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Public warnings and removal: how a discipline can leave the Double First-Class list

Sources checked · Unofficial summary

Under the second-round Double First-Class list, some first-round construction disciplines were given a public warning, and they were not removed from construction scope at that stage. The Ministry of Education's press Q&A of 14 February 2022 says that warned disciplines and adjusted disciplines will be re-evaluated in 2023, and that any that do not pass will be removed from the construction scope.

This page is a reference guide for international students and families who look up universities in mainland China. It explains the warning rule and the evaluation that follows, using only the official texts listed under Sources. For the universities themselves, see this directory's section page.

The official texts are in Chinese. The English on this page is this site's translation of those texts. English names of institutions and disciplines are this directory's renderings, and the official lists are in Chinese. Confirm any status against the current official list before you rely on it.

What the notice says

The notice was issued on 9 February 2022 by the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Finance and the National Development and Reform Commission, under document number 教研函〔2022〕1号. Paragraph 1 of the notice gives its basis: the State Council's overall plan for advancing world-class universities and first-class disciplines, the three ministries' opinions on the same work, and the trial implementation measures. Paragraph 1 also refers to two annexes. Annex 1 is the second-round list of universities and construction disciplines. Annex 2 is the list of first-round construction disciplines given a public warning, including revocation.

Paragraph 2 of the notice says that Peking University (北京大学) and Tsinghua University (清华大学) determined their own construction disciplines and published them themselves. The same paragraph says that first-round construction disciplines given a public warning shall strengthen rectification and be evaluated in 2023.

Paragraph 2 names no warned discipline. Annex 2 is the annex that lists them, and this page does not reproduce it.

What the Ministry's Q&A says

Question 7 of the press Q&A asks why some listed disciplines were given a public warning without being removed from construction scope, and how warned disciplines are identified. The Ministry's official gives the following answer, summarised here.

  • The construction universities made clear progress in the first round. The trial implementation measures require a dynamic adjustment mechanism, and public warning is an important part of that mechanism.
  • Some disciplines' results did not fully reach the expected level. Compared with other construction disciplines of the same kind, their overall development level, sustainable development capacity and growth were relatively behind.
  • The public warning is meant to encourage and supervise those disciplines, and to warn other construction disciplines.
  • After strict review by the expert committee, individual warned disciplines were adjusted in line with each university's positioning, first-round results and discipline strengths. In those cases the original discipline was revoked.

Re-evaluation in 2023

Two Ministry documents set out the 2023 step, and they are dated differently.

  • Paragraph 2 of the notice (9 February 2022) says that warned first-round disciplines shall be evaluated in 2023.
  • Question 7 of the press Q&A (14 February 2022) says that warned disciplines and adjusted disciplines will be re-evaluated in 2023. It also says that any that do not pass will be removed from the construction scope.

Question 7 gives no result of the 2023 re-evaluation, and this page does not add one.

How the evaluation was carried out

Question 8 of the press Q&A describes the evaluation of first-round results. It states that in March 2021 the three ministries issued the Measures for Evaluating the Construction Results of "Double First-Class" (Trial). Under those measures, the evaluation worked as follows:

  • Each construction university first made a self-assessment.
  • The ministries then ran a "back-to-back" quantitative analysis based on construction monitoring.
  • Experts carried out a qualitative evaluation.

The combined results show universities and disciplines from three angles: overall development level, growth and improvement, and sustainable development capacity. The results are grouped by interval and grade. Question 8 says the evaluation calculates no total score and publishes no ranking. The results and comments are sent back to the construction universities for continuing improvement.

Checking a status

Use the current official list to check whether a given discipline is on the list or has a warning. The second-round list was issued on 9 February 2022 under document number 教研函〔2022〕1号. This page does not name any warned discipline.

This page covers the warning and removal rule only. It does not cover admission. For tuition, deadlines, entry requirements and scholarships, read the admission prospectus of the university concerned.

Questions people ask

What happens to a discipline given a public warning?

Question 7 of the press Q&A says that warned disciplines were not removed from construction scope at that stage. It also says they will be re-evaluated in 2023, and any that do not pass will be removed from the construction scope.

When is the re-evaluation of warned disciplines?

Paragraph 2 of the notice, dated 9 February 2022, says warned first-round disciplines shall be evaluated in 2023. Question 7 of the press Q&A, dated 14 February 2022, says warned and adjusted disciplines will be re-evaluated in 2023.

How does the Ministry say a discipline comes to be warned?

Question 7 of the press Q&A says that warned disciplines were those whose overall development level, sustainable development capacity and growth were relatively behind compared with other construction disciplines of the same kind. The answer is given as the Ministry's official's statement, not as a finding of this site.

Sources

Checked 11 October 2026.

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

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