Exhibit 15.4

March 25, 2011

China Distance Education Holdings Limited

18/F., Xueyuan International Tower

No.1 Zhichun
Road, Haidian District

Beijing, China 100083

Subject: WRITTEN CONSENT OF AMERICAN APPRAISAL CHINA LIMITED

We hereby consent to the references
to our name and our final appraisal reports (the Reports) addressed to the board of directors of China Distance Education Holdings Limited (the Holding Company), and to references to our valuation methodologies, assumptions
and conclusions associated with such Reports, in the annual report on Form 20-F of the Holding Company and any amendments thereto (the Annual Report) filed or to be filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. We further
consent to the filing of this letter as an exhibit to the Annual Report.

The Reports relate to valuations of a) the ordinary shares (the
Ordinary Shares) of the China Distance Education Limited (the Company) as of the March 9, 2007 to assist the Holding Company to assess whether beneficial conversion features exist under U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting
Principles (U.S. GAAP) and whether there is any accounting adjustment related to such repurchase of the Ordinary Shares; b) the designated assets and liabilities of the Company as of June 30, 2003 and September 30, 2006, the
designated assets and liabilities of a joint venture named Caikaowang Company Limited of which certain assets and liabilities were contributed by Beijing 100 Online Education Information Consulting Co., Ltd. as of November 30, 2007 and
May 31, 2008, the designated assets and liabilities of a joint venture named Beijing Zhengbao Yucai Education Technology Co., Ltd. (Zhengbao Yucai) of which certain assets and liabilities were contributed by Beijing Yinglun Yucai
Education Consulting Co., Ltd. as of March 10, 2009 and the designated assets and liabilities of a joint venture named Zhejiang Champion Xinlixiang Education Management Co., Ltd. of which certain assets and liabilities were contributed by
Mr. Junnan Ye and Mr. Xiujie Hu from their Gaokao re-take business as of September 30, 2009 to serve the Holding Company as a basis for allocation of the purchase price to the various accounts for financial reporting purposes in
accordance with U. S. GAAP; c) the employees and non-employees share options (the Options) as of April 18, 2008 and May 31, 2008 and non-employees share options as of June 30, 2008 for financial reporting purposes in
accordance with U.S. GAAP; and d) the business enterprise value of Zhengbao Yucai and the purchased call option (the Purchased Call Option) acquired with the acquisition of Zhengbao Yucai as of September 30, 2010 to assist the
Holding Company to assess if there was any impairment of goodwill and the Purchased Call Option in accordance with U.S. GAAP. In reaching our valuation conclusions, we relied on the accuracy and completeness of the financial statements and other
data provided by the Holding Company and its representatives. We did not audit or independently verify such financial statements or other data and take no responsibility for the accuracy of such information. The Holding Company determined the fair
value of Ordinary Shares and Options and our valuation reports were used to assist the Holding Company in reaching its determinations.

In
giving such consent, we do not hereby admit that we come within the category of persons whose consent is required under Section 7 of the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the rules and regulations adopted by the Securities and
Exchange Commission thereunder (the Act), nor do we admit that we are experts with respect to any part of such Annual Report within the meaning of the term experts as used in the Act.



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|Yours faithfully,                   
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|/s/ AMERICAN APPRAISAL CHINA LIMITED
|AMERICAN APPRAISAL CHINA LIMITED