BLCU Dorm 17 International Students House Accommodation and Rates

Ever wondered how you can reserve accommodation for BLCU university's Dorm 17 International Students House and how much it will cost you to live there? Here are some facts I gathered from Dorm 17 to help you answer those questions.

How to Book a Room in Dorm 17

To be frank, Dorm 17 is the most difficult dorm to book. I've heard that agents from different countries book these rooms ahead of time and they book in bulk. They pay for everything and then recruit students who are willing to pay extra to get a sure room. This is by far the most used, and most guaranteed way to get yourself a room in Dorm 17. The price difference is not that big, but it might be around 8-10 RMB/day higher than the Dorm's original rates. Each country has its own agents. In mine, I've heard there's one in Manila but I never really got clarified about who and where it's located. If you know of any, maybe you can share it with us in the comment box below.

Can I book for a room by myself?

If you want to take that risk and try to book for a room yourself, you can, but it does not guarantee you a 100% slot. You can call Dorm 17 at this contact number: 0086-10-8230-3285 and Look for Miss Heng. The office hours are from 8:00 am - 12:00 noon in the morning and 2:00 pm - 5:00pm in the afternoon from Monday to Friday.

What are the requirements?

The requirements will include a photocopy of your Passport, your Student Visa and your Acceptance Letter. They usually ask you for the student acceptance number which starts with a letter S, followed by a random mix of numbers and letters - this is found in your acceptance letter as well. You also need to pay for the reservation fee of 2,250 RMB to be sent via Bank Transfer. The bank details will be sent to you after they have received your requirements and confirmed that you already have a slot.

What are the rates?

The rate or cost of your stay will depend on whether you have an agent or not and your duration of stay. The longer you stay, the cheaper you need to pay for your room. I went to Dorm 17 to inquire about the rates and these were what I got:

For Single Room booking -
1 month - 180 RMB/night
 4-6 weeks - 140 RMB/night
3 months - 130 RMB/night
5 months - 120 RMB/night

For Double Room booking  -
1 month - 95 RMB/night
4-6 weeks - 75 RMB/night
3 months - 70 RMB/night
5 months - 65 RMB/night

If your agent charges more than that, then that should be their fee. But it should be worth it if you really want a sure room in Dorm 17. I hope I helped!

BLCU Dorm 17 International Students House

Planning to study in Beijing and Language University? If yes, then I'm pretty sure you've heard about BLCU University's Dorm 17 International Students House - the most coveted and sought after dormitory located right across the campus. Last year, I myself, made some effort to try to reserve a room in this dorm, but due to the irrevocable circumstances during that time, I was unable to. But, I did experience living in Dorm 17 (when I came home late and didn't want to face the consequences of my dorm's curfew). ha ha. So here are some of the information I gathered on Dorm 17 during my stay:

Exact Location

Dorm 17 is located across the BLCU Campus West Gate or 西门 (Xi men). It's surrounding environment includes the BLCU Community Center, a Bike repair shop, phone card shops and several fruit stands. Right after you exit the West Gate, just turn right and you'll see a black gate with a huge building fronted by hundreds of bike and electric motorcycles. And that's where it is - you're in Dorm 17.


Why is it always packed?

Dorm 17 is the newest dormitory in BLCU - as of the moment. Most students here are either from Indonesia, Thailand, Russia or the Philippines. Since this dorm is not covered by the school's rules and regulations, the students here have no curfew. They can come in and out of it any time of the day. It also has a hotel-like lobby where students can just hang out, talk or meet up whenever they have somewhere to go.

Amenities

Like all the other dorms, Dorm 17 also has their own Laundry machines (though I'm not sure where it's located), CCTV cameras, Lobby Assistance, Daily room cleaning etcetera. Apart from that, this dorm has it's own convenience store where you can shop for your daily and basic grocery needs. There is also a coffee shop if you're a coffee lover or if you just like to hang out and study.

