Since 2009, CLI and Guangxi Normal University (GXNU) have partnered to offer students a study abroad experience like no other. Founded in 1932, GXNU maintains an annual student population of nearly 25,000 and offers a wide range of academic disciplines.
Students currently enrolled in a Western university who would like to earn college credit for a full term or academic year are encouraged to apply. Non-degree seeking students who wish to enroll as full-time students at GXNU may also apply.
In addition to GXNU coursework, Study Abroad students will attend between 3 and 10 weekly hours of one-on-one Chinese language training at CLI (see Standard vs. Intensive below).
CLI Study Abroad students are provided with the best of both worlds—they spend each day immersed in the full study abroad experience with daily large classroom learning in a university setting, which is then coupled with daily intensive one-on-one language instruction and community support at CLI.
Guangxi Normal University issues official transcripts for all coursework completed via CLI’s Study Abroad in China program. Over 150 international universities have accepted GXNU transfer credit, including most recently Arizona State University, University of Pennsylvania, University of Wisconsin, and University of California.
All CLI students are responsible for arranging credit transfer with their home university. Most colleges and universities have an “Authorization to Take Courses Elsewhere” form or an equivalent. Please contact your study abroad office for more details in order to ensure that your CLI course credit successfully transfers.
Students must receive a passing score (>60/100) in order to receive credits for a given class. Some students who choose the intensive option over the standard option may decide to only test for three credits rather than the additional six credits, hence the range in credits awarded.
Spring/Fall Semester: 15-21 credits (9-15 Chinese language credits- see standard v. intensive above; 6 liberal arts credits)
Summer Session: 9 credits (3 Liberal Arts credits (in English); 6 Chinese language credits)
Winter Session: 3 credits (all Chinese language)
Please see CLI’s Course Catalog for exact course titles.
The main difference between CLI’s standard and intensive Study Abroad in China program is the amount of weekly hours spent with your one-on-one instructor.
In addition to full-time enrollment at GXNU, the fall and spring semester Standard Program provides students with three additional weekly hours of one-on-one lessons at CLI, while Intensive Program students attend ten weekly hours of one-on-one training.
Summer and Winter Session students are enrolled exclusively in one-on-one coursework, with 20 hours of language training per week at the CLI Center. The Standard Program option is only available during Fall/Spring Semesters. All Summer/Winter students are enrolled in CLI’s Intensive option.
Standard Program: For Fall and Spring semester students, the core of CLI’s standard program is full enrollment in GXNU’s Chinese language and culture courses and three additional weekly hours of one-on-one Mandarin training. One-on-one time is absolutely essential to rapid language development. Learn alongside students from all over the world while benefiting from daily one-on-one language instruction. For the student looking to balance language and culture study with fun and exploration, CLI’s standard program is a perfect fit. The standard program is not offered during CLI’s Summer and Winter Sessions.
Intensive Program: If Mandarin fluency is your goal, then CLI’s intensive Study Abroad in China program is your best method. During the Fall and Spring semesters, in addition to full enrollment at GXNU, you will also attend ten weekly hours of one-on-one language training with CLI’s highly qualified Mandarin teachers. During the Spring and Fall Semester programs, CLI’s intensive option provides up to 25 weekly hours of Chinese language training (10 hours one-on-one, 15 hours in GXNU small group classes). During the Winter Session, you will attend 20 weekly hours of one-on-one intensive coursework exclusively at CLI. For Summer Session details, please see the Dates and Fees section below.
Language environment is essential to rapid improvement in Mandarin Chinese. CLI was founded on this very principle. Your unique curriculum, enthusiastic teaching staff, and complete immersion within Chinese language and culture offers you an incredibly efficient and effective path to full proficiency in the world’s most spoken language.
Actively engaging in direct cultural exchange is a crucial part of studying in China. In order to help foster this opportunity, CLI has created the Pengyou Program as an optional add-on to your Immersion Program at no additional tuition cost.
The Chinese word for friend (pengyou, 朋友) includes two moon characters (月) side by side. Only through the passage of time, and with the passage of each moon, can a friendship be built. At CLI, we strive to provide an educational environment that leads to lifelong friendships, and the Pengyou Program is just one way we pursue this goal.
If you choose to participate in the Pengyou Program, CLI will match you with a student from our local university affiliate who has also applied to join the program. We interview all candidates and make selections primarily based on personality and enthusiasm. We also require that all pengyous speak standard Mandarin, although many may also be excited to practice their English.
By taking part in the Pengyou Program, we ask both you and your pengyou to agree to the following:
When interacting outside of the program as outlined above, unless your pengyou strongly insists on covering your costs for any meal, activity, and/or taxi ride, all costs should either be shared 50/50 or covered by the CLI student.
