Filling Vacancies in the US Senate

Filling Vacancies in the US Senate Senate seats become vacant for a variety of reasons the Senator dies in office, resigns in disgrace or resigns to assume another position, usually an elected or appointed government position.What happens when a Senator dies in office or resigns? How is the replacement handled?Procedures for electing Senators are outlined in Article I, Section 3 of the U.S. Constitution, as later amended by paragraph 2 of the Seventeenth (17th) Amendment. Ratified in 1913, the 17th Amendment not only changed how Senators are to be elected (direct election by popular vote) but it also outlined how Senate vacancies are to be filled: When vacancies happen in the representation of any State in the Senate, the executive authority of such State shall issue writs of election to fill such vacancies: Provided, That the legislature of any State may empower the executive thereof to make temporary appointments until the people fill the vacancies by election as the legislature may direct. What Does This Mean in Practice? The U.S. Constitution grants the state legislatures the power to determine how U.S. Senators are to be replaced, including empowering the chief executive (the governor) to make these appointments.Some states require a special election to fill a vacancy. A few states require the governor to appoint a replacement of the same political party as the previous incumbent. Typically, a replacement holds office until the next scheduled statewide election.From the Congressional Research Service: Prevailing practice is for state governors to fill Senate vacancies by appointment, with the appointee serving until a special election has been held, at which time the appointment expires immediately. In the event a seat becomes vacant between the time of a general election and the expiration of the term, however, the appointee usually serves the balance of the term, until the next regularly scheduled general election. This practice originated with the constitutional provision that applied prior to the popular election of senators, under which governors were directed to make temporary appointments when state legislatures were in recess. It was intended to ensure continuity in a state’s Senate representation during the lengthy intervals between state legislative sessions. Exceptions or Where Governors Do Not Have Unlimited Powers: Alaska, Oregon, and Wisconsin do not allow the governor to make interim appointments; state laws require a special election to fill any Senate vacancy. Oklahoma also requires that Senate vacancies be filled by special elections, with an exception. If the vacancy occurs after March 1 of any even-numbered year and the term expires the following year, no special election is held; rather, the governor is required to appoint the candidate elected in the regular general election to fill the unexpired term. Arizona and Hawaii require the governor to fill Senate vacancies with a person affiliated with the same political party as the previous incumbent. Utah and Wyoming require the governor to select an interim senator from a list of three candidates proposed by the state central committee of the political party with which the previous incumbent was affiliated. In the event of a Senator’s death, his or her staff continue to be compensated for a period not exceeding 60 days (unless the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration determines that more time is needed to complete the closing of the office), performing duties under the direction of the Secretary of the Senate.

