I Visited the Harvard of China

What is it like attending one of the hardest universities in the world? I travel to Beiing to visit Tsinghua University, which many deem the "Harvard of China."

我探访了“中国的哈佛”

就读全球竞争最激烈的大学之一是什么体验？我前往北京参观清华大学，很多人都把清华称作“中国的哈佛”。

以下是印度网友的评论：

Tekio-q8t
Tsinghua University is actually called the MIT of China and Peking university is called the Harvard of China

清华大学其实被称作“中国的麻省理工”，北京大学才是“中国的哈佛”。

 

 

captives6479
Don't insult China's education. MIT is the Tsinghua University of USA and Harvard is the Peking University of USA.

不要这样贬低中国教育。准确来讲，麻省理工相当于美国的清华，哈佛相当于美国的北大。

 

Tekio-q8t
@captives6479 Actually, no Joke, if China had a better international student experience or ratio, it would actually surpass most of the ivy leagues, falling just behind global Academic Universities such as Harvard and MIT, because In terms of research output and Volume, They actually Rival Harvard and MIT

我说真的，不开玩笑。如果中国高校改善留学生就读体验、提升留学生占比，实力能够超过大多数常春藤院校，仅次于哈佛、麻省理工这类全球顶尖高校。单看科研产出数量，清华完全有实力和哈佛、麻省理工一较高下。

 

FoxusFox
Facts, also tschinghua is so much better don’t let anyone else tell you otherwise

这是客观事实，清华实力非常强劲，别被别人的不同说法误导。

 

iamkentlai
Yea I think so

嗯，我也这么觉得。

 

nmew6926
Nahhh.. MIT is the Tsinghua of America. Harvard is the Peking U of America

不对，麻省理工才是美国的清华，哈佛对应的是北大。

 

horridohobbies
Harvard has a higher recognition factor than MIT.
Similarly, Tsinghua has a higher recognition factor than Peking.
This is why Tsinghua is called the Harvard of China.

哈佛的全球知名度高于麻省理工。与之类似，清华名气比北大更大。这就是很多人把清华称作“中国哈佛”的原因。

 

sauravdas6063
Harvard University is called the Tsinghua University of US of A

哈佛大学可以说是美国的清华大学。

 

chion918
That's an insult to those Chinese Universities.

这种说法其实是贬低中国高校。

 

zijianzheng
this is my first time viewing the Tsinghua uni inside, as a chinese from China.... Thanks my tour guide.

我本身是中国人，这还是第一次看到清华校园内部景象。感谢这位讲解员。

 

EuropeanEducationEngineering
I want to work in China at least for 1 day in my life.
You have xaomi and lenovo

我这辈子至少想去中国工作一天。

中国有小米、联想这些优秀企业。

 

itsemichkahere6682
IM GOING THERE NEXT YEAR!!! TYSM FOR SHOWING OFF MY SCHOOL!!!!

我明年就要去这里上学了！太谢谢你展示我的母校！

 

bubbles-love-u7q
As an Iranian, I am proud of Zahra representing our culture and knowledge

我是伊朗人，扎赫拉能够展现我们伊朗的文化与学识，我感到很自豪。

 

Vraelen
I'd always admire Iranians for their brilliance, especially when it comes to learning and educating, I myself is struggling to be multilingual in atleast 4 languages but wow she can speak 8! God bless Iran and it's great people!

我一直很佩服伊朗人的聪慧，尤其在学习、教育方面。我努力学习，都很难掌握四门语言，她居然能说八种！祝愿伊朗和善良的伊朗人民一切安好。

 

flitzmeta
Is it true that I heard many Iranian girls study STEM subjects?

我听说很多伊朗女生攻读理工科专业，是真的吗？

 

PLBBD0
Iran’s average citizens IQ is literally the 4th in the world, just barely losing heavy hitters like China, Korea and Japan..

伊朗民众平均智商排名全球第四，仅次于中国、韩国、日本这些顶尖水平的国家。

 

minimama4859
I’m not Chinese but I don’t think Harvard or any ivy league school can compared to Tshinghua or Peking university. The acceptance rate for chinese top universities is insanely low. The one who go to ivy league were the one that cannot get into Tshinhua and Beita

我不是中国人，但我认为哈佛以及其他常春藤名校比不上清华、北大。中国顶尖大学录取率低到离谱。很多去常春藤读书的学生，其实没能考上清华北大。

 

flvffcinna
for comparison, tsinghua acceptance rate is around 0.04% while american ivy leagues are around 3% (correct me if i'm wrong)

对比一下：清华录取率大约0.04%，美国常春藤院校录取率大概3%，如果我说错欢迎指正。

 

satwikskatti
Ivy League is for the rich and influential. If have enough money or made good donations to the college you can get in. It’s not the case with Chinese universities.

