So im pretty pissed off that when i came here, they told me that there was 4 months left of semester.

Either they r so retarded that the admin staff themselves dont know or they r deliberately lying to steal my money. I paid for 4 months as they said, there were only 3 months remaining.

So i pay 4800RMB for 4 months then I find out SE Asian students pay 4000RMB or less for an entire semester!

How fucking racist can these slimy, greedy scumbags be?
Similarly white people are only offered the option of staying in the ridiculously overpriced dorm, 1600RMB a month while non-westerners can stay in a dorm for 800RMB a YEAR.

Plus, the teaching is utter crap, teachers never prepare, are late for class, eke the breaks out as long as they can and let class go early. They couldnt give a toss.

AVOID THIS UNI

Ironic that this post sounds a little racist?

I am not familiar with that particular University but I don't doubt the accuracy of what you said, in fact many Chinese people ARE liars and thieves, but then so are many Americans, English, Aussies, and the like.

However, I don't see how this has to do racism. Did they charge you more than other students? Possibly. Is it because you are white? I doubt it. It is more like that they charge you more because they feel you come from a wealth country that can afford it while most SE Asian countries are much poor than China.

Think of it like a street vendor. The price they offer to a laowai tourist is higher than the offer natives not because they are racist but because they think they can get away with it. I'm sure if you haggled with the University they'll lower the price, or go somewhere else.

Racism is when you go to a restaurant and they won't serve you just because you are Black, or when the police pull you over because you look muslim.

I totally agree with your rage at being ripped off but don't blame it on racism....Thank you

Perhaps one should reflect on the current practice in most western Universities before accusing Chinese of being racist, liars, cheats and thieves. It is standard practice in many Western Universities to charge overseas students for a full semester, whether or not the student completes the semester. Universities often charge a much higher fee for overseas students and for their accommodation. The Nationalities University is only following western trends. I suggest you first think about what it must be like to be a Chinese student studying in your own country - you may even find you are better treated here.

I don't think it's racisism. I'm a foreinger and my wife is kunming ren. It's just the way it is. When they see me, they think I have money and they can get more from me. So I always try to let my wife do the buying so she can get the fair price. It happens all the time. If you go to New York and you are a forienger, they will do the same thing. It's just how it is. But not all will try to get over on you. Your best bet is to let a local person do the asking and bidding for you.

Just like Liumingke says, in China if you don't know the price then generally you will pay too much. Have you noticed that often people in Kunming will ask "how much will you sell this to me for?" Often there is often no real set price, its based on what they seller thinks they can get away with.

The only difference between western and Chinese Uni's is that in a western Uni there are most likely to be publicly available written rules about fees. State Run Chinese Unis like Uni's in other countries charge less for citizens as they are government funded,no racism factor.

tommckay1478,, you have two options,one is to find out the price other foreign students are paying and get your money back,the other is to not worry about it. Blaming the Uni for something that is normal in China won't help.

I think education mustn't be atrade in other countries or in China .When people come to study our language we have to support them and encourage them .In Egypt if any students come to study arabic he studies for free and also send him money to support his life .It's about making more peacful world not trade in language

Dude, dont put words in my mouth> i didnt say anything about "chinese people", im talking of a universities administration

R u people insane? My asian classmates told me and they also think its total shit that we pay more.

Ur right they will just steal as much as they can from anyone, so it may be because im European. Do u think if i was a white guy from Burma they would charge a different price? exactly.

What does the pricing policy of western unis have to do with this?> Dont they follow rules and not systematically discriminate against people based on their colour/ nationality (non citizens)?

Am i supposed to send a chinese frind to ask if i can enroll at this uni? what the hell has citizens got to do with it? we r all foreigners. what the hell has the pricing policy of western unis for non-nationals got to do with me?

the price is 4000 for SE Asians and 5800 for westerners.

the irony that this is a ethnic minority university is beautiful..................................

do u think a western uni wud be either so retarded they didnt know when term ends? or wud they lie, cheat and steal deliberately?

You have the right to be angry, I would too. I am a Chinese-American and speak fluent Putonghua, but the moment I open my mouth and the vendors hear that I'm not a local, they jack up the price even though I know exact how much I should pay. I would say, I bought this for x amount from another vendor last week and they try to "convince" me that I bought a different product last time or their product is somehow superior. It is only after I walk away do they chase after me to give me my price. So what I do now is speak some Kunminghua so they know I've been here a while and don't try to rip me off too much.

The point of the story, asking for more is not racism in China, its the product of 5000 year of haggling, its an tradition. In fact, in some places both vendors and customers alike will get upset if you don't haggle. In Kunming I work both in administration doing translations and such as well as teach English so let me shed some light as to the mindset of the Uni admins and hopefully clear up the perceived racism.

China is currently trying to develop the western region, KM being part of that. Part of the strategy is to increase trade with SE Asia, since Yunnan borders so many SEA countries, it is the central focus, (hence the building a railway connecting KM to Vietnam, Thailand, and Malaysia). It is a policy to attract SEA countries to become vested in China and offering lower fees is part of that. Another consideration is that SEA countries are poor. If they charge the same higher fees then there would be fewer students. At the end of the day, the extra 200+ euros you pay isn't going to break your bank, but for these Vietnamese, Thai, etc students 200 euros can feed a family for several months.

It is normal practice for policies to favor one group of people at the expense of another in any country. As an American Passport holder, if I want to study in Europe, I just book a flight and enroll, or fill out some simple paperwork and I'm done. My colleagues with an Chinese Passport on the other hand, must submit bank statements, affidavits, and endure a grilling interview and often get denied without explanation. It is racism? No, it is because China has a reputation for illegal immigrants and the US doesn't. Just as it is perceived in China that Europeans and Americans are all very rich and if you come here to study then you must be rich since you can afford the plane ticket back and forth. Is it fair, no. Is it racist, definitely not.

In regards to foreign Unis, they most definitely discriminate against foreign students because Unis, after all, is in the business of making money in case you forgot. In my uni for example, it is publicly stated that foreign students pay an amount that is 3-4times more than what I paid. Would it make you feel better if they had a notice on the door that says White foreigners pay one price while SEA foreigners pay a lower price and strictly adhere to that policy?

Bottom line, Yunnan for all its beauty is still considered backwards in a backwards country. There hasn't been much interaction in Yunnan with white foreigners other than as tourists while SEA countries has been coming here for study or business or smuggling far longer then there has been a foreign presence. I agree that there is most defiantly discrimination here and in fact quite often the moment I whip out my passport they try to give me the "American" price. But discrimination does not equal racism.

I agree that a lot of these people are slimy and greedy and I've had my fair share of them but that's how it is here in Yunnan. You have to learn how to deal with them. If this upsets you then you can go to a much more foreign friendly city like Beijing or Shanghai. There, they charge all foreign students regardless of race the same high price that is likely more than the 5800 you are paying now. Or perhaps, you can learn Chinese in a European city where they charge everyone the same amount of Euros.

Anyway, this has been a long post, hopefully this clear things up. Please don't blame things on racism unless you've seen what racism really is.

I don't think the original poster understands the concept of racism.

If the university wanted to make the most money possible they would have only one, high, tuition rate. But then they would not get a diverse group of students. They would all be from the same few rich countries. It is clear from the fact that the school has this tuition system that they care about diversity and they should not be described as racist.

Racism is systematic oppression based on ethnic origin. The key word is oppression. The word suggests a power dynamic. One group has the power and uses it to control another. Is that what is going on here?

Thank you Roy! Those were the words I were looking for to describe racism. You are a far more articulate man that I, my friend.