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Why Peking University and Tsinghua University have no disciplines on the Double First-Class list

Sources checked · Unofficial summary

The annex to the second-round Double First-Class notice prints no discipline names for Peking University or Tsinghua University. Paragraph 2 of the notice says the two universities determine their own construction disciplines and publish them themselves. The Ministry of Education's press Q&A of 14 February 2022 gives the reasons in its answer to question 11.

This is a reference guide. It explains what the official documents say, and it does not rank or recommend universities. For the full list, see this directory's section page. This directory is not a government or university website and accepts no applications.

The English on this page is this site's translation of the Chinese texts, and the Chinese texts prevail where they differ. English names of institutions and disciplines are this directory's renderings, not official translations, and the official lists are in Chinese. Please confirm every entry against the current official list before you rely on it.

The two entries in the annex

Annex 1 to the notice is the second-round list of 9 February 2022. It is arranged in order of school codes. Counting the entries of the annex, it names 147 institutions, and 2 of them have no disciplines printed.

Institution (as printed) English name used by this directory Entry in annex 1 (9 February 2022) Row in the national list (as of 17 June 2026)
北京大学 Peking University 北京大学：（自主确定建设学科并自行公布） Row 1; school code 4111010001; administering body 教育部; place 北京市; level 本科
清华大学 Tsinghua University 清华大学：（自主确定建设学科并自行公布） Row 3; school code 4111010003; administering body 教育部; place 北京市; level 本科

The bracketed note in each entry reads, in this site's translation, "determined by the university itself and published by it." The entry prints no discipline names after the colon. The remark column of the national list is empty for both rows. The directory pages are Peking University and Tsinghua University.

What paragraph 2 of the notice says

Paragraph 2 of the notice reads, in this site's translation: "Peking University and Tsinghua University determine their own construction disciplines in the second round of Double First-Class construction and publish them themselves." Paragraph 2 also refers to first-round disciplines that received a public warning. This article does not cover those disciplines.

The reasons given in question 11

The Ministry official's answer to question 11 of the press Q&A gives the following reasons.

  • One reform task in the Opinions on further advancing world-class universities and first-class disciplines is to expand construction autonomy and move management down to the universities. The official linked this to the stage goals of the Overall Plan for Advancing World-Class Universities and First-Class Disciplines.
  • To carry out this expansion steadily, the three ministries asked the State Council for agreement. The State Council agreed to grant Peking University and Tsinghua University autonomy over discipline construction first.
  • The official said the two universities have sound reform foundations after comprehensive reform, and that comprehensive evaluations describe their first-round construction results as outstanding.
  • The official gave three main considerations. First, the two universities' construction disciplines need not be limited to first-level disciplines, and the number of construction disciplines is set by the two universities on the existing base. Second, target management applies, with rights matched to responsibilities, and stage goals, milestone results and time points are set. Third, the two universities must build a self-evaluation system, an internal constraint mechanism and a governance system.
  • After the two universities completed their overall plans for expanded autonomy, they published their construction disciplines themselves.

What question 12 says about the purpose

In its answer to question 12, the official said that expanding discipline-construction autonomy for some universities is about taking on tasks and bearing responsibility, so that universities' construction vitality is better activated. The official said it "is not about grading universities or attaching labels." The answer also says the three ministries will later choose other construction universities with distinctive features and comprehensive strengths and grant them some autonomy over discipline construction.

Questions people ask

Does the annex name any discipline for Peking University or Tsinghua University?

The annex prints no discipline names for either university. Each of the two entries carries a bracketed note instead, which in this site's translation reads "determined by the university itself and published by it." This answer refers to annex 1 of the notice, the second-round list of 9 February 2022.

Why does the annex print no disciplines for these two universities?

The Ministry official's answer to question 11 of the press Q&A (14 February 2022) says the State Council agreed to grant the two universities autonomy over discipline construction first. The answer also says that after the two universities completed their overall plans for expanded autonomy, they published their construction disciplines themselves.

What does paragraph 2 of the notice say about the two universities?

Paragraph 2 of the notice (9 February 2022) says that Peking University and Tsinghua University determine their own construction disciplines in the second round of Double First-Class construction and publish them themselves. The paragraph does not print the disciplines.

Does the annex rank these universities?

The annex is arranged in order of school codes, and it is not a ranking. Question 12 of the press Q&A (14 February 2022) says that expanding discipline-construction autonomy "is not about grading universities or attaching labels."

Being on the list is not an admission signal

Being named in annex 1 does not show whether a university enrols international students in a given programme. Tuition, deadlines, language requirements and other admission details are published in each university's own admission prospectus, and that is the document to check.

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. The official Chinese text and the current official list prevail if they differ.

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