BLCU Accommodation

[roddy]

This topic is for discussion of on-campus accommodation at BLCU only. For other BLCU-related discussion, or notes on discussion about off-campus housing such as apartments, please see the BLCU index.

I've compiled this very hastily from information already available on here. It is not necessarily up-to-date or even correct - I've never been to BLCU. If you can add any more information please do so, and hopefully I'll get round to editing it into this post. Thanks to everyone who's contributed BLCU info over the years - too many to mention, but amandagmu, greenarcher and prateeksha stand out.

BLCU dorms are very popular. While you will probably be able to get a place, it may not be in the dorm you want. Also, as always with Chinese university dorms, sharing an off-campus apartment is better value for money – however, many people are intimidated by the process of apartment hunting in China, so opt for the easy option of dorms.

Roughly speaking you can divide the BLCU on-campus options into three categories.

Low-end

Dorm 1 and Dorm 9 are all twin rooms, with communal bathrooms (and squat toilets), and cold dark hallways. Scholarship students are allocated a bed in these dorms, other students can also opt to stay here. Facilities are basic, but if you don't mind sharing and walking down the hall to the bathrooms, these are the cheapest options. Stay here if you don't have much money, or prefer to spend it on something else.

Mid-range

Dorm 4 is all twin rooms, private bathrooms. More relaxed about curfews and visitors. Kitchens on every floor, with an electric hotplate and microwave. Has a laundry (4RMB wash, 8RMB dryer). RMB56 a day if you book for a semester, RMB80 a day monthly. Cafe at bottom of building with free wifi. Staff do not know how to knock. Very close to classrooms.

Dorm 6 Single rooms. Private bathrooms. RMB100 a day if you pay for a semester. Nice.

Dorm 8 has single rooms (and is the cheapest option for a single + private bathroom)

Other dorms are for Chinese students, as far as we know.

All of the above are managed by BLCU's Housing Center, Tel: 86-10-82303300, Fax: 86-10-82303589. For all phone numbers given here - you may not get an answer, and you will almost certainly not get answered in English.

More expensive

Both of these are run separately from BLCU's own dorms, but are either on campus (the Conference Center) or just outside the gate (Dorm 17).

Dorm 17, (link), also known as the International Students’ House is the most popular, and can be difficult to get into. Entire floors are often booked by study-abroad agencies. If you move out your refund is not pro-rata, but calculated according to what you would have paid for your shorter stay. Has single rooms, and doubles with a low partition between the beds, which are apparently hard. Free wifi in the lobby. Larger rooms than the Conference Center. Tel: 86-10-82303285, Fax: 86-10-82303286

The Conference Center (link) can be booked over the phone and will refund if you move out – and hence gets booked up very quickly. However, rooms do come free as people find apartments or move to another dorm. Costs include a Chinese buffet breakfast, but there is no (or a very small) kitchen. Non-students can stay here. Tel: 86-10-82303778, Fax: 86-10-82300070

All dorms have laundries and kitchen facilities (bar the Conference Center). Tokens for the laundries are purchased at the front desk. There are also on-campus laundry facilities for RMB 20 to 30.

Booking

Booking a dorm is difficult. If anyone answers the phone it is unlikely they will speak English, and emails are often ignored. Advice is to wire a deposit (see details below, and thanks to Prateeksha), then fax a copy of the payment slip and your BLCU admission notice to the Housing Office. When you turn up, bring that payment slip. There's no need to phone before you book, and you will not receive confirmation. You could try phoning to check they got the fax.

SWIFT BIC：HXBKCNBJ030

BANK NAME : HUA XIA BANK

BENEFICIARY：A/C NO：0301123—8194127

NAME：BEIJING LANGUAGE AND CULTURE UNIVERSITY

ADDRESS：15 XUEYUAN ROAD，HAIDIAN DIST

CITY，PROVINCE：BEIJING ，CHINA

After remittance, send a fax with your essential details - name, country, student number, expected date of arrival, preferred dormitory and FAX it to +86-010-8230-3589

The popular dorms can fill up months in advance. Even arriving a week in advance may not get you the place you want.

Dorms can be paid for by credit card, once you are here.

Some nearby temporary options, if you want something easier to book, are: the Xijiao Hotel, the International Students Centre, the Foreign Students Accommodation Centre and the Super8 Hotel

Dorm Internet Access

Two providers, Cernet and Unicom. Cernet is more expensive and slower - RMB 140 per month (unlimited), or RMB 800 for a semester. There are 1MB and 2MB options. Unicom is RMB 150 a month, and reportedly has better speed. Internet costs can be split with a roommate. There are a number of cafes with wifi on and near campus.

Curfews

You can always get back into your room at any time of night. However, some dorms may lock the front doors at a certain point, and you need to wake up a watchman or member of staff. Some may require you to show a student card. We've indicated what we know, but things change - if a dorm has a problem with non-residents turning up for late night parties, they may get stricter about who can come in.