Pros and Cons of the Common Core State Standards

Pros and Cons of the Common Core State Standards The full implementation of the Common Core State Standards has come and gone. The true impact that they have on schools and education as a whole may still not be known for several years. One thing that is for sure is this shift to a national set of standards has been revolutionary and highly controversial. They have been highly debated and well discussed with a handful of states once committed to the standards having eventually recanted to go a different direction. As the media continues to evaluate the significance of the Common Core and data from Common Core states begin to pour in, you can bet the debate will rage on. Here, we examine several of the pros and cons of the Common Core Standards that will continue to lead the debate. PROS The Common Core State Standards are internationally benchmarked. This means that our standards will compare favorably to standards of other countries. This is positive in that the United States has dropped considerably in educational rankings over the last few decades. By having standards that are internationally benchmarked that ranking could begin to improve.The Common Core State Standards has allowed states to compare standardized test scores accurately. Up until the Common Core Standards, each state had their own set of standards and assessments. This has made it exceedingly difficult to compare one states results accurately with another state’s results. This is no longer the case with like standards and assessments for Common Core states who share the same assessments.The Common Core State Standards has decreased the costs states pay for test development, scoring, and reporting. This is because each state will no longer have to pay to have their unique tests to be develop ed. Each of the states that share the same standards can develop a like test to meet their needs and split costs. Currently, there are two majors Common Core-related testing consortia. Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium is made up of fifteen states and PARCC consists of nine states. The Common Core Standards has increased the rigor in some classrooms and may better prepare students for college and global work success. This is probably the single biggest reason that the Common Core Standards were created. Higher education has long complained that more and more students need remediation at the beginning of college. The increased rigor should lead students to be more prepared for life after high school.The Common Core State Standards arguably has lead to the development of higher level thinking skills in our students. Students today often are tested on one skill at a time. The Common Core assessment will cover several skills within each question. This will ultimately lead to better problem-solving skills and increased reasoning.The Common Core State Standards assessments have given teachers a tool to monitor students’ progress throughout the year. The assessments will have optional pre-test and progress monitoring tools that teachers can use to find out what a student knows, where they are going, and to figure out a plan to get them where they need to be. This gives teachers an avenue to compare an individual student’s progress instead of one student against another. The Common Core State Standards assessments have been more authentic to a child’s learning experience. We will be able to see what all a student has learned across all curricula through the multi-assessment model. Students will no longer simply be allowed to come up with the right answer. Often times they must give an answer, state how they arrived at that conclusion, and defend it.The Common Core State Standards can benefit students with high mobility when they move from one Common Core state into another. States will now share the same set of standards. Students in Arkansas should be learning the same thing as a student in New York. This will benefit students whose families move continuously.The Common Core State Standards has given students stability thus allowing them to understand what is expected of them. This is important in that if a student understands what, and why they are learning something, there becomes a greater sense of purpose behind learning it.The Common Cor e State Standards has in many ways enhanced teacher collaboration and professional development. Teachers across the nation have been teaching the same curriculum. This allows teachers in opposite corners of the nation to share their best practices with each other and apply it. It also provides the opportunity for meaningful professional development as the education community is all on the same page. Finally, the standards have sparked a meaningful, nationwide conversation about the state of education in general. CONS The Common Core State Standards has been a tremendously difficult adjustment for students and teachers. It has been a difficult transition. It was not the way many teachers were used to teaching and not the way that many students were used to learning. There have not been instant results but instead, has been a slow process with many almost refusing to get on board.The Common Core State Standards has caused many outstanding teachers and administrators to pursue other career options. Many veteran teachers have retired rather than adjust the way they teach. The stress of getting their students to perform will likely continue to cause more teacher and administrator burnout.The Common Core State Standards are vague and broad. The standards are not particularly specific, but many states have been able to deconstruct or unwrap the standards making them more teacher friendly.The Common Core State Standards has forced younger students to learn more at a quicker pace than they ever have befor e. With the increased rigor and higher level thinking skills, early childhood programs have become more rigid. Pre-Kindergarten has become more important, and skills students used to learn in second grade are being taught in Kindergarten. The Common Core State Standards assessment does not have an equivalency test for students with special needs. Many states provide students with special needs a modified version of the test. There is no modified test for the Common Core Standards, meaning that 100% of a school’s population has their results reported for accountability purposes.The Common Core State Standards could be watered down when compared to a few states who had previously developed and adopted rigorous standards. The Common Core Standards were designed as a middle ground of the current state standards meaning that while many states’ standards were raised, there were some whose rigor decreased.The Common Core State Standards caused many textbooks to become obsolete. This was a pricey fix as many schools had to develop or purchase new curricula and materials that were aligned to the Common Core.The Common Core State Standards costs schools a lot of money to update the technology needed for the Common Core Standards Assessments. Most of the assessments are online. This created many issues for districts who had to purchase enough computers for all students to be assessed in a timely manner. The Common Core State Standards has led to an increased value on standardized test performance. High stakes testing is already a trending issue, and now that states are able to compare their performances against another accurately, the stakes have only become higher.The Common Core State Standards currently only have skills associated with English-Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics. There is currently no science, social studies, or art/music Common Core Standards. This leaves it up to individual states to have to develop their own set of standards and assessments for these topics.

Advanced Financial Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Advanced Financial Management - Essay Example Implementation in the efficiency in a market proves that it is unable for any investor to beat the market consistently by using a common investment strategy. â€Å"The efficient market hypothesis is associated with the idea of a â€Å"random walk,† which is a term loosely used in the finance literature to characterize a price series where all subsequent price changes represent random departures from previous prices.† 3 But even very rarely efficient markets carry a negative implication for the investment strategy. An efficient market does not imply that the stock price cannot move away from the true value. Some times in the efficient market the expected return from investment will be consistent with the risk factor. Errors in valuation creates problems in efficient market. An efficient market is described as â€Å"Informationally Efficient†, because the investors can get all the necessary information that reflects within the market like political, economical and social. â€Å"The paradox of efficient markets is that if every investor believed a market was efficient, then the market would not be efficient because no one would analyze securities.† 4 As per behavioral decision theory of Kehneman and Tversky investors decisions are subject to the change of optimism and pessimism. These behavioral changes are reflecting their investment decision. Some investors are over confident they are able to forecast future stock price. 5 Share prices are reflected all information about the market so the investors are able to expect their returns and they can easily take decision about their investments. Market may needs to exist where the investors are unable to earn excess return over a long period. In order to maintain the market in a steadily manner it is essential to undertake the legal barriers about the publication of privatized information. In a weak form of market the prevailing share prices are

