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'World-class universities' and 'world-class disciplines': why the second-round list is a single list

Sources checked · Unofficial summary

No. The second-round "Double First-Class" list does not divide its universities into a first-class university group and a first-class discipline group. Question 10 of the Ministry of Education's press Q&A of 14 February 2022 says the second-round list "no longer distinguishes" between these two kinds of construction university.

The list is printed as one annex, ordered by school code. This page sets out what the Ministry's answer says, what the notice and the annex contain, and which document each statement comes from. For the list itself, see this directory's section page.

The Chinese texts are the authority. The English on this page is this site's translation of them, and the official lists are in Chinese. Check any university against the current official list before you rely on this page.

What question 10 says

Question 10 asks why the second-round list does not separate the two kinds of university. The Ministry's official answers in these terms:

Building Chinese universities into world-class universities with Chinese characteristics is a goal that all Chinese universities pursue. "Double First-Class" centres on construction, with disciplines as its basis. It is not about setting identities or levels, handing out labels (帽子), or dividing Chinese universities into grades (三六九等).

In the first round, some construction universities had not fully understood characteristic and differentiated development. They still treated "first-class university construction universities" (一流大学建设高校) and "first-class discipline construction universities" (一流学科建设高校) as identity and level goals, and the answer describes a drive to expand scale and pursue upgrading.

For the new stage, the answer says disciplines should remain the basis, identity should be played down, and universities should be guided to build first-class work in their own strong fields and directions. It then says: "The second-round list no longer distinguishes between first-class university construction universities and first-class discipline construction universities." Setting up classified development, classified support and classified evaluation is named as one of the priorities.

Question 12 of the same Q&A says that giving some universities more autonomy over discipline construction is not about dividing universities into levels, and not about attaching labels.

Background: the first round

Question 1 of the Q&A says the first round of "Double First-Class" construction ran from 2016 to 2020. The answer says the work advanced and produced results. It also names remaining problems: a shortage of supply of high-level innovative talent, service to national strategic needs that is not precise enough, and resource allocation that needs urgent optimisation. It says the new stage should focus on key points and difficult points, and on connotation, characteristic and high-quality construction.

What the notice and the annex contain

The notice of 9 February 2022 (教研函〔2022〕1号) was issued by the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Finance and the National Development and Reform Commission. Its first paragraph refers to annex 1, the list of second-round construction universities and disciplines, and to annex 2, a list of first-round construction disciplines given a public warning, including revocation. Annex 2 is a separate document, and this page does not cover it.

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

Annex 1 is titled as a list ordered by school code (按学校代码排序). Its order is therefore the order of school codes, not a ranking.

Counts from the annex

The counts below are this site's counts, made from the entries of the annex. They are counts only. They are not official totals and not a measure of quality.

Count (counting the entries of the annex) Figure
Institutions 147
Institutions with no disciplines printed 2
Discipline entries across the other 145 institutions 433
Different discipline names 97

Being on the list does not show that a university enrols international students in any particular programme. For tuition, deadlines, language requirements and entry conditions, see the admission prospectus of the university concerned.

This directory has pages for 144 of the institutions named in the annex.

Questions people ask

Does the second-round list separate first-class university construction from first-class discipline construction?

No. Question 10 of the Ministry of Education's press Q&A of 14 February 2022 says the second-round list no longer distinguishes between first-class university construction universities and first-class discipline construction universities.

How is the second-round annex ordered?

The annex's title says it is ordered by school code. It is annex 1 to the notice of 9 February 2022 (教研函〔2022〕1号).

When did the first round of Double First-Class construction run?

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

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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