2026 BIFT International Undergraduate Prospectus for International students Environmental Design (English-Taught program)
Ⅰ.Introduction to BIFT
Beijing Institute of Fashion Technology(BIFT), founded in 1959, is the first higher education institution in China specializing in fashion. It is rooted in the rich cultural heritage and innovative vitality of the capital, Beijing. Upholding the motto "In Pursuit of Beauty to Beautify the World " the institute is guided by design studies, adhering to the educational philosophy of "integration of art and technology," and is committed to cultivating versatile art and design talents with an international perspective, social responsibility, and cutting-edge creativity.
The university offers 8 full-time undergraduate teaching schools and relies on its comprehensive academic ecosystem in fashion and design, with a leading level of professional development in China. Design studies, as a high-level discipline in Beijing, ranks highly in the Ministry of Education’s discipline evaluation and has multiple national-level first-class undergraduate programs. The institute has built a high-level training system spanning from undergraduate to doctoral degrees, providing students with a solid platform for academic development and professional innovation.
BIFT actively leverages its four major advantages—design capability, technological power, organizational strength, and communication ability—to serve the country’s major needs. It provided landscape and visual design for 9 venues in the Winter Olympics and Paralympic Games. Adhering to the "integration of art and technology" educational model, the school closely aligns with its overall direction and positioning as a "high-level, distinctive university" and vigorously promotes the development of first-class disciplines. The institute consistently combines theory and practice in teaching, integrates art design with modern technology, and blends fashion trends with contemporary life. It emphasizes both heritage and innovation, using design as a medium and new technologies as a foundation, striving to break down disciplinary barriers, accurately grasp the forefront of technological development and contemporary art design concepts, continually exploring the rules of design education to cultivate innovative and practical talents for the design and cultural creative industries. The school adheres to the integration of teaching, research, and practical application, serving the national and capital fashion design industries as well as the cultural creative industries.
Ⅱ.Program Features
The Environmental Design major aims to improve the living environment, focusing on design approaches that produce functional, human-centered environments and in harmony with human physical functions. It emphasizes functionality, user experience, and material innovation, while also paying attention to the multidimensional collaboration between design, architecture, and urban sustainability. Adhering to the concept of ecological sustainability, the major uses an integrated approach to address design challenges, focusing on climate change, biodiversity, and sustainable urban-rural development. It cultivates artistic approaches and design strategies to address site-specific issues. In addition, the Environmental Design major incorporates the background of artificial intelligence, big data, and robotics manufacturing, integrating information and media technologies. It fosters innovative education and practical abilities, exploring interdisciplinary practices that combine media information and engineering.
1.Educational Objectives
The Environmental Design program is dedicated to cultivating creative design professionals capable of addressing complex environmental challenges in the contemporary era. Integrating knowledge from architecture, engineering, ecology, and sociology, the program is guided by an educational philosophy that places sustainability at its core, interdisciplinary collaboration as its primary approach, and creative design as its mode of expression.
Focusing on emerging-market cities along the Belt and Road corridor, the program engages with practical fields including urban construction, urban regeneration, urban development, and environmental quality improvement, responding to the spatial and social challenges arising from rapid urbanization. The curriculum aims to develop versatile professionals with solid disciplinary foundations who can operate across different stages of urban development. By fostering an understanding of local conditions and cultural differences, students acquire systematic design and practice capabilities oriented toward emerging markets, while developing an open and mature international perspective.
The program also emphasizes social responsibility in the face of climate change and humanistic concern for socio-spatial issues, equipping students with the ability to address design challenges associated with urban–rural environmental transformation and to propose effective solutions to complex environmental problems.
2.Core Courses
The core curriculum includes Environmental Design, Architectural Design, History of Urban Design, Urban Heritage Conservation, CAD, Urban Modeling and Physical Model Making, Urban Public Space, and Smart City Studies, providing students with a systematic foundation that integrates design methods, technical skills, and urban research.
The program places particular emphasis on urban regeneration and renewal in the context of China’s rapid urbanization. Through focused studies on community regeneration, historic district conservation, and public space improvement, students are guided to understand the complex experiences and practical approaches that have emerged from China’s urban development. Building on this foundation, the curriculum encourages students to translate local urban renewal experience into knowledge and practice with international relevance and comparative value.
3.Practical Teaching Components
Urban Community Design Practice, Ecological and Environmental Field Investigation and Practice, Vernacular Studies and Field Research, Rural Infrastructure Assessment and Evaluation, and Cultural Tourism Project Planning Practice.
