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Universities in China DirectoryIndependent · built from published lists

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How many universities are there in China? The national list by level and type

Sources checked · Unofficial summary

The Ministry of Education's national list, as of 17 June 2026, counts 3,196 higher education institutions in mainland China. Of these, 2,952 are regular higher education institutions, and 244 are adult higher education institutions. The list counts institutions, not only universities, because it includes independent colleges and junior colleges as well as universities.

This page sets out each figure as the Ministry prints it, explains the two attachments and their columns, and gives counts made from the rows of the regular list. For how this directory is organised and how to check a university, see this directory's section page.

The total and its parts

The Ministry's national list page gives the following figures as of 17 June 2026. The English below is this directory's translation of the Chinese text, and the Chinese text prevails.

Category (Chinese, as printed) Count
全国高等学校 (higher education institutions, nationwide) 3,196
普通高等学校 (regular higher education institutions) 2,952
of which 本科学校 (undergraduate-level institutions) 1,412
of which 高职（专科）学校 (higher vocational, junior-college-level institutions) 1,540
成人高等学校 (adult higher education institutions) 244

The page paragraph gives the adult figure of 244 without any breakdown by level.

What the figures do not include

The page paragraph states that the list does not include higher education institutions in Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan. The figures above therefore cover mainland China only.

The two attachments

The page lists two attachments:

  1. 全国普通高等学校名单 (list of regular higher education institutions)
  2. 全国成人高等学校名单 (list of adult higher education institutions)

This directory uses attachment 1 for the rows described below. It does not use the rows of attachment 2.

Attachment 1 is dated 截至2026年6月17日 (as of 17 June 2026) and has seven columns:

  • 序号 (serial number)
  • 学校名称 (institution name)
  • 学校标识码 (institution identification code)
  • 主管部门 (competent authority)
  • 所在地 (location)
  • 办学层次 (level of education)
  • 备注 (remarks)

The seven columns contain no column for a teaching language, a tuition amount or an admission requirement. Being on the list does not show that an institution enrols international students.

The level column

Counting the rows of attachment 1, the 办学层次 (level) column takes two values:

  • 本科 (undergraduate): 1,412 rows
  • 专科 (junior college): 1,540 rows

Counting the rows of attachment 1, the total is 2,952 rows, which matches the regular figure on the page.

The remarks column

Counting the rows of attachment 1, the 备注 (remarks) column has the following values:

Value in the remarks column (Chinese, as printed) English rendering Rows (counted from the list)
(blank) (no remark) 2,096
民办 privately run 840
中外合作办学及内地与港澳合作办学 Sino-foreign cooperative education and cooperation with Hong Kong and Macao institutions on the mainland 14
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 a school established in the Hainan Free Trade Port by an overseas higher education institution, providing education in science, engineering, agriculture and medicine disciplines 2

These row counts are this directory's counts made from the list. They are not figures printed by the Ministry.

What the law means by 高等学校

Article 68 of the Higher Education Law of the People's Republic of China defines 高等学校 (higher education institutions, in the sense of the Law) as 大学 (universities), 独立设置的学院 (independently established colleges) and 高等专科学校 (higher junior colleges). The definition includes 高等职业学校 (higher vocational schools) and 成人高等学校 (adult higher education institutions).

The same article defines 其他高等教育机构 (other higher education institutions) as organisations other than 高等学校 and other than research institutions approved to undertake graduate education, which carry on higher education activity.

How to check the list

The list is an official Ministry document, and it changes over time. Confirm the figures and the rows against the current official list before you rely on them.

Questions people ask

Does the total of 3,196 include institutions in Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan?

No. The page paragraph of the Ministry's national list states that the list does not include higher education institutions in Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan.

What does the Higher Education Law count as a 高等学校?

Article 68 of the Higher Education Law defines 高等学校 as universities, independently established colleges and higher junior colleges, and it includes higher vocational schools and adult higher education institutions.

How many rows of attachment 1 carry the remark 民办?

Counting the rows of attachment 1, 840 rows carry the remark 民办 (privately run). This is a count made from the list by this directory, not a figure printed by the Ministry.

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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