If you would like to swap pengyous for any reason, you may do so one time every two months for the duration of your study at CLI.
If interested in participating in CLI’s Pengyou Program, simply follow the instructions when prompted on CLI’s application form.
CLI organizes weekly activities and monthly travel excursions designed to immerse students deeply into Chinese language and culture.
Join other CLI students and team members for bamboo boat rides down the Li River, hikes up Guilin’s breathtaking karst mountains, photography excursions to the Longji Rice Terraces, cooking lessons with Chinese chefs, tea house visits to Daoist monasteries, and more. See the Included in Tuition section for details.
Why come to China to study Chinese? A conducive learning environment is not just helpful to your Chinese studies, it’s essential.
With very few English-speaking locals and a small expat community, Guilin provides a perfect Chinese language learning environment.
In addition, CLI has carefully designed your core curriculum, extra-curricular activities, living arrangements, and travel excursions to always ensure a high level of Chinese immersion.
Under the careful guidance of your one-on-one language instructors, daily learning objectives will be pursued and, once achieved, validated through an organized system of assessment.
Day-to-day objectives may include learning new vocabulary words, Chinese grammar points, radical sets, word pronunciations, idiomatic expressions, social etiquette, and so on.
Study Abroad students are given a formal Chinese language assessment once per month, and daily informal assessments in the form of homework assignments, in-class questions and games, and organic real-life interactions throughout the city of Guilin.
All CLI semester students are fully enrolled at our official university affiliate, Guangxi Normal University (GXNU). Students attend up to 20 hours of weekly for-credit coursework covering subjects ranging from Chinese language, history, culture, politics and economy.
Please review the CLI Study Abroad Course Catalog for up-to-date course information.
All English-taught courses are created jointly by CLI and GXNU and are taught by English-speaking GXNU professors holding an MA or PhD degree in relevant subject matter.
At least two English content courses will be taught each term (number of courses offered per term depends on student volume).
Please review the CLI Study Abroad Course Catalog for up-to-date course information.
In addition to your full course load at GXNU, you will additionally be enrolled in three to ten hours of one-on-one Chinese training (see Standard vs. Intensive) with CLI’s carefully selected Mandarin instructors.
One-on-one time is essential to rapid improvement in spoken Chinese, as these teachers will be your personal guides to conquering the Chinese language.
For deeper insight into our course syllabi, frameworks, and structure, please see pages 24-105 of CLI’s Course Catalog.
The CLI Method stresses the importance of total language immersion and thinking and speaking in Chinese as much as possible. To help foster these crucial learning components, CLI has a flexible language pledge program, which allows students to opt in or out at any time.
How does it work?
Opting in: The CLI Language Pledge is optional and flexible. If you put on your CLI Language Pledge wristband, you’re “opting in” to the CLI Language Pledge program. You must speak only Chinese while wearing your wristband. And members of the CLI Team will speak only Chinese with CLI Language Pledge students.
Opting out: We recognize that different students have different needs and different modes of learning. Keeping with the CLI tradition of fully customizable language learning, students can “opt out” of the CLI Language Pledge program at any time simply by removing their wristband.
Although the CLI Language Pledge program is optional, we strongly encourage all students to participate, regardless of language level. The more you challenge yourself, the faster your Chinese will improve!
CLI’s Study Abroad in China program is a full-term or academic-year program. Winter and summer sessions are taught exclusively at CLI, while fall and spring semesters are taught jointly at GXNU and CLI.
In order to attend GXNU language courses in addition to CLI coursework, students begin their coursework in February (spring semester) or early September (fall semester). Please note that only the Intensive Program is offered during the summer and winter sessions.
For more information about the difference between CLI’s Standard and Intensive Study Abroad programs, see the Overview section above.
WINTER SESSION 2024-2025
Earn three college credits in three weeks, but more importantly, quickly improve your Chinese skills by immersing yourself in southern Chinese culture (courses at CLI only).
Dates: December 30, 2024 – January 17, 2025
Credits: 3 credits (all Chinese language)
Program Length: 3 weeks
Travel Excursion: Yangshuo
Application Deadline: November 16, 2024
SPRING SEMESTER 2025
Attend GXNU while benefiting from CLI’s immersion-based learning environment.
Dates: February 17 – May 30, 2025
Credits: 15-18 credits (9-12 Chinese language credits, 3-6 liberal arts credits)
Program Length: 15 weeks
Travel Excursions: Yangshuo and Longsheng
Application Deadline: December 15, 2024
SUMMER SESSION 2025
Earn nine college credits in nine weeks while enjoying the summer of a lifetime in Guilin and its surrounding towns!