Next Plc of UK Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Next Plc of UK - Case Study Example "A competitive advantage is an advantage over competitors gained by offering consumers greater value, either by means of lower prices or by providing greater benefits and service that justifies higher prices." (Strategy - Competitive Advantage: Competitive Advantage - Definition. 2008). This has high relevance in the context of the increased competition the company is facing from newly industrialized nations like India, China, Taiwan and Vietnam. The report is also intended to provide required recommendations for Next to solve the issues faced by it in the present market. Next Plc is a retail cloth major that is headquartered in England. The company belongs to the clothing market of UK, which is the second biggest textile and clothing market in European Union. The major share of clothing market in UK accounts for the apparels for women, girls and children. "Womenswear is the largest sector within the market in general, clothing for women and children is worth double the market for men and boyswear." (Clothing Retailers Market Assessment: Largest Sector. 2000). Considering the higher boom in the industry the clothing retailers are at a higher growth pace in the market. The clothing market of UK can be split into everyday wear, high street fashion and top end ready to wear. The market players include right mix of departmental stores and fashion retailers. The major player in the industry is Marks and Spencer whose market share is 15% of the overall market. The most influencing governmental regulation for the industry has been the minimum wage. Due to t his regulation that added more on the costing structure, many companies had moved out of UK. The company that is been mentioned in the assignment is Next Plc which is one of the leading cloth retailer in UK. The company was formed in the year 1982 as a new meaning for the fashion industry. "Next plc designs, manufactures, and distributes clothing and home furnishing and accessory items to nearly 330 Next retail stores and through the company's Next Directory mail order sales catalog." (Next Plc: Company Perspectives: Company History. 2008). The company was able to capture a good share of market in a short period of time with their good branding and marketing strategies. The products of Next are characterized by style, quality and value for money. Currently Next has 460 stores in UK and over 100 franchisees outside the country. The company gives higher priority for customer service as a strategy to capture more and more market. Based on the analysis of Next on the basis of Porter's Five Force model, three areas of concern can be identified for the company. The three areas of concern for the company are market penetration, consolidation and product and market development. Market penetration is a cause of concern for the company especially in the present situation of increased competition. The threat of new entrants is higher in the case of cloth industry. And also the increased bargaining power of buyers will contribute to the competition. The strategy to be adopted by the company is increased product promotion. The product range of the company can also be improved on the

James Meredith and the University of Mississippi’s Integration Essay

James Meredith and the University of Mississippi’s Integration When a person presently looks at university school systems, one never imagines the struggle to obtain such diverse campuses. With Caucasians, Asians, Latinos, and African Americans all willing and able to attend any institution, it is difficult now to envision a world where, because of one’s skin color, a person is denied university acceptance. In actuality, this world existed only fifty years ago. In a time of extreme racial discrimination, African Americans fought and struggled toward one of many goals: to integrate schools. As a pioneer in the South, a man named James Meredith took a courageous step by applying to the University of Mississippi, an all white university. After overcoming many legal and social obstacles, the University of Mississippi’s integration sent positive effects rippling among universities across the nation. As a native Mississippian, James Meredith honestly lived and worked all of his life. After serving nine years in the United States Air Force, Meredith wholeheartedly absorbed John F. Kennedy’s ideals on â€Å"civil rights† and decided to apply to the University of Mississippi (Howard 1060). Upon applying, Meredith knew that if accepted, he would be the first African American student to attend the University of Mississippi. Deep in the heart of the South, the state of Mississippi prided itself on its all white campuses and resistence toward integration. Little did they know that James Meredith, an uprising civil rights activist, would pull a racial chord in the university that would change it for lifetimes to come. From past observations, acceptance into â€Å"Ole Miss† appeared impossible for an African American. With â€Å"[f]our known... ...Sept. 1962: 1. Buckley, Thomas. â€Å"Tear Gas and Sticks Repel Wild Student Charges.† New York Times 1 Oct. 1962: 23. Cohodas, Nadine. â€Å"James Meredith and the Integration of Ole Miss.† The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education 16 (Summer, 1997): 112-22. http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=1077-3711%28199722%290%3A16%3C112%3AJMATIO%3E2.0.CO%3B2-W Howard, William L.. â€Å"Meredith, James Howard.† The African American Encyclopedia. 1993. â€Å"Meredith’s Fight for Admission to University Spans 16 Months.† New York Times 1 Oct. 1962: 25. â€Å"Mississippi Rejoins the Union.† New York Times 1 Oct 1962: 30. Sitton, Claude. â€Å"Negro At Mississippi U. As Barnett Yields; 3 Dead In Campus Riot, 6 Marshals Shot; Guardsmen Move In; Kennedy Makes Plea.† New York Times 1 Oct. 1962: 1. Smith, Hendrick. â€Å"Johnson Is Fined.† New York Times 30 Sept. 1962: 1.

