that you simply can’t learn from a classroom.

I spent 6 weeks studying Mandarin at Fudan University in Shanghai. My homestay family was wonderful — they took me to local markets and taught me to cook Shanghai-style dishes. My teacher focused on practical conversation, not just textbook grammar. By the end, I could comfortably order food, take taxis, and even bargain at the fabric market. The GAC coordinators organized visits to the Bund, Yu Garden, and a day trip to Hangzhou. This experience gave me confidence and a love for Chinese culture. Highly recommend.

I studied Mandarin at Peking University for 4 months through GAC. I arrived knowing maybe 10 words. My homestay family was incredible – they only spoke Chinese, so I had to practice every single day at dinner. My teacher was patient and made class fun. By month three, I could order food, bargain at markets, and hold real conversations. The GAC team organized weekend trips to the Great Wall and Summer Palace. I came back to Sweden speaking more Chinese than friends who studied for years. Highly recommend.

When I signed the language pledge on day one, I made a promise: only Chinese, all day, every day. Every character was a rep, every assignment a set, and I studied my way through coffee shops all over Beijing, rating each one out of five stars. My politics and business courses were taught entirely in Chinese, and my one-on-one research dug into modern dating and why so few young Chinese are having kids — answers I found by interviewing locals myself. The real growth, though, happened outside the classroom. I'd talk to anyone who would say hello — monks, aunties in the park, students in the library, a woman making tea in a Yunnan mountain village. Each conversation was a private lesson worth more than gold. I took the bullet train to Shanghai, biked around West Lake in Hangzhou, got lost in the tea mountains, played pick-up basketball with Tibetan and Uyghur students, and even talked my way into a free tour of Alibaba's headquarters after waiting at the gate for over an hour. Persistence works. By the end, my teachers said my Chinese was the most improved in the program. But the part I'll carry with me isn't a grade or a trip — it's that I loved who I was in China.

I studied Mandarin at BLCU in Beijing for 4 months through GAC. I arrived knowing only "ni hao." My homestay family was amazing – they only spoke Chinese, so I had to practice every single day. My teacher was patient and made classes fun and engaging. By month three, I could order food, take the subway, and have real conversations with locals. The GAC team organized weekend trips to the Great Wall and Summer Palace. I came back to Prague speaking more Chinese than friends who studied for years. Highly recommend for anyone serious about learning Mandarin.

Kaohsiung is an artsy, digestible city, one that is filled with history and was a joy to explore every day. The teachers, director, Taiwanese peers and roommates, and other study abroad students laid the framework for the program, while Taiwan's vibrant culture and natural environment filled in the rest of my experience. Under the language pledge, I was able to make progress in my conversational and formal Mandarin skills. I took classes that challenged me intellectually, but were still a lot of fun, learning the most in my one-on-one tutorial, where I got to delve deep into a topic of my choice. I chose modern Chinese and Taiwanese literature as part of my preliminary research for my senior thesis, and learned more in one semester than I could ever have on my own. Aside from academics, I also spent plenty of time exploring Kaohsiung, the rest of Taiwan, and was even able to utilize some weekends and breaks in traveling internationally within Asia. Despite living in the city, we also spent a substantial amount of time interacting with nature. Our school campus was surrounded by both mountain and beach, and Taiwan as a whole has no shortage of natural scenery to take in. Sprawling rice fields, Formosan monkey colonies gathered on trees, fog descending on the mountain in the early morning: these images of Taiwan have been truly unforgettable. The highlight of my time in Taiwan was of course the food. I ate a variety of Taiwanese dishes (even stinky tofu!), had a wide variety of desserts (108 cups of bubble tea...), and laughed with friends over meals every day. If I had the chance to study in Taiwan again, I would take it in a heartbeat. Studying abroad with Middlebury C.V. Starr Schools Abroad in Kaohsiung was one of the best decisions I have made in my life!

Overall my experience at CET Janterm and Middlebury in Beijing was very rewarding, albeit academically stressful. The CET program offered the biggest improvements to my Chinese I have ever had in such a short time. However, I was not nearly as physically and mentally healthy as I am normally. The Middlebury in Beijing program was similar but less extreme as it was spaced out over several months. The cultural activities organized by the program were wonderful and allowed me a very full experience in China, from going to various museums, the Forbidden City, Summer Palace, Great Wall etc. Also, the study trip to Hangzhou was a major highlight. Also, it was not the experience of everyone, but in my experience I had a great roommate pairing and great interactions with the local students, they helped us to adjust and integrate into their communities.

