The annual Ph.D. enrollment is about 80-100 students. The students are admitted through three channels: students ranked high in the National Post-Graduate Entrance Examination (NPEE), senior undergraduate students from Tsinghua with a NPEE waiver, and those from other universities holding NPEE waivers. All candidates are interviewed and approved by a recruitment committee formed by five faculty members.

The duration of the Ph.D. program is usually five to six years for candidates with bachelor degrees or four to five years for candidates with master’s degrees.