Dates: June 2 – August 1, 2025
Credits: 9 credits (3 Economics credits, 6 Chinese language credits)
English-taught Course: China’s Economic Environment (course length 4 weeks; meets 8 hours per week; 3 credits)
Chinese Course: Combination of small group and one-on-one coursework (course length 9 weeks; meets 12 hours per week for initial 4 weeks of term and 20 hours per week for remaining 5 weeks; 6 credits)
Program Length: 9 weeks
Travel Excursion: Yangshuo
Application Deadline: May 5, 2025
FALL SEMESTER 2025
Attend GXNU while immersed within CLI’s global learning community.
Dates: September 1 – December 12, 2025
Credits: 15-18 credits (9-12 Chinese language credits, 3-6 liberal arts credits)
Program Length: 15 weeks
Travel Excursions: Yangshuo and Longsheng
Application Deadline: July 15, 2025
WINTER SESSION 2025-2026
Earn three college credits in three weeks, but more importantly, quickly improve your Chinese skills by immersing yourself in southern Chinese culture (courses at CLI only).
Dates: December 29, 2025 – January 16, 2026
Credits: 3 credits (all Chinese language)
Program Length: 3 weeks
Travel Excursion: Yangshuo
Application Deadline: November 16, 2025
SPRING SEMESTER 2026
Attend GXNU while benefiting from CLI’s immersion-based learning environment.
Dates: February 23 – June 5, 2026
Credits: 15-18 credits (9-12 Chinese language credits, 3-6 liberal arts credits)
Program Length: 15 weeks
Travel Excursions: Yangshuo and Longsheng
Application Deadline: December 15, 2023
ACADEMIC YEAR 2025-2026
Combine the fall and spring semesters at GXNU as well as additional language courses at CLI to deliver a complete and well-rounded study abroad experience in China.
Dates: September 1, 2025 – June 5, 2026*
*Winter break from December 13 to February 22
Credits: 30-36 credits (18-24 Chinese language credits, 6-12 liberal arts credits)
Program Length: 32 weeks
Travel Excursions: Yangshuo, Longsheng and two other locations
Application Deadline: July 15, 2025
SUMMER SESSION 2026
Earn nine college credits in nine weeks while enjoying the summer of a lifetime in Guilin and its surrounding towns!
Dates: June 1 – July 31, 2026
Credits: 9 credits (3 Economics credits, 6 Chinese language credits)
English-taught Course: China’s Economic Environment (course length 4 weeks; meets 8 hours per week; 3 credits)
Chinese Course: Combination of small group and one-on-one coursework (course length 9 weeks; meets 12 hours per week for initial 4 weeks of term and 20 hours per week for remaining 5 weeks; 6 credits)
Program Length: 9 weeks
Travel Excursion: Yangshuo
Application Deadline: May 5, 2026
Please plan to arrive on the Saturday or Sunday prior to your session’s start date to allow for sufficient time to settle into Guilin. CLI’s orientation is held on the first Monday of your program (some activities may be held on Sunday as well).
If you wish to arrive prior to the Saturday before your first Monday class, you are welcome to stay in a private room at the CLI Center for 150 RMB per night (subject to availability). If interested, just let your CLI Admissions Manager know and we’ll gladly help with arrangements.
A delicious, authentic home-cooked Chinese lunch is served at CLI Monday through Friday. You may sign up for the CLI meal plan in advance for 19 USD per week, or pay for individual meals after you arrive in Guilin for 25 RMB per meal.
If you would like to sign up for the CLI meal plan, please select “Sign me up” when asked about this on CLI’s application form.
CLI observes Chinese holidays according to national regulations in China. Please see China's official holiday schedule below.
Beyond China's official holiday schedule, CLI's academic calendar may differ from the above. Please consult CLI's Admissions Manager or your teachers for our most up-to-date academic calendar.
To make up days in which CLI is on holiday, you have the option of:
All three class make-up options are arranged free of charge and only by way of pro-active request to CLI.
