Chinese-foreign cooperative universities: how they appear in China's national list
Sources checked · Unofficial summary
The national list marks cooperative institutions in its 备注 (remark) column. Counting the rows of the list, 14 rows carry the remark 中外合作办学及内地与港澳合作办学, which covers Chinese-foreign cooperation and mainland-Hong Kong and Macao cooperation together. The remark does not say which of the two applies to a given row, and it records no partner.
For a guide to how this directory is arranged, see this directory's section page. The English on this page is this directory's translation of the Chinese texts. The official lists are in Chinese. The list used here is the Ministry of Education's national list as of 17 June 2026, so confirm any row against the current official list.
The remark and the counts
The remark value as printed is 中外合作办学及内地与港澳合作办学. This directory renders it as "Chinese-foreign cooperative running of schools and mainland-Hong Kong and Macao cooperative running."
Counting the rows of the list, the remark column carries these values:
- No remark: 2,096 rows
- 民办 (privately run): 840 rows
- 中外合作办学及内地与港澳合作办学: 14 rows
- 境外高等教育机构在海南自由贸易港设立的实施理工农医类学科专业教育的学校 (schools set up in the Hainan Free Trade Port by overseas higher education institutions to provide education in science, engineering, agriculture and medicine disciplines): 2 rows
These four counts are made by this directory from the rows of the list. They are not figures printed by the Ministry.
The page that accompanies the list prints 3,196 higher education institutions in total, of which 2,952 are regular and 244 are adult institutions, as of 17 June 2026. The page says the list does not include higher education institutions in Hong Kong, Macao or Taiwan.
The 14 rows
The table reproduces each row with the Chinese text as printed in attachment 1 of the national list (全国普通高等学校名单, as of 17 June 2026). Institution names are given in Chinese only. The remark column records no partner for any of these rows, and this page does not name a foreign or Hong Kong partner or say which rows are Chinese-foreign and which are mainland-Hong Kong or Macao.
| No. | School name | School code | Administering body | Place | Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 723 | 上海纽约大学 | 4131016404 | 上海市教委 | 上海市 | 本科 |
| 829 | 西交利物浦大学 | 4132016403 | 江苏省教育厅 | 苏州市 | 本科 |
| 830 | 昆山杜克大学 | 4132016406 | 江苏省教育厅 | 昆山市 | 本科 |
| 897 | 苏州百年职业学院 | 4132013962 | 江苏省教育厅 | 苏州市 | 专科 |
| 988 | 宁波诺丁汉大学 | 4133016301 | 浙江省教育厅 | 宁波市 | 本科 |
| 989 | 温州肯恩大学 | 4133016405 | 浙江省教育厅 | 温州市 | 本科 |
| 1253 | 福州墨尔本理工职业学院 | 4135016411 | 福建省教育厅 | 福州市 | 专科 |
| 1691 | 郑州亚欧交通职业学院 | 4141014685 | 河南省教育厅 | 郑州市 | 专科 |
| 2073 | 北师香港浸会大学 | 4144016401 | 广东省教育厅 | 珠海市 | 本科 |
| 2074 | 香港科技大学（广州） | 4144016412 | 广东省教育厅 | 广州市 | 本科 |
| 2075 | 香港中文大学（深圳） | 4144016407 | 广东省教育厅 | 深圳市 | 本科 |
| 2076 | 深圳北理莫斯科大学 | 4144016409 | 广东省教育厅 | 深圳市 | 本科 |
| 2077 | 广东以色列理工学院 | 4144016410 | 广东省教育厅 | 汕头市 | 本科 |
| 2078 | 香港城市大学（东莞） | 4144014851 | 广东省教育厅 | 东莞市 | 本科 |
Source for the table: the Ministry of Education's national list as of 17 June 2026, attachment 1. In the Level column, 本科 is undergraduate and 专科 is junior-college level, as printed.
What the Regulations say
The following provisions are from the Regulations of the People's Republic of China on Chinese-Foreign Cooperation in Running Schools (中华人民共和国中外合作办学条例, State Council), as carried on the Ministry of Education's site. Each article is given in this directory's English translation of the Chinese text.
