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985, 211 and Double First-Class: how the three lists relate

Sources checked · Unofficial summary

The Project 985 and Project 211 labels each come from a Ministry of Education school list, and the Double First-Class label comes from a notice dated 9 February 2022 with an annex list. These are three separate documents with their own dates, and this guide sets out each one before comparing their names.

This is a reference guide for international students and families who look up universities in mainland China. Read it with this directory's section page, which explains how to check a name. The official lists are in Chinese. Names are given here as printed in Chinese. The English in this guide is this site's translation of the Chinese text.

The three labels

Label Document Date Count
Project 985 "985工程"学校名单, Ministry of Education, Department of Degree Management and Postgraduate Education Header field 生成日期 (generation date): 6 December 2006 39 names, a count made from the list on the page
Project 211 "211工程"学校名单, same department Header field 生成日期 (generation date): 23 December 2005 112 names, a count made from the list on the page
Double First-Class (second round) Notice 教研函〔2022〕1号 with annex 1, the list Notice dated 9 February 2022 147 institutions, counting the entries of the annex

What the 985 and 211 pages say

The summary field of the Project 985 page reads: a list of higher education institutions approved for construction under Project 985 by the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Finance.

The summary field of the Project 211 page reads: a list of schools approved for construction under Project 211 by the National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Finance.

The Double First-Class notice

Paragraph 1 of the notice says the list was identified by an expert committee, studied by the three ministries, and submitted to the State Council for approval. The notice publishes the second-round list of construction universities and disciplines as annex 1. It publishes a list of first-round construction disciplines given a public warning as annex 2. This guide does not cover annex 2.

Paragraph 2 of the notice says Peking University and Tsinghua University determined their construction disciplines themselves and published them themselves.

Counting the entries of the annex, this site counts 147 institutions, 433 discipline entries across the other 145 institutions, and 97 different discipline names. These are counts. They are not a measure of quality.

What the press Q&A says

Question 1 of the Ministry of Education's press Q&A of 14 February 2022 says the first round of Double First-Class construction ran from 2016 to 2020.

Question 10 of the same Q&A says the second-round list does not distinguish between universities for building first-class universities and universities for building first-class disciplines. The answer says the focus is on construction and on disciplines, not on fixing a university's status or level.

Comparing the names

This site compared the names on each older page with the annex by exact Chinese name. The comparison is this site's own work. It is not a finding of the Ministry.

  • Project 985 page, dated 6 December 2006 by its header: 38 of the 39 names appear with the same name in the annex. The name with no identically named entry in the annex is 国防科学技术大学.
  • Project 211 page, dated 23 December 2005 by its header: 107 of the 112 names appear with the same name in the annex. The five names with no identically named entry in the annex are 第二军医大学, 中国石油大学, 中国地质大学, 国防科学技术大学 and 第四军医大学.

A name that differs may be the same school under a changed or differently written name. This comparison does not decide that.

Using the labels

A name on any of these lists is a statement about that list. It is not information about admission. For programmes, fees, deadlines and entry requirements, check the admission prospectus of the university concerned. This guide does not rank universities and does not recommend one.

Check each name against the current official list published by the Ministry of Education before you rely on it. The directory's Double First-Class section follows the annex.

Questions people ask

Are the 985, 211 and Double First-Class lists dated the same?

No. The header field of the Project 985 page gives 6 December 2006, and the header field of the Project 211 page gives 23 December 2005. The Double First-Class notice is dated 9 February 2022, and the Ministry's press Q&A is dated 14 February 2022.

Does the second-round Double First-Class list divide universities into two kinds?

Question 10 of the Ministry's press Q&A of 14 February 2022 says the second-round list does not distinguish between universities for building first-class universities and universities for building first-class disciplines. The same answer says the focus is on construction and disciplines, not on fixing a university's identity or level.

How many names on the Project 211 page have no identically named entry in the annex?

This site counts five names on the Project 211 page with no identically named entry in the annex: 第二军医大学, 中国石油大学, 中国地质大学, 国防科学技术大学 and 第四军医大学. A different spelling or a changed name may still be the same school, and this comparison does not decide that.

Sources

Checked 11 October 2026.

This page is an unofficial summary, is not published by the Ministry of Education or any university, promises no admission outcome, and the official Chinese text and the current official list prevail if they differ.

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