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University, college, institute, academy: how Chinese institutions render their names in English

Sources checked · Unofficial summary

Yes, there is a rule for English names. It covers the English form of a Chinese institution's name, and Article 7 of the Interim Measures for the Naming of Higher Education Institutions (教发厅〔2020〕6号, issued by the General Office of the Ministry of Education on 20 August 2020) sets it out. Under that article, 大学 is rendered as "university", and 学院 is rendered as "college", or, depending on subject type, as "institute", "academy" or "conservatory". For the directory itself, see this directory's section page.

What Article 7 provides

Article 7 says that a higher education institution using an English name shall follow the following norms. The norms are set out in four items:

  • Article 7, item (1): the English name is consistent with the Chinese name.
  • Article 7, item (2): where the institution's name is 大学, the corresponding English is "university".
  • Article 7, item (3): where the name is 学院, the corresponding English is "college", or, depending on subject type, it may also be "institute", "academy", "conservatory", etc.
  • Article 7, item (4): a field in the Chinese name that has a special meaning may be transliterated.

The English wording above is this site's translation of the Chinese text.

Articles 1, 3 and 4: the Chinese names

Article 1 says the measures apply to the naming of full-time universities, colleges set up on their own, higher vocational schools (including undergraduate-level and junior-college-level ones) and 高等专科学校.

Article 3 says that a name is set according to talent-training goals, level, scale, type, discipline category, teaching and research level, affiliation and location. It also states the one institution, one name principle.

Article 4 gives the name patterns for each level. "XX" is the placeholder the article uses.

Level in Article 4 Name pattern in Chinese
Undergraduate institution XX大学 or XX学院
Junior-college-level institution XX职业技术学院 / XX职业学院, or XX高等专科学校
Undergraduate-level vocational school XX职业技术大学 / XX职业大学

Article 4 says an institution may add an appropriate qualifier based on its location, industry, discipline and similar features.

The Chinese lists

The Double First-Class annex is the Ministry of Education's list of universities and disciplines for the second round. It was issued on 9 February 2022 as annex 1 to 教研函〔2022〕1号, jointly by the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Finance and the National Development and Reform Commission. The annex is ordered by school code and is printed in Chinese. It prints no English names.

The English names of universities and disciplines on this directory are the directory's own renderings. They are not official translations. Check the Chinese name against the current official list before you use any English form.

Questions people ask

Is there an official rule for the English names of Chinese universities?

Yes. Article 7 of the 2020 Interim Measures sets four items for the English names of higher education institutions. Item (1) requires the English name to be consistent with the Chinese name. Item (2) renders 大学 as "university". Item (3) renders 学院 as "college", or, depending on subject type, as "institute", "academy" or "conservatory". Item (4) allows transliteration of a field with a special meaning.

What English term does a 学院 take?

Article 7, item (3) gives "college" as the corresponding English for 学院. The same item says that, depending on subject type, it may also be rendered as "institute", "academy" or "conservatory", so the article allows more than one term.

Does the Double First-Class annex give English names?

The annex prints no English names. Its entries are in Chinese, and the English names used by this directory are its own renderings, not official translations.

Which institutions does the 2020 naming measures cover?

Article 1 says the measures apply to the naming of full-time universities, colleges set up on their own, higher vocational schools (including undergraduate-level and junior-college-level ones) and 高等专科学校.

Sources

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.

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