常春藤名校面向有钱有势的人群。只要资金充足，或是给学校大额捐赠，就有机会入学。中国大学完全不是这套规则。

 

tuskinekinase
The reason that many olympic champions also came from Tsinghua isn't that "Tsinghua is so good at sports that they make nerds into world champions" (That would be nigh impossible lol), it's because Tsinghua has one of China's best sports management programs, and many professional sportspeople either go to these programs as special admission students, or go there after they retire from professional sports to develop a management career (such as the case of Fu Mingxa).
Source: I am Tsinghua alumni and my mom worked in the business school there

不少奥运冠军出自清华，并不是说清华体育教育强，能把普通学生培养成世界冠军（这几乎不可能）。真实原因是清华开设国内顶尖的体育管理相关专业。很多职业运动员通过特招入学，或是退役后来这里就读，往体育管理方向发展，伏明霞就是例子。

信息来源：我是清华校友，我母亲曾在清华经管学院工作。

 

 

Geographically11
Gohar inspired me to begin dreaming that everyone can get into top universities with enough hard work and dreaming

你激励了我，让我相信只要足够努力心怀理想，人人都有机会进入顶尖大学。

 

techicalbox1856
Even the completed test papers are treated as national treasures, I think once even the president's motorcade stopped to let a test paper transport van pass first

高考试卷被视作国家级机密。我记得有新闻，总统车队曾经为运送试卷的车辆让路。

 

WilliamPu-k6n
the thing abt the gaokao english section is that it basically have NOTHING to do with actual english we learn

高考英语有个特点，考题和现实生活实际使用的英语几乎脱节。

 

Itz_Fariz
Investigate the Harvard of North Korea next

下期去探访朝鲜的“哈佛”吧。

 

behbehyoda
Gohar is in a very Chinese time of his life

戈哈尔现在正深度体验中国生活。

 

李光一Kwangyi_Lee
The brightest students in China are at this university. In 2025, Tsinghua University's national acceptance rate was 0.028%, meaning it only admitted the top three students out of ten thousand applicants. The extremely low acceptance rate ensures an extremely high quality of undergraduate students.

中国国内最优秀的学子汇聚于此。2025年，清华全国录取率仅0.028%，一万名考生里只录取前三名。极低的录取门槛，保证本科生生源质量极高。

 

nemo-0-0
Out of all the places ill study at starbucks hahahah

相比其他地方，我还是更愿意去星巴克学习，哈哈。

 

allahorbanda6838
Now I can tell it's not just the family pressure that drives the students crazy for this university. I see EVERYTHING that works behind that full-blown inspiration. Seriously, I don't think they're insane anymore. I wouldn't mind being 90% dead studying if this is what I got

我现在明白了，学生拼命冲刺清华不只是迫于家庭压力。我看到这份强烈上进心背后所有缘由。说实话，我不再觉得他们太过偏执。如果能考上这里，就算拼尽全力学习也心甘情愿。

 

RobertMJohnson
the education culture in china and parts of asia has some real negatives. there are documentaries on it. no kids need to be in school from 9am to 6pm and then homework. it's ridiculous. especially for kids who are going to be in the military or tradesmen.
and before you think i don't know anything, my girlfriend grew up in China, Ace.

中国以及亚洲部分地区的教育模式确实存在弊端，不少纪录片都有相关讨论。孩子早上9点上学到下午6点，回家还要写作业，实在不合理。尤其是那些未来打算参军、从事技术工种的年轻人。别觉得我不了解情况，我女友在中国长大。

NekoNoSad
@RobertMJohnson Your girlfriend isn't good enough. Many students who get into Tsinghua University are contestants in the Mathematics or Informatics Olympiads. This is not something that can be achieved simply through hard work.

你女友看到的只是冰山一角。很多清华新生都是数学、信息学奥赛选手，光靠埋头苦读很难达到他们的水平。

 

NekoNoSad
Many people believe that getting into Tsinghua University requires immense effort, but that's not the case. Many Tsinghua students didn't get in through the national college entrance examination (Gaokao); they were winners of national or international mathematics Olympiads. These students don't waste time doing problems; they are among the smartest people in the world, and effort alone cannot defeat them.

