Types of universities and colleges in China explained

In China, universities and colleges are classified in different ways for administrative purposes by the Ministry of Education of China.

By designated academic emphasis

By designated academic emphasis, universities and colleges are classified into 12 categories by the Ministry of Education of China.^{[1] [2] [3] [4] [5]}

• Comprehensive
• Science and Engineering
• Normal
• Agriculture and Forestry
• Political Science and Law
• Medicine and Pharmacy
• Finance and Economics
• Ethnology
• Linguistics
• Fine Arts
• Sports
• Military Science

By institutional affiliation

By institutional affiliation, universities and colleges are classified into four categories.^[6]

• Affiliated to central government ministries
  • Public universities and colleges that are directly affiliated with cabinet ministries and commissions of the State Council.^[7]
• Provincial / Regional (自治区属) / Municipal
  • Public universities and colleges that are affiliated with the governments of provinces, cities, and autonomous regions.
• Private
  • Universities and colleges that are owned and operated by private enterprises.^{[8] [9]}
• Independent college
  • Private colleges that are owned and operated by private enterprises, and are prefixed with the name of a public university under a contract between the public university and the private enterprise. The independent colleges issue their own diplomas.^{[10] [11]}

By institutional status

The Ministry of Education of China imposes strict naming regulations for the Chinese names of nationwide higher education institutions. Only institutions that satisfy all requirements set up by the ministry can use the stand-alone word "University" in their Chinese names. Otherwise, the institutions may only use other words such as "College," "Vocational and Technical University," or "Vocational and Technical College" instead.^[12] However, the Ministry of Education of China does not examine or regulate the English names of higher education institutions. Therefore, a number of colleges and vocational colleges in China adapt the stand-alone word "University" as part of their self-translated English names.^{[13] [14]}

• University
  • The number of full-time students in the university should be more than 8,000.
  • The number of postgraduate students on campus shall not be less than 5% of the total number of full-time students.
  • In the humanities, social sciences, science, engineering, agriculture, medicine, management and other disciplines, universities should have more than 3 disciplines as Main subjects.
  • The general undergraduate majors in each major subject category should cover more than three first-level disciplines in that subject category.
  • The number of full-time undergraduate and above students in each major subject category shall not be less than 15% of the total number of full-time undergraduate and above students in the school.
  • Have at least 2 master's degree-granting points.
  • The total number of general undergraduate majors offered by the school is at least 20.
  • The proportion of full-time faculty members with graduate degrees should generally reach more than 50%, and the proportion of full-time faculty members with doctoral degrees in the total number of full-time faculty members should generally reach more than 20%.
  • The number of full-time faculty members with senior professional and technical titles should generally be no less than 400, of which the number of full-time faculty members with full professor titles should generally be no less than 100.
• College
• Vocational University/Vocational and Technical University ^[15]
• Vocational College/Vocational and Technical College
• Senior Vocational School
• Adult Higher Education School ^{[16] [17] [18]}
  • Radio and TV University/Open University
  • Workers' College
  • Peasants' College
  • Institutes for Administration
  • Educational College
  • Independent Correspondence College

