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How a university is established and approved in China

Sources checked · Unofficial summary

Under Article 29 of the Higher Education Law of the People's Republic of China, the State Council education administrative department examines and approves the establishment of a higher education institution that offers undergraduate and higher education. Provincial people's governments examine and approve institutions that offer junior-college education, and file them with the State Council education administrative department for the record. Provincial education administrative departments examine and approve other higher education institutions.

This page goes through the relevant texts article by article: Chapter III of the Higher Education Law, the application procedure in Part 3 of the 2006 provisions, and Articles 13 and 14 of the 2020 naming measures. For a general overview of how this directory is organised, see this directory's section page.

The English below is this site's translation of the Chinese texts. The Chinese texts are the official texts and prevail if the two differ. The English names of institutions and disciplines on this site are also this site's renderings; the official lists are in Chinese. Before relying on any fact here, check it against the current official text or list.

Who approves what

The Higher Education Law (adopted 29 August 1998, amended 27 December 2015 and 29 December 2018) sets the approving authority in Article 29, paragraph 1:

Type of institution Approving authority Reference
Institutions that offer undergraduate and higher education State Council education administrative department Article 29, paragraph 1
Institutions that offer junior-college education Provincial people's government, filed for the record with the State Council education administrative department Article 29, paragraph 1
Other higher education institutions Provincial education administrative department Article 29, paragraph 1

Article 29, paragraph 1 also says that the approval of establishment shall comply with relevant state rules.

Conditions for establishment

Article 24 says that establishing a higher education institution shall conform to the national higher education development plan, and to national interests and the public interest.

Article 25, paragraph 1 says that establishing a higher education institution shall meet the basic conditions prescribed by the Education Law.

Article 25, paragraph 2 sets further conditions for universities and independently established colleges. Such an institution shall have:

  • relatively strong teaching and scientific research capacity;
  • relatively high teaching and scientific research standards and a corresponding scale;
  • the ability to provide undergraduate and higher education.

A university must also have three or more disciplinary categories set by the state as its main disciplines. Article 25, paragraph 2 says that the State Council formulates the specific standards for establishing higher education institutions.

Article 25, paragraph 3 says that the specific standards for other higher education institutions are formulated by the relevant departments authorised by the State Council, or by provincial people's governments, on the principles set by the State Council.

Article 26 says that an institution shall use a name that corresponds to its level, type, discipline categories, scale, and teaching and research standards.

Application materials and charter

Article 27 lists the materials that an applicant shall submit to the approving authority:

  1. the application report (申办报告);
  2. feasibility demonstration materials;
  3. the charter;
  4. other materials that the approving authority requires under the Higher Education Law.

Article 28 says that the charter of a higher education institution shall set out the following matters:

  1. the name and location of the institution;
  2. its educational aims;
  3. its scale;
  4. the arrangement of its disciplinary categories;
  5. its forms of education;
  6. its internal management system;
  7. its sources of funding, property and financial system;
  8. the rights and obligations between the sponsor and the institution;
  9. the procedure for amending the charter;
  10. other matters that the charter must set out.

Article 29, paragraph 2 says that the approval of establishment shall entrust an evaluation body made up of experts to evaluate the application.

Article 29, paragraph 3 covers later changes. Splitting, merging, terminating, renaming, changing the category of, and other important changes to an institution are approved by the same approving authority as in paragraph 1. Amendments to the charter are approved (核准) by the State Council education administrative department or by the provincial education administrative department, according to the management authority.

Application procedure under the 2006 provisions

The Interim Provisions on the Establishment of Regular Undergraduate Institutions (普通本科学校设置暂行规定) were issued by the Ministry of Education as 教发〔2006〕18号 on 28 September 2006. They are a separate document from the Higher Education Law. Their Part 3, 设置申请 (setting up applications), has six items. The 2006 provisions state that they take effect from the date of issue, and that they prevail over earlier Ministry documents on the same matter where the two differ.

Part 3, item 1: The Ministry of Education handles the approval procedures for setting up regular undergraduate institutions in the fourth quarter of each year. The competent department shall submit its application in the third quarter of each year. An application that is late is handled at the next approval time.

Part 3, item 2: The approval generally has two stages: approval of preparatory work (审批筹建), and approval for formal establishment and enrolment (审批正式建校招生). An institution that fully meets the conditions for establishment and enrolment may apply directly for formal establishment and enrolment.

Part 3, item 3: The competent department shall entrust its education administrative department to invite the relevant departments and experts to examine and demonstrate the proposal, and to produce a demonstration report. The departments named are planning, talent, labour and personnel, finance, and capital construction. The demonstration report shall cover:

  1. the proposed name, location, type, positioning, disciplines and programmes, scale, leadership system, distinctive features, and the areas it serves;
  2. the forecast of talent demand, the benefits of running the institution, and the structure of higher education in the region;
  3. the development plan of the institution, in particular the plans for faculty, disciplines, and campus construction;
  4. the sources of funding and the financial guarantee.

Part 3, item 4: The application goes to the Ministry of Education through the provincial people's government or the State Council department to which the institution is subordinate. It attaches the demonstration report and the draft charter. A State Council department that applies also attaches an opinion letter from the provincial people's government of the place where the institution is to be located.

Part 3, item 5: The preparatory period runs from the date of approval. It shall be not less than 1 year and not more than 5 years. After the preparatory period expires, the competent department submits an application for formal establishment to the Ministry of Education.

Part 3, item 6: After the Ministry of Education's formal review, the Ministry entrusts the National Committee for the Evaluation of Higher Education Institution Establishment (全国高校设置评议委员会) to investigate and evaluate the proposal. The Ministry formally approves the establishment of an institution that passes this evaluation. An institution that fails the formal review or the evaluation, and that still needs to be established, is submitted again by its competent department at the next round. The Ministry notifies the competent department in writing of any proposal that fails the evaluation.

Naming

The Interim Measures for the Naming of Higher Education Institutions (高等学校命名暂行办法) were issued by the General Office of the Ministry of Education as 教发厅〔2020〕6号 on 20 August 2020. Naming is covered by two articles.

Article 13 says that naming matters are an important part of the work on establishing higher education institutions, and are approved under the establishment procedure for higher education institutions.

Article 14 says that for naming matters concerning special cases that serve major national and regional strategies, the State Council education administrative department examines and approves.

Questions people ask

Which authority approves a university in China?

Article 29, paragraph 1 of the Higher Education Law says that the State Council education administrative department examines and approves the establishment of institutions that offer undergraduate and higher education. The same paragraph gives other approving authorities for junior-college institutions and for other higher education institutions.

Does the 2006 provisions set a preparatory stage before formal establishment?

Yes. Part 3, item 2 of the 2006 provisions says the approval generally has two stages: approval of preparatory work, and approval for formal establishment and enrolment. Part 3, item 5 says the preparatory period shall be not less than 1 year and not more than 5 years from the date of approval.

Who approves a junior-college institution?

Article 29, paragraph 1 of the Higher Education Law says that a provincial people's government examines and approves the establishment of an institution that offers junior-college education. The same paragraph says that such an institution is filed with the State Council education administrative department for the record.

Who approves a naming matter?

Article 13 of the 2020 naming measures says that naming matters are approved under the establishment procedure for higher education institutions. Article 14 says that naming matters for special cases serving major national and regional strategies are approved by the State Council education administrative department.

Sources

Checked 11 October 2026.

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

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