Campus Deep-Dive: Peking University — China's Humanities and Science Powerhouse
September 4, 2026 · CSCA Gateway Team
Peking University (北京大学, often called PKU or Beida), founded in 1898 in Beijing, is China's oldest and one of its most respected universities. Alongside Tsinghua, PKU is considered the pinnacle of China's higher education system — but with strengths that stand out particularly in the humanities, social sciences, and law, complementing Tsinghua's more engineering-heavy focus.
Quick Facts
- Location
- Beijing
- Founded
- 1898
- Membership
- C9 League, Project 985, Project 211
- Strengths
- Law, Humanities, Science
Latest Rankings
- QS World University Rankings 2026
- #14 globally
- Shanghai Ranking / ARWU 2025
- #23 globally, #2 in China
- EduRank 2026
- #70 globally, #2 in China
Top Programs
PKU has China's oldest Law School (founded 1904) and was the first university in the country to launch an Intellectual Property Law program. It's also exceptionally strong in international relations, philosophy, history, and literature — making it a top choice for international students interested in a humanities path, not just science. In pure sciences, PKU remains among the best in China, on par with Tsinghua.
How This Relates to CSCA
Because PKU's strength is more balanced between science and humanities, international applicants to non-science majors (law, international relations, literature) often need a strong CSCA Chinese language score (STEM or Humanities track, depending on the program), alongside supporting academic credentials. For science/engineering majors at PKU, the Math and Physics preparation pattern is similar to what's needed for Tsinghua.
What to Prepare
- For humanities/law tracks: a strong CSCA Chinese language score, since PKU evaluates language proficiency strictly for these programs
- For science tracks: solid CSCA Mathematics and Physics scores, on par with Tsinghua’s standard
- A non-academic portfolio (essays, organizational experience), since PKU is known for holistic evaluation, especially for humanities majors