很多人以为考上清华只需要拼命努力，事实并非如此。不少清华学生没有通过高考入学，而是国内、国际数学奥赛金牌得主。这类人不会盲目刷题，属于世界上最聪明的一批人，单凭努力很难追上他们。

 

haziqanuar01
As a Malaysian who graduated from University of New South Wales, I was lucky to experience a great university culture and excellent facilities. It showed me what a strong education system can achieve.
I hope that one day Malaysia's education system can continue to improve and reach the level of top universities like Tsinghua University. We have the talent and potential to get there.

我是马来西亚人，毕业于新南威尔士大学。有幸体验过浓厚的校园氛围与完善硬件设施，也见识到优质教育体系能带来什么。希望马来西亚教育持续进步，未来能拥有清华这种水平的顶尖高校，我们具备人才与发展潜力。

 

LeeroyClai
A small clarification: province-based exam papers and admission quotas are partly meant to balance regional inequality. Students in wealthier cities like Beiing or Shanghai often have far better educational resources. Without these adjustments, students from less developed regions would be at a major disadvantage in a single nationwide system.

简单说明一下：分省份命题、分配招生名额，一部分目的是平衡地区教育差距。北京、上海这类发达城市学生拥有更好教育资源。如果不进行政策调节，欠发达地区考生在全国统一竞争中会处于极大劣势。

 

VerifiedBook.
Maybe come check out Canadian universities too?

要不要也探访加拿大的大学？

 

andrewzhang985
The admission into Tsinghua university is much lower than 0.1% in the Gaokao system, the truth is around 0.04%, because there are 12 million students sit the Gaokao exams every year, 0.1% of 12 million is still 12000, but Tsinghua universty only selects about 2000 students through Gaokao system, the rest 1000 new stutents are resevered from other mediums such as Olympiad competition gold medalists, oversea students etc.

高考考入清华的比例远低于0.1%，实际大约0.04%。每年1200万人参加高考，0.1%也有12000人，但清华通过高考只招收大约2000人。剩余一千名新生来自其他渠道，比如奥赛金牌获得者、留学生等。

 

nanyanguo1
the annual maths olympaid gold medallists have been chinese and the wng team is made up of only 4 mbers anyway.

国际数学奥赛常年由中国队拿下金牌，而且一支队伍仅仅四名选手。

 

NeuraCodeAI
China Is On another Level

中国的实力完全不在一个层级。

 

futbalfusion
also i might visist china sometime soon

我近期或许会去中国。

 

MingJo-carandtechguy
Tsinghua is on my list of dream unis

清华是我的梦想学府。

 

Nathany423
And there i was thinking my end of year 8 tests were hard!

之前我还觉得八年级期末考试很难，现在对比一下完全不算什么！

 

xaoxaosu512
I didn't think my parents could pass it. I never new about it. One day, I watched a video on it and asked my parents. Never knew they were that smart. However, the reason that I didn't know was because the test in China doesn't do shiz to Australia, and they struggle to go back to Uni and do another test to care for our family. Here the education is much more smooth, so I don't have to endure the life they had, so I could live freely

我从来没想过父母当年参加过高考，看完视频才去问他们，没想到他们这么厉害。高考成绩在澳大利亚毫无用处，他们很难重新入学考试，只能养家糊口。澳洲教育路径顺畅很多，我不用经历他们当年的艰难，可以活得更自由。

 

adone807
Students who can pass the examination to enter Tsinghua University are indeed elite. Take Guangdong Province, China, for example, an average of 750,000 students take the college entrance examination（gaokao）every year, but only the top 20 students can be guaranteed admission

能考上清华的学生确实都是精英。以中国广东省举例，每年大约75万考生参加高考，只有全省前20名才有把握被录取。

 

yoingen
Tuition fees at China’s top universities are relatively cheaper. What if a poor student from a remote area gets admitted to Tsinghua or Peking University? There is no need to worry. Local governments typically offer a one-time reward ranging from 10,000 to 100,000 yuan. Even if no local bonus is available, student loans, grants and on-campus support programs are more than enough to fund their studies. The cash reward is merely an extra bonus, not a necessity.

中国顶尖高校学费普遍不贵。偏远地区寒门学子考上清华北大也不用发愁。地方政府通常会发放一次性奖金，金额一万至十万元不等。就算没有地方奖励，助学贷款、助学金、校内帮扶政策也完全可以支撑学业。奖金只是额外福利，并非求学必需。