Dorm 17 is closest to everything - the subway, the taxis, the bus station, fruit stands, groceries - and everything else, except your classroom. If you prefer to walk your way through, it will take you around 10 minutes to reach your classroom building. But if you have a bike or an electric motorbike, it's a lot quicker - maybe even less than 5 minutes. So I don't think the distance is that much of a hassle. :)


If you want to know about the details on Dorm 17 Room Reservation, Accommodation and Housing Costs you can visit my article on BLCU Dorm 17 International Student Housing Accommodation and Rates.

BLCU International Students Housing and Dorm Costs

If you're planning to study in Beijing Language and Culture University as an International Language student, you might want to get information about BLCU's International students housing and dormitories (accommodation) and how much it will cost you to live in them. This article is a product of my research, inquiry and my intent to help students all over the world who want to study Chinese in BLCU.

The BLCU University has a total of 6 dormitories for international students, located in different parts within the school, namely Dorm 1, Dorm 4, Dorm 6, Dorm 7, Dorm 8 and Dorm 9. The dormitories are classified into ordinary, middle class and luxury class. The prices or rates can range from 35 RMB - 160 RMB per day. 

Dormitory 1 and Dormitory 9

BLCU Building 1 

Students with a tight budget can consider living in BLCU Dorm 1 and Dorm 9. Both of them only have public toilets (that's why they are cheaper). The public toilets are located within the building, which makes life better for foreign students. Some Chinese students need to go across their buildings just to take a bath in the school's public toilet. The facilities for dorms 1 and 9 include a television, air-conditioner, telephone, wardrobe, desk, chair, bed and bedding. 

BLCU Building 9

Dorm 9 has extra facilities such as a mini-refrigerator and a public kitchen. Most students living in these dorms are Government scholars. 

The standard daily rates for these dorms are as follows:

Dorm 1 - Single Room - 80 RMB/day, Double Room - 40 RMB/day

Dorm 9 - Single Room - 95 RMB/day, Double Room - 65 RMB/day, Luxury Double Room 40 RMB

             

Dormitory 4 and Dormitory 6

BLCU Building 4

Although the school considers these dorms as luxury dorms, I would say they are middle class dorms. These dorms may not be as nice as the famous Dorm 17, but they are livable, more affordable, and location-wise, closer to the student classroom buildings.

BLCU Building 6

The difference between Dorm 4 and 6 is that dorm 4 is located near the South Gate (closer to the Intensive students' classrooms) and Dorm 6 is located near the West Gate (right in front of the basketball courts). Dorm 4 also has an International cafe on the ground floor, named Hope Cafe.

The facilities include: a television, air-conditioner, mini-refrigerator, telephone, wall-closet, desk, chair, bed, bedding, public kitchen and public washing machines. They both have private toilets in the room. 

The standard daily fees for dorm 4 and 6 are:

Dorm 4 - Single Room - 150 RMB/day, Double Room - 80 RMB/day, Luxury Double Room - 80 RMB/day

Dorm 6 - Single Room - 160 RMB/day, Small Single Room - 120 RMB/day, Double Room - 80 RMB/day and Suite - 200 RMB/day

Dormitory 7 and Dormitory 8

BLCU Building 7

These 2 dorms are exclusively for Single room occupants only. Facilities include: television, air-conditioner, mini-refrigerator, telephone, wall-closet, desk, chair, bed, bedding, public kitchen and public washing machines. These dorms are also located near the basketball courts and are closer to the west gate.

BLCU Building 8

The standard daily costs for these rooms are:

Dorm 7 - Single Room - 120 RMB/day

Dorm 8 - Single Room - 120 RMB/day

Safety and Services

All the above mentioned dormitories have a 24-hour receptionist service, which means you can check in anytime on your arrival to Beijing. Their receptionists also have good memory, they usually remember the students who live and don't live in these dorms. They also have CCTV cameras in each floor to ensure student's safety. 

Although these dorms promise the tidying of rooms and cleaning of bathrooms daily, it's better if you don't expect because they seldom do. The bedding on the other hand, is changed every week. 

Curfew

I'm not sure which dorm will have a curfew in the coming terms, but I have experienced this while living in Dorm 4. The curfew is 12 midnight (every night), the doors will be closed after this time. They did try to implement it strictly but due to the way foreign students live, they were barely able to implement this rule. 