If you prefer option 1 above, please inform CLI's Admissions Manager of your choice prior to arrival in Guilin. If you decide on option 1 after your arrival, or for options 2 and 3, simply inform your one-on-one Chinese teacher anytime throughout your term.
| Type | Dorm Room | Homestay | Apt. w/ Chinese Roommates* | ||
| Term | Double | Single | Private Room | Private Room | |
| Summer Session | Standard | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Intensive | 5,490 | 5,930 | 6,980 | 9,050 | |
| Winter Session | Standard | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Intensive | 2,280 | 2,480 | 2,950 | 3,230 | |
| Fall/Spring Semester | Standard | 9,740 | 10,290 | 10,850 | 12,290 |
| Intensive | 11,640 | 12,190 | 12,750 | 14,180 | |
| Academic Year | Standard | 17,510 | 18,620 | 19,720 | 22,590 |
| Intensive | 21,330 | 22,430 | 23,530 | 26,360 | |
*Apartment housing depends on availability
The famous Chinese proverb 桂林山水甲天下 (Guìlín shānshuǐ jiǎ tiānxià) claims that “Guilin’s scenery is the most beautiful under heaven,” and rightly so. Surrounded by picturesque limestone mountains, the bustling city is comfortably located along China’s famous Li River in the gorgeous province of Guangxi.
Guilin’s natural landscape has proven so charming throughout history that it is even celebrated on the back of China’s twenty-yuan bill.
Guangxi Normal University (GXNU) is one of China’s most beautiful and diverse universities. Chinese course selections include listening, reading, speaking, and writing, as well as dance lessons, traditional Chinese art, Kung Fu, Tai Chi, and Yoga.
CLI also offers two to three English-taught courses each semester covering topics ranging from history and economics to political science, cross-cultural communication, and international relations. See our Curriculum section for more information.
Study Abroad students have a wide variety of housing options available through CLI, including international dormitory housing at GXNU, and homestay and apartment options off campus.
All housing accommodations include heating and A/C, hot and cold shower water (some sinks do not have hot water), and internet connection.
Apartment options additionally include a washing machine, refrigerator, and cable television. Weekly maid service is included in all housing options. See the Housing Options section for more information.
A central part of your Study Abroad in China experience will be one-on-one intensive Chinese lessons at CLI. One-on-one instruction is essential to rapid improvement in all aspects of the Chinese language.
Students have the option of attending either three or ten hours per week of one-on-one language lessons (Standard v. Intensive). See the Overview section for more information.
CLI’s orientation is designed to make sure you hit the ground running. We’ll introduce you to your new living and learning environment and we’ll share tips and advice on how to navigate your China experience and how to maximize your language learning.
Your orientation includes a welcome meal with local team members and other program participants, an introductory tour of Guilin, and a comprehensive look at how to make the most of your upcoming studies.
See CLI’s Study Abroad orientation deck for insight into what’s to come.
We know that many students who travel to China are doing so for the first time. At CLI, we pride ourselves on providing comprehensive support and assistance to students.
From the moment you arrive in Guilin until the day you leave, CLI will be there to assist you with questions, problems, and logistics in order to make your transition to China as smooth as possible—your tuition even includes airport pick-up and drop-off.
In addition, we have team members on call 24/7 to handle any emergency situations that may arise.
Each week, CLI hosts a variety of events and activities for the entire CLI community. In order to build a vibrant learning environment, CLI invites all program participants, pengyous (朋友), Chinese student-roommates, and CLI team members to take part in our excursions and weekly activities.
Activities include group potlucks, tours of Guilin and its surroundings, boat rides on the Li River, guest lectures at GXNU, movie and games nights, dark beer at the German Bar, bike rides to the countryside, Calligraphy class, supplemental language activities, and much more.
In addition, Study Abroad tuition includes one travel excursion per every two months of your program length. These excursions allow students to take a broader look at southern China’s rich culture and offer an additional opportunity for students to practice their Chinese language skills.
Locations include the Longsheng Rice Terraces, Yangshuo, Nanning, Guangzhou, Kunming and other locations throughout Southwest China.
CLI also helps students organize optional local travel on select weekends and provides free travel arrangement assistance (e.g. ticket-purchasing assistance, safety tips, travel itineraries, recommendations for lodging) to all students who wish to travel on their own. Students are encouraged to take advantage of breaks and long weekends to explore China’s diverse cities and provinces.
CLI provides all semester students with assistance in obtaining a six-month Cultural Exchange (F) visa, or a Student (X2) visa. Visa costs are the responsibility of the student and are not included in tuition fees.
As recommended by our university affiliate, Guangxi Normal University (GXNU), all students should travel to Guilin on a three-month tourist (L) visa and, upon arrival in Guilin, GXNU will process the student (F) visa.
GXNU’s international dormitory is the perfect option for the full college experience abroad. You will have daily interaction with other students at GXNU and you will have intimate insight into life at a Chinese university.
Both single and double rooms are available. All international dormitory options at GXNU include free WiFi, heating and AC, hot and cold shower water (some sinks do not have hot water), and a Western toilet.
For many students, the best way to finish a long day of intensive study is to relax at one’s own apartment. Live in the city environment in a comfortable one- to three-bedroom apartment while attending four hours of one-on-one Chinese language courses at CLI during the day.