I was very pleased to see that Middlebury in Beijing was incredibly helpful in making sure that I had the opportunity to study the things I was interested in. My topics were not particularly beginner friendly, most of them had a lot to do with Classical Chinese, however the professors at MiB went above and beyond to create a learning environment that supported my interests at my pace and language level. I will always be grateful for the knowledge and experiences I had during this program!

I studied Mandarin at BLCU for 4 months through GAC. I arrived knowing only "ni hao." My homestay family was incredibly welcoming and patient – they only spoke Chinese, so I had to practice every single day. My teacher made classes fun and engaging, not boring textbook exercises. By month three, I could order food, take taxis, and have real conversations with locals. The GAC team organized weekend trips to the Great Wall and Summer Palace. I came back to Denmark with confidence, new friends, and a second family in China. Highly recommend.

I studied Mandarin at Peking University for 4 months through GAC. I arrived knowing nothing – not even how to say hello properly. My homestay family was incredibly patient and made me feel like part of their family. My teacher was fantastic, making class both challenging and fun. By month three, I could order food, take taxis, and have real conversations with locals. The GAC team organized weekend trips to the Great Wall and Summer Palace. I came back to Sweden speaking more Chinese than friends who studied for years. Highly recommend.

I studied Mandarin at BLCU for 8 weeks through GAC. I arrived knowing maybe 10 words. My homestay family was incredible – they only spoke Chinese, so I had to practice every single night at dinner. My teacher was patient and made class fun. We learned through games, real conversations, and even Chinese songs. By week 6, I could order food, bargain at the Silk Market, and take the subway without getting lost. The GAC team organized weekend trips to the Great Wall and Summer Palace. I came back to Belgium speaking more Chinese than friends who studied for 2 years. Highly recommend.

I studied Mandarin at Fudan University in Shanghai through GAC. I arrived knowing nothing — not even tones. My homestay family was incredible; they only spoke Chinese, so I had to practice every single day at dinner. Classes were small and my teacher was very patient. Within 8 weeks, I could order food, bargain at markets, and have simple conversations with locals. The GAC team organized weekend trips to West Lake and the water towns. This wasn't just a language course — it was a life-changing experience. Highly recommend.

I spent 10 weeks in Chengdu and I wouldn't change it at all. I was able to improve my level of speaking proficiency a lot. The classes were the perfect amount of difficulty and I still had time to travel to Chongqing, Zhangjiajie, Beijing, and Xi'an on the weekends.

I studied Mandarin at Fudan University in Shanghai through GAC. My homestay family was incredible — they spoke zero English, so I had to use Chinese every single day. My teacher was patient and made the classes engaging. After 8 weeks, I could hold conversations, order food, and even bargain at markets. If you want real fluency, do the homestay program.

I studied Mandarin at Peking University for 4 months through GAC. Coming from Germany, I was nervous about living in a new country, but my homestay family in Beijing made me feel at home from day one. My host mum even taught me how to make dumplings! Classes were challenging but fun — my teacher was very patient and pushed me just enough. I went from knowing only "ni hao" to holding real conversations, ordering food, and even bargaining at markets. The GAC team organized weekend trips to the Great Wall and Summer Palace, which made the experience even more special. I made friends from all over the world and my Mandarin improved faster than I ever thought possible. If you want to learn Chinese and experience real life in China, this program is worth every euro. I'm already planning to go back for an internship next year.

Studied Mandarin at BLCU for 3 months. My host family was incredible — they treated me like their own family member. Classes were intense but fun. I went from zero to holding conversations. Highly recommend!

I spent five months at Peking University through GAC, and during that time, I stayed with a host family in Haidian. At first, I was pretty nervous. Moving in with people I’d never met, in a completely new country? That’s scary stuff. But right from the start, my host mum went out of her way to make me feel at home. She showed me how to make dumplings (mine always fell apart), helped me untangle my Mandarin homework, and brought me along when she went home for the holidays. The classes at the university were awesome—small groups, teachers who actually wanted us to get it, and a real sense that I was improving. But honestly, most of the real learning happened every night at dinner. Trying to talk about my day in Mandarin, stumbling through sentences while my host family laughed (always supportive, though)—that’s where everything started to click. I didn’t just come back with better Chinese. I came back with a second family. So if you want something deeper than a regular language course, go live with a host family. You’ll get way more out of the experience.

I stayed in China for five months with this agency. They helped me a lot with my visa documents and matched me with a lovely host family with an adorable girl. I still keep in touch with them and hope to come back to China one day. Being an Au Pair was an interesting experience. Sometimes it was a bit tiring, but I’m definitely happy that I decided to come here to improve my Chinese and become a more independent person. Thanks to Masons Au Pair Agency for supporting me all along the way!