Every time we arrived late, we would just ring the bell and they will open the door for us. We did meet one cruel receptionist who was very snob with foreigners. She would scold at us when we were late but I hope she resigns. Soon.;)

Discounts

The standard rates I have mentioned can still be covered by student discounts. The longer you stay in these dorms, the bigger your discount is. 

For example, when I stayed in Dorm 4 for 1 whole semester, I only paid 56 RMB/day instead of the standard 80 RMB/day because of my length of stay. 

If you want to know the specifics, here is list of maximum discounts you can get from each of the international students housing and dorms, click here to download the file: BLCU Housing and Dormitory Brochure. It is in an Adobe PDF file format. I got it from the school itself.

I will post a different article for BLCU Dorm 17 and Conference Center costs.

I hope I helped you with this article. 

So... Do you have anything to say about BLCU's housing and dormitories? 

Dormitory versus Apartment

Prior to their stay in school, many students encounter this dilemma of either renting an apartment or living in one of the school dormitories in Beijing Language and Culture University. In choosing your own living space, here are some points to ponder:

Personalized space
One of the main differences of apartments and dormitories is the way they can actually design the space. If you rent a dormitory, then you'll only probably have a bed, a study table with chair, a closet for your clothes and a toilet. There will be no area for hanging your clothes outside, so you should buy a clothes dryer rack or maybe just hang your clothes on top of the curtains. The space is not very generous and you cannot really decorate it since pasting on walls is prohibited. If this doesn't bother you and you don't really have passion for interior decorating (like me), then living in the dorm will be fine. Otherwise, if you want a homey space with a living room, kitchen,dining area and personalized room, then you should stick with the apartment.

Convenience
For people who take convenience as the most important priority for a living space, then I suggest that you stay in a dormitory. If you live in a school dormitory, especially at Dorm 4, then everything is just so near to you! The classroom is less than a hundred steps away and the Dining hall is just in front of the Intensive Building. You can wake up at 7:30 a.m. and still be early for class! If you stay in Dorm 17, it's quite farther away from the classrooms but still, it will only need 10 minutes by foot and around 5 minutes by bike. There are some apartments nearby, but the closer the apartment, the higher is the price to pay. So, if you don't mind spending extra few minutes to ride the bus to school, you can take an apartment. 

Residence permit
For dorm residents, the residence permit will be given within the enrollment procedure. For those residing in apartments, you and your landlord should go together to the police station and claim your residence permit. This will only take less than a day or so, so the earlier you come to Beijing (before the class starts), the better.

Safety
The BLCU school ground is open to the public so anyone can just enter the school and pass by, but each dorm has a front desk and a number of CCTV cameras to watch who comes in and out the dormitories. Apartments don't have front desks, but it shouldn't be that unsafe either since the main doors have big locks to keep you safe from burglars and the like.

Electric and Water bill
When you rent a school dorm, your rental fee includes your stay, water and electric bill. You can use the electricity without limits provided that they are included in the dormitory guidelines. You don't need to refill electric cards so the problem about getting power shutdowns are out of the question. But if you're renting an apartment, you should coordinate with your flatmates in paying for the bill since it will be divided among yourselves. I'm not sure how much it costs every month, but it shouldn't be that big. Electricity is not very expensive in China.

Internet
The most people that can share an internet connection in the dormitory are two people (in a double room), unless you have friends next door who are willing to share with the internet expense. Routers can be rented at a really low price so it won't cost too much. In an apartment, you can have at most around 3-4 flatmates, so you can share the cost amongst yourselves.

Chill time
Since most apartments have a living room, with a sofa and television and a little bit more extra space, then this will be great for people who like to chill with friends. You can invite friends over for dinner or drinking sessions anytime since it doesn't have limits on visiting hours like dormitories have.

Where do you think it's more suitable for you to stay and why? Tell us more about it!