Food and Drug Administration (FDA)

Traditionally, the drugs were marketed towards the doctors and there was a limit to the direct to consumer marketing. This was because of the fact that television advertising for such products was highly expensive. The expensiveness of these television commercials was due to the regulations of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Prior to 1997, all direct-to-consumer advertisements that contained a medical claim and brand name had to have a brief summary of drugs effectiveness, side effects and contraindications.But in the August of 1997, Food and Drug Administration allowed the advertising of drugs without a brief summary, though a major statement still had to be added, which had to educate the consumer about the major risk and refer him to other sources for detailed information. They were number of departures from the requirements under the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act of 1938, which had prohibited the use of print and television media for advertising prescription drugs. This ch ange in the regulation brought about a change in the promotional activities of the drugs manufacturing companies.There was an increase in the advertising expenses of these pharmaceutical companies from a mere US $ 800 in 1997 to about US $29. 8 billion in 2007. The supporters of the direct-to-consumer advertising emphasis that, such promotions help the consumer in understanding the symptoms of many under-diagnosed diseases. While the opponents of the same believe that such advertising would mislead patient towards demanding heavily promoted drugs, leading to inappropriate drug usage and unnecessary purchase of comparatively expensive products.The advertising being used today has a lot of influence on the consumer, but does this advertising actually help the consumer or does it mislead them to a disaster. Mr. Brain Storm, professor and chair of biostatistics, epidemiology, and medicine at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, has termed Direct-to-Consumer marketing as â €Å"a disaster†. He while addressing the issue said that the public should not be given such kind of information as the drugs are difficult for the patients to understand.Further he added that dosing is even a harder job and finally, the assessment of a disease is best done by a doctor. He assured that the patients were not at all qualified to make an assessment of what drug they need. And so the information leads to no benefits for the patients but a lot of harm. Over the years many drugs have only been available for the consumers on the prescription of a medical consultant only, the reason behind such a restriction was that all the drugs that have the ability to heal, could also be harmful.The doctors, nurses and other health professionals get trained and have the experience to help them decide whether drugs are suited for a particular patient or not. And so they carry all the authority to take the decision for the prescription of a drug to any patient. Advertising of such prescription drugs has increased the pressure on the doctors and other health professionals to recommend particular medications which are often more expensive and dangerous yet less effective.This is an intrusion in the relationship between a doctor and patient, and so would disturb the therapeutic process. Further the doctor now has to give the patient reasons why certain advertisement could have misled him into the use of the drug, or why could the patient use a certain prescription under the circumstances. Studies have shown that Direct-to-Consumer-Advertising information does not provide patients the complete information, rather the information provided is biased â€Å"education.†It has been observed, according to (Woloshin S, Schwartz LM, Tremmel J, et al: Direct-to-consumer advertisements for prescription drugs: What are Americans being sold? ) that 87 percent of television advertisements presented the potential benefits of medications in vague, qualitative terms that w ere not backed by scientific data. A massive campaign was launched by Takeda Pharmaceuticals North America in the summer of 2006, the campaign was targeted to the insomniacs and suggested that the drug Rozerem, could reunite them with the dreams that were waiting for them.This campaign was joined in with other campaigns, all targeted to the consumers directly. Today, a typical American television viewer has to watch around 16 hours of such directly targeted advertisements in a year (Frosch et al, 2007). The consumer groups such as US Public Interest Research Group want the Food and Drug Administration to act bit more responsibly, so that consumers cannot be harmed through misled ads. The direct-to-consumer advertisements have been a new entrance to the world of advertising.This is a