university registration
Registering at the University
Everything you have to say to get from the front door of the admissions building to a room key: announcing yourself, handing over documents, filling in forms you cannot fully read, paying, and finding out what is still left to do.
Essential phrases
In the order you are likely to need them. Play each one, repeat it, and read the note underneath — knowing when to say a sentence matters as much as saying it correctly.
你好，我是新生，来报到。你好，我是新生，來報到。
Nǐ (third tone, dipping) hǎo, (third tone, dipping) wǒ (third tone, dipping) shì (fourth tone, falling) xīnshēng, (first tone, high and level) lái (second tone, rising) bàodào. (fourth tone, falling)
Hello, I am a new student. I am here to report in.
When to use it
Your opening line at the desk. 报到 (bàodào) is the specific word for reporting in at the start of term, so it immediately tells the clerk which procedure you need.
请问，留学生报到在哪个窗口？請問，留學生報到在哪個窗口？
Qǐngwèn, (third tone, dipping) liúxuéshēng (second tone, rising) bàodào (fourth tone, falling) zài (fourth tone, falling) nǎge (third tone, dipping) chuāngkǒu? (first tone, high and level)
Excuse me, which window handles international student registration?
When to use it
Say this the moment you walk into a hall with several numbered windows. International students are often processed at one specific window rather than the general queue.
这是我的护照和录取通知书。這是我的護照和錄取通知書。
Zhè (fourth tone, falling) shì (fourth tone, falling) wǒ (third tone, dipping) de (neutral tone) hùzhào (fourth tone, falling) hé (second tone, rising) lùqǔ (fourth tone, falling) tōngzhīshū. (first tone, high and level)
Here are my passport and my admission letter.
When to use it
Say it as you hand the folder over. Naming the documents out loud saves the clerk from hunting through your papers.
请问，这些表格要怎么填？請問，這些表格要怎麼填？
Qǐngwèn, (third tone, dipping) zhèxiē (fourth tone, falling) biǎogé (third tone, dipping) yào (fourth tone, falling) zěnme (third tone, dipping) tián? (second tone, rising)
Excuse me, how should I fill in these forms?
When to use it
Use it when a stack of forms is pushed across the counter. Asking up front is far quicker than filling one in wrongly and starting again.
这个地方我不太明白，可以帮我看看吗？這個地方我不太明白，可以幫我看看嗎？
Zhège (fourth tone, falling) dìfang (fourth tone, falling) wǒ (third tone, dipping) bú (second tone, rising) tài (fourth tone, falling) míngbai, (second tone, rising) kěyǐ (third tone, dipping) bāng (first tone, high and level) wǒ (third tone, dipping) kànkan (fourth tone, falling) ma? (neutral tone)
I do not quite understand this part — could you take a look for me?
When to use it
Point at the line on the form as you say it. 不太明白 is a soft, polite way of admitting you are stuck, and 看看 makes the request feel small and easy to grant.
我的名字要写护照上的拼写吗？我的名字要寫護照上的拼寫嗎？
Wǒ (third tone, dipping) de (neutral tone) míngzi (second tone, rising) yào (fourth tone, falling) xiě (third tone, dipping) hùzhào (fourth tone, falling) shàng (fourth tone, falling) de (neutral tone) pīnxiě (first tone, high and level) ma? (neutral tone)
Should I write my name exactly as it is spelled in my passport?
When to use it
Worth asking before you write anything. Arabic and French names get transliterated in several ways, and a form that does not match the passport is the single most common cause of a file being sent back.
请问，学费在哪里交？請問，學費在哪裡交？
Qǐngwèn, (third tone, dipping) xuéfèi (second tone, rising) zài (fourth tone, falling) nǎlǐ (third tone, dipping) jiāo? (first tone, high and level)
Excuse me, where do I pay the tuition fee?
When to use it
Payment is usually a separate counter, sometimes in another building. Ask early, because the next steps often need a stamped receipt.
我可以用银行卡付款吗？我可以用銀行卡付款嗎？
Wǒ (third tone, dipping) kěyǐ (third tone, dipping) yòng (fourth tone, falling) yínhángkǎ (second tone, rising) fùkuǎn (fourth tone, falling) ma? (neutral tone)
Can I pay by bank card?
When to use it
Ask before you queue. Foreign cards are not accepted everywhere, and knowing in advance can save you a trip to a bank or an ATM.
请问，我的宿舍是几号楼几号房间？請問，我的宿舍是幾號樓幾號房間？
Qǐngwèn, (third tone, dipping) wǒ (third tone, dipping) de (neutral tone) sùshè (fourth tone, falling) shì (fourth tone, falling) jǐ (third tone, dipping) hào (fourth tone, falling) lóu (second tone, rising) jǐ (third tone, dipping) hào (fourth tone, falling) fángjiān? (second tone, rising)
Excuse me, which building and which room is my dormitory?
When to use it
Campuses number their dormitory blocks, so you need both figures. Repeat them back and write them down — you will need them at the dormitory gate.
学生卡什么时候能拿到？學生卡什麼時候能拿到？
Xuéshēngkǎ (second tone, rising) shénme (second tone, rising) shíhou (second tone, rising) néng (second tone, rising) nádào? (second tone, rising)
When will I be able to collect my student card?
When to use it
The card usually doubles as your library pass and canteen card, so the date matters. Cards are often issued a few days after registration rather than on the spot.
我还需要办什么手续？我還需要辦什麼手續？
Wǒ (third tone, dipping) hái (second tone, rising) xūyào (first tone, high and level) bàn (fourth tone, falling) shénme (second tone, rising) shǒuxù? (third tone, dipping)
What formalities do I still have to complete?