How to Reserve a Dorm Room in BLCU

One of the most commonly discussed topics about Beijing Language and Culture University is how to reserve or book a dorm room from the Housing Center. This may be one of the most crucial steps in enrolling yourself to BLCU university simply because if you ran out of accommodation, you will have to look for other places to stay, and you can only do this, once you get there. It's a lot better to know beforehand that you have a room to stay in Beijing once you arrive. It can also help you calculate the total cost of your dormitory stay ahead of time.

The steps you are about to read are for Dorms under the Housing center: Dorm 4, Dorm 6, Dorm 7 and Dorm 8. This does not include Dorm 17 and Conference center.

Dorm Reservation Fee
This is the initial amount you need to pay in order for a dorm room to be reserved to you. You can email zhusu@blcu.edu.cn to inquire about the dorm reservation fee. They don't reply immediately, so in the mean time here is a word file that the school sent me about the dorm reservation fees. It can serve as a guide for you.

Dorm 4 room reservation rates for the September semester of 2011 are 4800 RMB for a BIG single room, 3600 RMB for SMALL single room and 2400 RMB for a double room.

There are 2 possible ways to reserve a dorm room in BLCU:

# 1 - Call a Friend
If you have a friend who is studying in BLCU a semester earlier than you, then I would definitely suggest that you ask the favor of dorm reservation. This doesn't only lessen the hassle on your part, but it also reduces cost (from expensive long distance phone calls to the dormitory office). You just have to email your passport and acceptance letter to your friend and then coordinate the best way to send the money. You can send your payment through his/her bank account or atm. When he/she gets home, ask a copy of the receipt and bring it with you on the date of your travel.

# 2 - Reserve the room yourself

This was the only option my friend and I had. Although we had another friend in BLCU who was willing to reserve a room for us, we were unable to send our documents to her on time because of our visa interview.

Okay, so the first step here is to call the dormitory and ask if there are still available single/double rooms in your dorm of choice. Contact the Housing center at this number: +86-10-8230-3300. Just for your information, most of them don't know how to speak English. So try to ask for someone who can atleast understand english. Use the simplest words possible so you can understand each other. Don't forget to get the name of the person who answered. You're gonna need that name again when you confirm your payment.

You may encounter someone who will tell you that there are no more rooms left, don't panic! Try to call again after a few hours, somebody else might answer and tell you that there are still a lot of rooms available. (Trust me, been through this!) :D

Once you've confirmed that there are still rooms available, send your payment via telegraphic transfer. Ask your bank for telegraphic transfer charges. BLCU bank details that we used are as follows:

Intermediary Bank -
INTERMEDIARY BANK: CITIBANK, N.A. NEW YORK
SWIFT/BIC: CITIUS33
A/C NO. 36082562

Account with Institution -
HUA XIA BANK，HO SWIFT/BIC:HXBKCNBJ030

Beneficiary -
HUA XIA BANK, BANK DEPT
ROOM 311, BEIJING INTERNATIONAL FINANCE CENTRE
NO.11 FINANCIAL ST., XICHENG, DIST., BEIJING
100034, CHINA SWIFT BIC:HXBKCNBJ030

Details of Payment -
A/C NO.: 0301123-8194127
BEIJING LANGUAGE AND CULTURE UNIVERSITY
15 XUEYUAN ROAD, HAIDIAN DISTRICT
BEIJING, CHINA

Details of Charges -
Dormitory Reservation Fee of -your name here-.

I find the telegraphic transfer really confusing. But that's how we sent our payment. Also, send your payment in US dollars. Our first transaction bounced back because we sent our payment in RMB. You can send an email to zhusu@blcu.edu.cn just to confirm if the details are correct.

So after sending your payment through telegraphic transfer, fax the receipt, your preference (single/double room, what floor you prefer), your passport and admission notice to BLCU Housing center: +86-10-8230-3589. Then you can call them again to confirm if they have received the payment.

If you have any trouble understanding their English and vice versa, I suggest you look for someone who can speak to them in Mandarin. Try looking for a Chinese-owned travel agency nearby and ask for help. This was what I did when I couldn't comprehend what the person from the dorm was saying.

Finally, after several phone calls to the housing center, we were able to reserve a dorm! I hope I posted enough details and instructions to help you through your dorm reservation. If you have any questions, feel free to comment below!:)