This program is structured around a project-based practical teaching framework, emphasizing the close integration of coursework with real-world sites and ongoing projects. From the beginning of the program, students are immersed in a practice-oriented learning environment, in which teaching activities are directly embedded in live rural revitalization and urban regeneration projects.
The practical components focus on urban and rural community design practice, ecological and environmental field investigation, vernacular and rural studies, assessment of rural infrastructure, and planning and design practice related to cultural tourism and public space development. These components are not treated as isolated exercises, but are integrated into a coherent project workflow.
The curriculum is organized around two major studio-based projects per academic year, with each semester dedicated to one complete project. Students engage in the full process—from field research and problem identification to design development and strategic proposals—within real and complex urban–rural contexts. Practice sites are drawn from ongoing projects, including established rural revitalization initiatives and concrete urban regeneration cases such as Zhangjiawan Town in Tongzhou District, Beijing, ensuring that students gain direct experience with authentic planning and design challenges.
Through sustained engagement in real projects, practical teaching becomes a defining feature of the program, equipping students with the ability to operate effectively in emerging-market contexts and to address complex spatial, environmental, and social issues with an international perspective.
The program is supported by collaborative partnerships with leading professional institutions, ensuring a strong connection between education, research, and real-world practice. Teaching and practical components are jointly developed with institutions such as Beijing Institute of Architectural Design and Beijing Institute of Urban Planning and Design, as well as other major urban planning and research organizations in Beijing.
Through collaboration with these institutions, students gain direct exposure to ongoing urban renewal, planning, and design projects, participate in professional workflows, and engage with practitioners at the forefront of China’s urban development. This cooperative framework strengthens the program’s practice-oriented teaching model and enhances students’ ability to operate within complex institutional, technical, and social contexts, both in China and in international emerging-market settings.
4.Faculty team
The program is supported by a strong and distinguished faculty, bringing together renowned scholars from China and abroad, national-level teaching award recipients, and leading figures such as honorees of the Top Ten Outstanding Young Designers in China. The teaching team includes Fei Che, Professor and Dean of the School of Art and Design, architect, and PhD graduate of Bauhaus University Weimar; John Mandsberg, Professor at Beijing Institute of Fashion Technology, Chartered Member of the Hamburg Chamber of Architects, recipient of the First Prize of the BDA (Association of German Architects) Hamburg, educated at ETH Zurich and holder of a Master’s degree in Architecture from Technische Universität Braunschweig, formerly a designer at GMP Architects in Hamburg and Design Director of GMP International’s Berlin and Beijing offices; and Tienan Ji, Professor of architectural phenomenology, Master of Architecture from Yale University, who has previously taught at the University at Buffalo, State University of New York; Sinhgad College of Architecture in India; Tallinn University of Technology in Estonia; and the Bergen School of Architecture in Norway. In addition, the program features internationally recognized experts and scholars from countries including the United States, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and Norway, fostering a diverse and global academic environment. Full English instruction is offered to provide students with a broad international perspective and rich opportunities for cross-cultural exchange.
Ⅲ.Duration and Degree
The standard duration for the undergraduate program is 4 years, with a maximum study period of 6 years. Students who complete the required credits and meet all graduation requirements will be awarded a graduation certificate. Those who fulfill the stipulated conditions will be conferred a bachelor’s degree by the Ministry of Education of the People’s Republic of China. The program is full-time.
Ⅳ.Application Requirements
1. Applicants must be non-Chinese citizens holding a valid foreign passport. In principle, they should be between 18 and 24 years of age.
2. Applicants must be of good character and in good health, willing to comply with the laws and regulations of China and the university's rules, and respect Chinese customs.
3.Applicants must hold a high school diploma or an equivalent qualification.
4.English language proficiency must be at least IELTS 5.5 or equivalent. Requirements may be relaxed for exceptionally outstanding applicants.
Ⅴ.Application Period
Applications will be accepted from the date of this announcement until June 10, 2026.
Ⅵ.Application Procedures
1. Submit Application Materials via email or in person:
(1) Completed BIFT International Student Application Form (downloadable)
(2) International Student Scholarship Application Form (downloadable)
(3) Copy of passport information page
(4) Copy of high school graduation certificate and official transcripts
(5) Copy of language proficiency certificates
(6) Proof of financial capability (personal or family)
(7)Statement of Purpose (in English)
(8) Relevant award or achievement certificates
Note: All submitted documents must be original or notarized copies.
2.Pay the Application Fee: 600 RMB (non-refundable). Payment must be made online.
3.Interview or Written Test (Specific arrangements will be confirmed and announced at a later date.)