When to use it
The single most valuable sentence in this scenario. Ask it at the end of every counter you visit: 手续 (shǒuxù) means administrative formalities, and the answer tells you where to go next.
麻烦您说慢一点，我的中文还不太好。麻煩您說慢一點，我的中文還不太好。
Máfan (second tone, rising) nín (second tone, rising) shuō (first tone, high and level) màn (fourth tone, falling) yìdiǎn, (fourth tone, falling) wǒ (third tone, dipping) de (neutral tone) Zhōngwén (first tone, high and level) hái (second tone, rising) bú (second tone, rising) tài (fourth tone, falling) hǎo. (third tone, dipping)
Could you speak a little more slowly, please? My Chinese is still not very good.
When to use it
Use it early rather than after the third repetition. 麻烦您 is the standard polite opener for asking someone to go out of their way, and it lands much better than 什么？
谢谢您的帮助，我明白了。謝謝您的幫助，我明白了。
Xièxie (fourth tone, falling) nín (second tone, rising) de (neutral tone) bāngzhù, (first tone, high and level) wǒ (third tone, dipping) míngbai (second tone, rising) le. (neutral tone)
Thank you for your help — I have understood.
When to use it
Your closing line at each counter. 我明白了 confirms you actually followed the instructions, which is what the clerk wants to hear before letting you go.
Cultural notes
Registration is normally split across several windows rather than handled by one person: documents at one, fees at another, dormitory keys at a third, and the student card somewhere else again. You walk the circuit with a checklist, and each counter stamps or signs it before sending you on. Bring the passport itself plus photocopies of the photo page and the visa, and a few passport photographs — offices routinely keep copies and staple a photo to the file. Queues form directly at each window and people hand over the whole folder at once, so have your papers together before your turn. Everyone working at a Chinese university, not only the teaching staff, can be addressed as (lǎoshī); it is respectful and always safe. If you are told to come back (in the afternoon), take it literally — many offices close over the middle of the day. Which documents your university wants, and whether a health check or residence-permit step is part of the circuit, varies from institution to institution: ask at the desk rather than relying on what a classmate did elsewhere.
These notes describe common practice, not rules. Requirements and procedures differ between cities, institutions and years — confirm anything procedural with the office, clinic or company itself.
Vocabulary
No word list has been attached to this scenario yet. Every phrase above is searchable word by word in the dictionary, and tapping a word inside the tutor role-play adds it to your review queue.
Dictionary →Dialogue
The same errand as a full conversation, with pinyin, translation and sentence audio.
The First Day at University →Offline phrase card
Everything else on this page is hidden when you print. What comes out is the card below: Chinese, pinyin and your language, in the order you need them — one page that works with no signal.
HSK Guide · Offline phrase card
Registering at the University
Independent platform. Not affiliated with official HSK authorities.
你好，我是新生，来报到。你好，我是新生，來報到。
Nǐ hǎo, wǒ shì xīnshēng, lái bàodào.
Hello, I am a new student. I am here to report in.
请问，留学生报到在哪个窗口？請問，留學生報到在哪個窗口？
Qǐngwèn, liúxuéshēng bàodào zài nǎge chuāngkǒu?
Excuse me, which window handles international student registration?
这是我的护照和录取通知书。這是我的護照和錄取通知書。
Zhè shì wǒ de hùzhào hé lùqǔ tōngzhīshū.
Here are my passport and my admission letter.
请问，这些表格要怎么填？請問，這些表格要怎麼填？
Qǐngwèn, zhèxiē biǎogé yào zěnme tián?
Excuse me, how should I fill in these forms?
这个地方我不太明白，可以帮我看看吗？這個地方我不太明白，可以幫我看看嗎？
Zhège dìfang wǒ bú tài míngbai, kěyǐ bāng wǒ kànkan ma?
I do not quite understand this part — could you take a look for me?
我的名字要写护照上的拼写吗？我的名字要寫護照上的拼寫嗎？
Wǒ de míngzi yào xiě hùzhào shàng de pīnxiě ma?
Should I write my name exactly as it is spelled in my passport?
请问，学费在哪里交？請問，學費在哪裡交？
Qǐngwèn, xuéfèi zài nǎlǐ jiāo?
Excuse me, where do I pay the tuition fee?
我可以用银行卡付款吗？我可以用銀行卡付款嗎？
Wǒ kěyǐ yòng yínhángkǎ fùkuǎn ma?
Can I pay by bank card?
请问，我的宿舍是几号楼几号房间？請問，我的宿舍是幾號樓幾號房間？
Qǐngwèn, wǒ de sùshè shì jǐ hào lóu jǐ hào fángjiān?
Excuse me, which building and which room is my dormitory?
学生卡什么时候能拿到？學生卡什麼時候能拿到？
Xuéshēngkǎ shénme shíhou néng nádào?
When will I be able to collect my student card?
我还需要办什么手续？我還需要辦什麼手續？
Wǒ hái xūyào bàn shénme shǒuxù?
What formalities do I still have to complete?
麻烦您说慢一点，我的中文还不太好。麻煩您說慢一點，我的中文還不太好。
Máfan nín shuō màn yìdiǎn, wǒ de Zhōngwén hái bú tài hǎo.
Could you speak a little more slowly, please? My Chinese is still not very good.
谢谢您的帮助，我明白了。謝謝您的幫助，我明白了。
Xièxie nín de bāngzhù, wǒ míngbai le.
Thank you for your help — I have understood.