References

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2. Web site: 中华人民共和国教育部 Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China . 中央财政支持地方高校发展专项资金项目申请书 – 中华人民共和国教育部 Application form for the special fund project supported by the central government for the development of local universities – The Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China . https://web.archive.org/web/20231007023953/https://ha.hainanu.edu.cn/__local/4/2B/38/5138E84AA6F75046E9DC14B3D42_6572DFA6_FA00.doc . 2023-10-07 . 2023-10-07 . 海南大学 Hainan University.
3. Web site: Sina Education 新浪教育 . 2019-10-05 . 不同类型的高校 看完秒懂12类院校的特点 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231007024131/https://edu.sina.cn/gaokao/bkzn/2019-10-05/detail-iicezzrq9395391.d.html . 2023-10-07 . 2023-10-07 . Sina News 新浪新闻.
4. Web site: 关于中国高校科技成果转化现状与机制的调研统计问卷 A survey and statistical questionnaire on the current status and mechanism of transformation of scientific and technological achievements in Chinese universities . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20231007024215/http://www.moe.gov.cn/s78/A16/tongzhi/201510/W020151028387419686190.doc . 2023-10-07 . 2023-10-07 . 中华人民共和国教育部 Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China.
5. Web site: 全国热门大学排名 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231007024211/https://www.gaokao.cn/hotschool . 2023-10-07 . 2023-10-07 . Gaokao.cn.
6. Web site: [任宏伟]：请问省属和部属大学的定义是什么？他们各自的职责是什么？ – 中华人民共和国教育部政府门户网站 ]. live . https://web.archive.org/web/20231007023317/http://www.moe.gov.cn/jyb_hygq/hygq_zczx/moe_1346/moe_1348/tnull_27232.html . 2023-10-07 . 2023-10-07 . 中华人民共和国教育部 Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China.
7. Web site: 中央部属高校名单—中国教育在线 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20230517152747/https://www.zhijiao.cn/bushu.shtml . 2023-05-17 . 2023-10-07 . 中国教育在线 – 职业教育网 Vocational Education Channel, China Education Online.
8. Web site: 中华人民共和国民办教育促进法 – 中华人民共和国教育部政府门户网站 . 2023-10-07 . 中华人民共和国教育部 Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China.
9. Web site: 公办学校、民办学校与独立学院，有什么区别和联系？_招生 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231007023927/https://www.sohu.com/a/468502681_113087 . 2023-10-07 . 2023-10-07 . Sohu News.
10. Web site: 什么是独立学院？ – 中华人民共和国教育部政府门户网站 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231007023606/http://www.moe.gov.cn/jyb_hygq/hygq_zczx/moe_1346/moe_1348/tnull_16310.html . 2023-10-07 . 2023-10-07 . 中华人民共和国教育部 Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China.
11. Web site: 独立学院设置与管理办法 – 教育部 – 中国政府网 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20231007023720/https://www.gov.cn/zhengce/2008-02/20/content_5713376.htm . 2023-10-07 . 2023-10-07 . 中华人民共和国中央人民政府 Central People's Government of the People's Republic of China.
12. Web site: 大学与学院的区别 . 中国教育发展战略学会 China Education Development Strategy Society . 2023-10-07 . 2023-03-22 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230322124521/https://www.hr.edu.cn/xueshu/202212/t20221227_2263053.shtml . live .
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14. Web site: 高校英文校名翻译较为任性 建议国家出台译名规则 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231007035045/http://m.news.xixik.com/content/27d7f695f891cd26/ . 2023-10-07 . 2023-10-07 . m.news.xixik.com.
15. Web site: sina_mobile . 2019-06-03 . 教育部正式批准成立首批"本科职业大学" . 2023-10-07 . edu.sina.cn . 2023-10-08 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231008182113/https://edu.sina.cn/gaokao/bkzn/2019-06-03/detail-ihvhiews6460003.d.html . live .
16. Web site: 全国成人高等学校名单 – 中华人民共和国教育部政府门户网站 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20231007032003/https://hudong.moe.gov.cn/qgcrmd/ . 2023-10-07 . 2023-10-07 . 中华人民共和国教育部 Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China.
17. Web site: 成人高等学校基本情况 Basic Statistics of Adult Higher Educations – 中华人民共和国教育部政府门户网站 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20231007032824/http://www.moe.gov.cn/jyb_sjzl/moe_560/moe_570/moe_573/201002/t20100226_7659.html . 2023-10-07 . 2023-10-07 . 中华人民共和国教育部 Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China.
18. Web site: 从广播电视大学到国家开放大学 From Radio and Television University to National Open University – 中华人民共和国教育部政府门户网站 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20231007040024/http://www.moe.gov.cn/jyb_xwfb/s5147/201208/t20120801_140113.html . 2023-10-07 . 2023-10-07 . 中华人民共和国教育部 Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China.