Ⅶ.Interview Procedure
After passing the preliminary review of the application materials, applicants will be notified to attend either an on-site interview or an online interview.
Ⅷ.Admission Process
1.The deadline for submitting all application materials, photos (in JPG format), and videos via email or post is June 10, 2026 (based on the postmark date for mailed items).
2.An expert panel will review the submitted application materials.
3.The shortlist for interviews will be confirmed and announced by the university no later than June 20, 2026. Interviews will be conducted collectively by the expert panel.
4.Admission decisions will be based on a comprehensive evaluation of high school academic performance, language proficiency, and interview performance. Outstanding international students may be awarded scholarships.
Ⅸ.Enrollment Registration
1. Original Admission Notice or copy.
2. Original application documents for verification.
3. Signed confirmation of enrollment information.
4. Photocopy of valid identification documents of their guardian in China.
5.Valid student visa/residence permit, medical insurance policy, and physical examination report.
6. Two recent passport-sized (2-inch) photos with a white background.
7. Payment receipt for the first academic year’s tuition (for non-scholarship students).
8. On-campus accommodation application: Students intending to live in university dormitories must apply by June 10, 2026. The college will arrange in the order of application based on the actual availability of vacant beds.
Ⅹ.Fees and Scholarships
1.Tuition and Fees (RMB):
2. Accommodation Fee: 50–60 RMB per bed per day, payable in full for each semester via the university’s online payment platform.
3. Scholarships: Eligible students may apply for the Beijing Government Scholarship for International Students (Categories A, B, C, D).
4. Medical Insurance: Purchasing comprehensive medical insurance in mainland China is mandatory for all international students as per regulations. Students can pay online prior to registration or purchase on-site during enrollment. Registration will not be processed for students without valid insurance.
Ⅺ.Accommodation
1. The university offers on-campus dormitories with double and triple rooms. Rooms are equipped with air conditioning, private bathroom/shower, basic furnishings, and kitchen facilities. Self-service laundry facilities in the dorm area are available.
2. Students opting for off-campus housing must register with the local police station within 24 hours of moving in, in accordance with Chinese regulations.
Ⅻ. International Student Regulations
1. The management of international students follows the “Administrative Regulations on the Enrollment and Cultivation of International Students by Schools” issued by the Chinese Ministry of Education, as well as relevant BIFT policies on student status and dormitory management.
2. According to regulations of the Chinese Ministry of Education, all new students will undergo a comprehensive review within three months of enrollment. The university reserves the right to take appropriate measures, including dismissal, if a student is found unqualified.
3. New students must undergo a medical examination at the Haidian Clinic of Beijing International Travel Health care Center within one week of arrival and submit the original copy of the “Foreigner Physical Examination Record.”
4. Visa/Residence Permit Regulations:
(1) Admitted students will receive the original Admission Notice and JW202 Form by mail. They must apply for an X1 visa at the Chinese embassy/consulate in their home country and convert it into a residence permit for study purposes at the Beijing Exit-Entry Administration Bureau within 30 days of entering China.
(2) Students unable to register on time must request a leave of absence via email before the registration date. The university may reserve their admission eligibility for up to one month. Those who fail to register without valid reason or after approved leave will have their admission eligibility revoked.
(3) Applicants who already hold a valid residence permit for study in China must complete the transfer and extension procedures at the International Student Office at least one month before the permit expires.
Matters that are not covered herein shall be interpreted by the School of International Education of BIFT.
XIII.Contact Information
School of International Education, Beijing Institute of Fashion Technology
Address: Room 810, Comprehensive Building, Beijing Institute of Fashion Technology, No. A2 Yinghua East Street, Heping Beikou, Chaoyang District, Beijing
Postal Code: 100029
Tel: +86-10-64285760
Email: gjyoffice@bift.edu.cn
SIE Website: http://gjy.bift.edu.cn
BIFT Website: http://www.bift.edu.cn
WeChat: SIE-BIFT
Transportation Guide (Subway Recommended)
1. From Beijing Capital International Airport (PEK):
Take the Airport Express to Sanyuanqiao Station, transfer to Metro Line 10 to Shaoyaoju Station (Exit A), then walk to BIFT.
2. From Beijing Railway Station:
Take Metro Line 2 to Dongzhimen Station, transfer to Line 13 to Guangximen Station (Exit D), then walk to BIFT.
3. From Beijing South Railway Station:
Take Metro Line 14 to Jingfengmen Station, transfer to Line 19 to Beitaiipingzhuang Station, transfer to Line 12 to Guangximen Station (Exit D), then walk to BIFT.
School of International Education
Beijing Institute of Fashion Technology