The fee was paid. The class was not guaranteed. A Thai student says they are due to start Computer Science and Technology at Harbin Institute of Technology's main campus in September 2026. Then the number appeared: 20 students, or the English-taught class can be canceled.
That is the live wire inside a fresh r/chinalife post from /u/NinePathompuZ. The OP says a pre-admission letter is in hand and a "bench fee" has been paid. They want to know whether the degree they paid toward will become a real class.
HIT's current 2026 bachelor's admissions page says a minimum of 20 students is mandatory for an English-taught undergraduate program to commence. It also says classes will be canceled below that number. The page lists English-taught tuition at CNY 26,000 per year and says standard fees are non-refundable except accommodation fees.
That still does not answer what happens to this student's payment. "Bench fee" is the OP's wording, not an identified HIT fee category. The receipt, payment label, written terms, and cancellation remedy matter. The student needs a written answer: refund, transfer, delayed start, or what?
The Work Requirement Has A Visa Problem
The post asks whether the program's English-taught track has run before, whether international students have upperclassmen, and whether the curriculum matches the Chinese-taught route. Then it raises a sharper procedural question:
"I've read the specialization practice requires finding your own IT job and certifying three months of work."
Under Article 22 of the National Immigration Administration's published regulations, a foreigner holding a study residence permit who wants off-campus work-study or an internship must have school approval and apply to the public-security exit-entry authority to add the location and duration to the residence permit. Without that information, the off-campus work-study or internship is not allowed.
So a degree requirement is not an immigration exemption. Before accepting any placement, the student should ask whether HIT can approve it, who files the residence-permit annotation, where the placement may occur, and what happens if the requirement cannot be completed legally.
The Scholarship Question Is Still A Question
The OP also asks whether failing a required course by the end of year four means an extra year at full tuition with the scholarship canceled. That is not verified here. Ask HIT for the written progression rule, extra-year fee, maximum study period, and exact scholarship consequence before arrival.
What To Get In Writing
1. Cohort threshold: Is the 20-student minimum counted by program, major, or this specific class, and when is the final count set? 2. Cancellation remedy: If the class is canceled, what refund, transfer, or deferral policy applies? 3. Payment identity: What exactly is the "bench fee," and what written terms govern it? 4. Work requirement: Is the three-month IT practice official, and who secures the approval and residence-permit annotation for off-campus work? 5. Academic progression: What happens after a failed required course, and what does the scholarship agreement say?
Save the pre-admission letter, receipt, admissions-page copy, program handbook, and every email with HIT's College of International Education. Do not start an off-campus placement because someone says it is "part of the degree." Ask the university and local exit-entry authority about permission first.
The OP has already put money down. The next move is a written answer about whether the class will run, what the payment means, and how the work requirement fits inside a foreign student's legal status.
Sources: Original Reddit post by /u/NinePathompuZ and HIT's 2026 bachelor's admissions page; current procedural context was checked against National Immigration Administration regulations. This article is based on the sources listed and does not treat the Reddit account as proof that HIT has canceled a class, denied a refund, or imposed the unresolved academic penalties described in the post.