major reason for the lack of trust in such commercials. The case of the drug Vioxx could be taken as one of the stories which support the argument. Merck introduced an anti-inflammatory drug by the name Vioxx, the drug became a blockbuster drug with the sales exceeding US $ 1 billion. All this occurred due to the television commercials targeted towards the consumers. Later, it was known that the drug had increased the number of patients with strokes, heart attacks and so the drug was removed from the market (Donohue et al, 2007).Although the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America have made guidelines for the DTCA (direct-to-consumer-advertising), yet it has been observed that critics such as AIDS Healthcare Foundation argue that the self regulation has not been functioning well and the companies continue to start advertising for the product with the one year of the approval from FDA (AIDS Health Foundation 2007). According to a study conducted in Baltimore, the 46% of the consumers who had watched a DTC for certain product would get disappointed if they were not provided the same drug by the practitioner.While 25% said that would try to influence their doctor to chang e the mind, while the remaining 15% thought that they would switch the doctor. All these factors suggest that the use of DTC is actually creating complexity in the minds of the consumers. DTC has clearly increased the sales of drugs, or they have actually increased the number of drugs that have been prescribed, but the question that has to get answered is whether these drugs are essential for the consumers or are they just wastage of the scarce resources in the economy.According tot eh doctors, a drug is thought to have efficiency if the positive impacts of its use out number the negative connotations. Under these situations it is of great importance that the correct drug is prescribed. Another factor that has been raised due to the use of DTC has been the increase in the prices of the DTC advertised products that cost more than the generic drugs available in the market. These ads present biased appeals to the masses to influence decisions about drugs that are designed to be approve d within the context of a relationship between a knowledgeable professional and a person who is known as an individual.The professional has a complete historical knowledge about the patient and does know about anything present in the drug that might cause a problem to the patient. On the other hand when the same patient requests the use of another product that had been advertised, it becomes difficult for the doctor to explain to his patient that the drug has a different purpose, and so wastes around 40% of the doctors precious time just to explain that the drug that was been prescribed was much better than the one being advertised.One unintentional effect of the DTC would be the worsening of inequalities in health and heath care. Research has shown reduced understanding of DTC ads for viewers with limited literacy and lower health knowledge, raising the concern that the effect of ads would increase disparities. Conclusion: The study that was done tried to explore the different pros and cons of the direct-to-consumer marketing on the consumer’s choice for the prescription of the drug.It was seen that the consumers are naà ¯ve about the use of the drugs and could be easily manipulated by the pharmaceutical companies through the misleading information in the advertisements or the incomplete information. Therefore, it is of utmost need that the authorities like PhRMA and FDA take serious steps towards consumer protection. On the other hand, it was observed that it is not the use of advertising was not being done to educate the consumer; it was rather being done to increase the profitability of the organizations.Had it been other way round, the companies would not mind using the generic names. The pharmaceutical organizations are trying to increase the market size; this increase in the market size would automatically mean an increase in the potential customers, and so higher revenues over the years for the companies. The drugs that are being advertised are being sold at even higher cost, suggesting that these drugs are of a superior quality, although that is not the case.Proper research is lacking as within a period of one year the drug are advertised leading to the sales. Proper trust in this form has to be inculcated, and that would be possible only if the pharmaceutical companies act more responsibly and instead of trying to generate only profits also work for the betterment of humanity. The long term impact of DTC need greater in depth studies and would require extensive research, but it would be worthwhile to do so, given the enormous stakes of public health and huge sums of money involved.

