Chinese language education is the primary work of the Confucius Institutes. Headquarters encourages all Confucius Institutes to offer a variety of Chinese language education courses according to local needs and gradually expand the scale of education so as to meet the needs of different populations. Under certain circumstances a Confucius Institute is allowed to charge tuition fees. Chinese language education program commonly includes:

• Compulsory or elective Chinese courses for credit;
• Special Chinese classes for adults oriented towards specific purposes, such as Chinese for tourism;
• Chinese courses offered in cooperation with government agencies, private enterprises or other entities;
• Support for Chinese courses offered by primary through post-secondary educational institutions or local communities;
• HSK/HSKK, YCT and BCT tutorial classes.