Article 2 says the Regulations apply to activities in which a foreign educational institution and a Chinese educational institution jointly run, inside mainland China, an institution that mainly enrols Chinese citizens. That institution is called a Chinese-foreign cooperative institution.
Article 3 says Chinese-foreign cooperative running of schools is a public-benefit undertaking and part of China's education. Paragraph 2 says the State applies to it the policy of wider opening, standardised running, management according to law and promotion of development. Paragraph 4 says the State encourages Chinese-foreign cooperation in higher education and vocational education, and encourages Chinese higher education institutions to run schools jointly with well-known foreign higher education institutions.
Article 6 says Chinese-foreign cooperators may jointly run educational institutions at every level and of every type. It says they may not run institutions that provide compulsory education, or institutions that provide education of a special nature such as military, police or political education.
Article 7 says foreign religious organisations, religious bodies, religious schools and religious clergy may not carry out cooperative running activities inside China. Paragraph 2 says a Chinese-foreign cooperative institution may not give religious education or carry out religious activities.
Article 11 says paragraph 1 that a Chinese-foreign cooperative institution shall have the basic conditions set by the Education Law, the Vocational Education Law and the Higher Education Law and related administrative regulations, and shall have legal person status. It makes one exception: a Chinese-foreign cooperative institution providing higher education that a foreign educational institution sets up together with a Chinese higher education institution providing academic education may be without legal person status. Paragraph 2 says the setting-up standards for such an institution are applied by reference to the standards for state-run institutions of the same level and type.
Article 12 divides examination and approval by level and type. Paragraph 1 says an institution providing undergraduate-and-above academic higher education is examined and approved by the State Council education administrative department, and an institution providing junior-college and non-academic higher education is examined and approved by the people's government of the province, autonomous region or municipality directly under the central government where the institution is to be set up. Paragraph 2 says an institution providing secondary academic education, self-study assistance, cultural remedial education and pre-school education is examined and approved by the education administrative department of that same level of government. Paragraph 3 says an institution providing vocational skills training is examined and approved by the labour administrative department of that same level of government.
The Interim Measures for the Naming of Higher Education Institutions (高等学校命名暂行办法, General Office of the Ministry of Education, 教发厅〔2020〕6号, 20 August 2020) say in Article 11 that the naming of Chinese-foreign cooperative institutions providing academic higher education follows the Regulations and their implementing measures.
Questions people ask
Does the national list say which of the 14 rows are Chinese-foreign?
No. The remark column of the national list records one remark, 中外合作办学及内地与港澳合作办学, for these 14 rows. The remark covers Chinese-foreign cooperation and mainland-Hong Kong and Macao cooperation together and does not say which applies to a given row. Check the current official list before drawing a conclusion about any school.
Who examines and approves a new Chinese-foreign cooperative institution?
Article 12 of the Regulations (State Council) sets the approving body by level. An institution providing undergraduate-and-above academic higher education is examined and approved by the State Council education administrative department. An institution providing junior-college and non-academic higher education is examined and approved by the people's government of the province, autonomous region or municipality directly under the central government where it is to be set up.
Can a Chinese-foreign cooperative higher education institution lack legal person status?
Yes, in one case. Article 11, paragraph 1, of the Regulations says such an institution shall have legal person status. The exception is a higher education institution run by a foreign educational institution together with a Chinese higher education institution providing academic education, which may be without legal person status.
Sources
- Regulations of the People's Republic of China on Chinese-Foreign Cooperation in Running Schools (中华人民共和国中外合作办学条例) — Ministry of Education of the PRC
- National list of higher education institutions (全国高等学校名单), with attachment 1, the national list of regular higher education institutions (全国普通高等学校名单) — Ministry of Education of the PRC
- Interim Measures for the Naming of Higher Education Institutions (高等学校命名暂行办法), 教发厅〔2020〕6号 — Ministry of Education of the PRC
Checked 11 October 2026.
This page is an unofficial summary. It is not published by the Ministry of Education or by any university, and it promises no admission outcome. If the official Chinese text or the current official list differs from this page, the official Chinese text and the current official list prevail.