[mikeedward]

One note about the above, I moved out of Dorm 17 a few weeks ago and was able to get a refund for the remaining 3 weeks I had paid up front. However since the initial rate I had paid (120 yuan/night) is the rate for 20+ weeks, and I had only stayed for about 15 weeks which has a rate of 130/night, I had to take a hit of 10 yuan for every night I had stayed there, so my refund was less than I expected.

To get a refund, you need to show them your new registration for your new place (if you're moving off campus) or a copy of your leaving China airplane ticket (they didn't even look at mine, just photocopied it).

[roddy]

Thanks, have added that to the first post.

[vale890]

Hi everyone! I'll be studying at BLCU as a short time student by the end of February. As I expected, seems really hard to book a room in advance at one of the dorms on campus.. The day before yesterday my Chinese friend did a few phone calls on my behalf but they said ALL the dorms are all full. Unbelievable! I was wondering if anyone has managed to book a room so far and what's your backup plan in case you can't do it from your country..? I will be in BJ on the 20th of February and will have only 2days before my course start, the idea of coming there without a place to stay is kinda frustrating :/

[Cramsy]

@Vale890 Hey,

I'm doing first semester at BLCU in Feb as well. I got a chinese friend to call and was told a fax number which I faxed my enrolment forms, date of arrival and preferred dorm to. We called the next day and they said it was all confirmed.

Now I have heard that some people have arrived and the staff have said they didn't have a booking even though they did, so I'm not exactly sure how that's going to work.

Maybe get your friend to call back again? All of my stuff was sorted out 2 days ago and I don't think they said anything about it almost being full. Good luck

[vale890]

Thanks for your reply Cramsy! Yeah, I will ask my friend to call again. The day we called only two picked up and were not helpful at all. May I know which phone number did you call?

[Cramsy]

It was just the Dorm 17 phone number on the enrolment forms 86-10-82303216

[vale890]

My friend called again and they said rooms are full again..At this point I'll try to find an accommodation off campus :/

[chinesecookie]

I'm going to BLCU for a summer course starting July so I had a Chinese friend call dorm 17 for me and it seems the phone number changed from +86 10 8230 3216 to +86 10 8230 3285. I had this number from their website but on the admission letter I got from BLCU, they had written the new number already. To book a room call within working hours: 8h-12h and 14h-17h.

Hope this helps.

[roddy]

Have updated the first post with that new number, thanks.

February arrivals, how are you all getting on in your dorms?

[haotailecongmeiguo]

I have a question. I will be in Beijing almost three months before classes start for my sister's wedding. Will I be able to book a room after I get there but before I have to move in? My family will stay for a month and I will be living with them during this time. Any thoughts?

Thanks!

[chinesecookie]

If you will be in Beijing and can pay some sort of reservation fee, I think they will be happy to let you book a room. However, I'm not sure how much in advance they will let you move in. If you have your admission letter and they have an empty room then they might let you move in, but that's just me guessing.

Little update: I called dorm 17 again to reserve a room for the summer course. This time, I've been told that when you're coming for a summer course, you can book your room only 1 month in advance and yes, you can wire them the money beforehand. Can anyone confirm this?

[JayDee]

Hi there, I have a couple of question.

Does CSC student have to reserve their room or they just have to show up 5 days before class at dorm 1 reception? And is it possible to share a room with friend that got the CSC schoolarship too?

What happen during winter/christmas break? Can we stay in the dorm? If we have to leave dorm whats the cheapest alternative for staying in Beijing during that break? Plane ticket are expansives...

Thanks and sorry for my broken english.

[prateeksha]

JayDee, from my experience of seeing my scholarship friends, you will just have to show up at dorm 1 and they will have a room booked for you. Yes, you can share your room, provided there is space for shuffling.

You can stay in dorm in the 春节 break. Many of my friends stayed in dorms during that time, the only problem you could face is that the school dining hall will be closed, and so will be almost all the shops around you.

[Bogo]

uhm, just curious any BLCU-ers who gonna stay out off campus this fall? (preferably Female) .

[roddy]

No discussion of off-campus housing in here, thanks - do a search for 'Wudaokou apartments', stuff like that, and maybe start a new topic.

[JayDee]

Thanks for the useful information prateeksha. Since we can stay during winter break, what about summer break?

[Mats]

About the Conference Center, is it certain that non-students are able to stay there?

I had my Chinese girlfriend call them, and at first they said that I would need an admission notice but then they said I only needed a passport.

I have also sent an email to zhaosh2@blcu.edu.cn and asked, and recieved the answer "Only the students who will study in our university can bood room at Conference Center. If you do not have admission notice you can not book room. "

I am therefore very confused, it seems like they don't really know themselves. Could someone help me become more wise in this question?

[prateeksha]

@Mats - They do allow non-students to live in Conference Centre. However, it is usually too full to accommodate anyone.

@Jay Dee - The scholarship students can stay all year round in the dorm Although not sure how many of them might want to do that willingly

[Sasha Cesaria Astiadi]

Hello, I will arrive @ BLCU in august 29. I think they will place me in the dorm 9, but does anyone know if I can reserve earlier now and move to dorm 4 and pay the difference before I arrive? Is that even possible to do?