All apartments are fully furnished and ready for you to move in.
One of the most enriching ways to discover China is through CLI’s homestay program. Share your living space with a local Guilin family, discuss Chinese culture over dinner with your host parents, and immerse yourself in Chinese society through its most basic unit—the family.
CLI’s homestay option provides direct insight into a typical Chinese family’s lifestyle. If you choose this option, you’ll be provided a private room in the host family’s apartment. Apartments usually consist of a dining area, family room, kitchen, two full bathrooms, and three bedrooms.
Host families provide dinner daily, but it’s up to you whether you’d like to take part in these meals. All homestays are within comfortable travel distance of CLI, and we carefully select our host families from within the CLI community.
CLI’s homestay program is the most immediate and intimate way to immerse yourself in Chinese society and culture—each day becomes a learning experience. Western students living in a Chinese household quickly learn cultural intricacies they may not otherwise encounter.
For example, one rule that is fairly universal in Chinese households that students are often surprised to hear is that underwear and socks are not to be washed in the family’s laundry machine. Most Chinese families require that these items be washed separately by hand.
Many CLI students have built lasting bonds with their host families, and have cited shared meals and family excursions throughout the city and its surrounding areas as some of their most memorable experiences.
Integrated housing offers students a fast track to Chinese fluency. Live with two to three GXNU university students in a Western-style apartment and discover China while constantly immersed in the Chinese language.
You will be amazed with the speed at which your Chinese improves. All CLI students who choose to live in an apartment with Chinese roommates are provided a private bedroom.
A minimum program length of three months is required to take part in this housing option.
We will do everything within our means to provide you with a safe, clean, and modern living environment that meets and exceeds your expectations.
While the housing photos on CLI’s website are not representative of all housing, they provide an informative window into the general layout and amenities of your living environment.
In the unlikely event that you are unsatisfied with your CLI-provided housing accommodations, please inform a CLI team member at your earliest convenience so that we can do our very best to make sure you’re comfortable.
In an effort to enable students with financial need to attend our various programs, CLI awards several scholarships each year. Applicants are selected to receive this scholarship based on two factors: financial need and academic merit.
To apply for a CLI Scholarship, please e-mail CLI’s Admissions Manager (tania@studycli.org, subject line: “CLI Scholarship – Study Abroad in China”) with a 300–500 word essay answering the following two questions:
In addition to scholarships awarded directly by CLI, there are countless online resources available to students seeking financial aid for study abroad. Please see the other info boxes in this section for links to some available options.
www.finaid.org – Offers a comprehensive source of student financial aid information, advice, and tools.
www.iefa.org – Provides a college scholarship search and grant listing, as well as international student loan programs and other information promoting study abroad.
www.fafsa.ed.gov – The U.S. Federal Student Aid office provides money for college to eligible students and families, including grants, loans, and work-study.
www.iiepeer.org – Features detailed descriptions of hundreds of study abroad scholarships, fellowships, and grants for U.S. undergraduate, graduate, and post-graduate students, as well as working professionals.
www.internationalstudentloan.com – Offers access to a range of student loan options for U.S. students studying abroad.
www.fgscholars.org – The Foundation for Global Scholars is a non-profit organization whose mission is to create global citizens and leaders by assisting students in achieving their personal and professional goals of obtaining cultural and academic experiences abroad.
www.borenawards.org – U.S.-based undergraduate and graduate students are eligible for full scholarships at CLI through the National Security Education Program’s (NSEP) Boren Awards, which provides fellowships and scholarships to US citizens studying in critical regions.
www.gmsp.org – The Gates Millennium Scholars (GMS) program was created by Bill and Melinda Gates to aid underrepresented minorities (Hispanic Americans, Asian Pacific Islander Americans, African Americans, and Native Americans) in achieving an undergraduate education.
www.clascholars.org – This scholarship is open to any student who is presently attending a College Language Association (CLA) member college or university and wishes to study abroad.
www.rotary.org – Rotary Foundation Ambassadorial Scholarships make up one of the world’s largest privately funded international scholarship programs, and are open to citizens of countries all over the world.
www.jkcf.org – Scholarships are provided through the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation to undergraduate and graduate students from the U.S. and abroad who demonstrate high achievement and financial need.
www.iie.org/gilman – The Gilman Scholarship Program offers study abroad awards for undergraduate students who are receiving the U.S. Federal Pell Grant at a two-year or four-year college or university.
FundMyTravel gives travelers and language learners their own platform for raising money.
CLI has teamed up FundMyTravel to provide even more students with opportunities for authentic travel and immersive study in the Middle Kingdom.