School Programs Like in China

China can be a great place to learn depending on what topic you are studying, what teaching methods work best for you or your personal interests. Whether youre thinking of going to school in China, considering enrolling your child in a Chinese school, or just curious to know more, here are answers to frequently asked questions about school programs in China, Chinas education methods, and enrolling in school in China. Education Fees Education is required and free for Chinese citizens age 6 to 15 though parents must pay fees for books and uniforms. Chinese children all get a primary and middle school public education. Each class averages 35 students. After middle school, parents must pay for public high school. The majority of families in cities can afford the fees, but in rural parts of China, many students stop their education at age 15. For the wealthy, there is a growing number of private schools in China as well as dozens of international private schools. Tests In high school, Chinese students begin preparing for the competitive é «ËœÃ¨â‚¬Æ' (gaokao, National University Entrance Examinations). Somewhat similar to the SAT for American students, seniors take this test in the summer. The results determine which Chinese university test-takers will attend the following year. Classes Offered   Chinese students attend classes five or six days a week from the early morning (about 7 am) to early evening (4 pm or later). On Saturdays, many schools hold required morning classes in science and math. Many students also attend è £Å"ç ¿â€™Ã§  ­ (buxiban), or cram school, in the evening and on weekends. Much like tutoring in the West, schools in China offer additional Chinese, English, science and math classes and one-on-one tutoring. Aside from math and science, students take Chinese, English, history, literature, music, art, and physical education. Chinese Versus Western Education Methods China’s teaching methodology differs from Western education methodology. Rote memorization is emphasized and there is a heavier focus on math, science, and Chinese studies. It is also standard practice for classes to be complemented with extensive test prep throughout middle school, junior high school, and high school for college entrance exams. Schools in China have after-school activities, like sports and music lessons, but these activities are not as extensive as those found in international schools and schools in the West. For example, while team sports are becoming more popular, competition among schools is more like an intramural team sports system rather than a competitive system. Vacation Schools in China have a break lasting for several days or a week during China’s national holiday at the beginning of October. During Spring Festival in mid-January or mid-February, depending on the lunar calendar, students have one to three weeks off. The next break is for China’s labor holiday, which occurs during the first few days of May. Finally, students have a summer vacation which is much shorter than in the US. Summer vacation typically begins in mid-July though some schools start their vacations in June. The vacation lasts for approximately one month. Can Foreigners Go to Primary or Secondary School in China? While most international schools will only accept Chinese students who hold a foreign passport, Chinese public schools are required by law to accept children of legal foreign residents. Admissions requirements vary but most schools require an admissions application, health records, passport, visa information, and previous school records. Some, like nurseries and kindergartens, require a birth certificate. Others require recommendation letters, assessments, on-campus interviews, entrance exams, and language requirements. Students who cannot speak Mandarin are usually held back a few grades and usually start in first grade until their language skills improve. All classes except English are taught entirely in Chinese. Going to a local school in China has become a popular choice for expat families who live in China but can’t afford the high price of international schools. The admissions materials at local schools are typically in Chinese and there’s little support for families and students who do not speak Chinese. Schools in Beijing that accept foreign students include  Fangcaodi Primary School (èŠ ³Ã¨ â€°Ã¥Å" °Ã¥ ° Ã¥ ­ ¦) and The High School Affiliated to Renmin University of China Beijing Ritan High School (ä º ºÃ¥ ¤ §Ã©â„¢â€žÃ¤ ¸ ­). There are over 70 schools approved by China’s Ministry of Education to provide foreign instruction. Unlike local children, foreigners must pay a yearly tuition which varies but starts at about 28,000RMB. Can Foreigners Go to College or University in China? Various programs are offered at schools in China for foreigners. An application, copies of visa and passport, school records, physical exam, photo, and proof of language proficiency are all most students need to gain acceptance to undergraduate and graduate programs at schools in China. Chinese language proficiency is typically demonstrated by taking the  Hanyu Shuiping Kaoshi  (HSK exam). Most schools require a score of level 6 (on a scale of 1 to 11) to enter undergraduate and graduate programs. Additionally, a perk for foreigners is that they are exempt from the gaokao.   Scholarships Many prospective students consider applying for scholarships to study at schools in China. Foreign students pay more in tuition than local students, but the fees are generally much less than students would pay in the United States or Europe. Tuition starts at 23,000RMB annually. Scholarships are available for foreigners. The most common scholarship is given by the Ministry of Education’s China Scholarship Council and the Chinese government. The Chinese government also awards the HSK Winner Scholarships for the top HSK test-scorers overseas. One scholarship is awarded per country where the test is administered. What If I Dont Speak Chinese? There are programs for those who do not speak Chinese. From Mandarin language learning to Chinese medicine to a Master of Business Administration, foreigners can study a range of subjects at schools in China, including Beijing and Shanghai, without speaking a word of Mandarin. Programs range from a few weeks to two years or more. The application process is quite simple and consists of an application, a copy of visa, passport, school records or diploma, physical exam, and photo.