Types of higher education institution in China: universities, colleges and vocational schools
Sources checked · Unofficial summary
Article 68 of the Higher Education Law uses the term 高等学校 (gāoděng xuéxiào) for universities, independent colleges and higher professional schools, and it says this term includes higher vocational schools and adult higher education institutions. Article 18 of the same law says that higher education is carried out by 高等学校 and by other higher education institutions. The national list of higher education institutions, as of 17 June 2026, counts 3,196 institutions in total, of which 2,952 are regular higher education institutions.
For how this directory is organised and how each list is used, see this directory's section page. This article uses only the official texts named in the Sources section. The English here is this site's translation of Chinese texts. The official texts are in Chinese, and the Chinese text prevails if the two differ.
Article 68: what counts as a 高等学校
Article 68 of the Higher Education Law (adopted 1998; amended 27 December 2015 and 29 December 2018) states three points.
- In this law, 高等学校 means universities, independent colleges and higher professional schools. This includes higher vocational schools and adult higher education institutions.
- Other higher education institutions means organisations, other than 高等学校 and research institutions approved to offer graduate education, that carry out higher education activities.
- The provisions of this law on 高等学校 apply to other higher education institutions and to approved research institutions, except for provisions that apply specifically to 高等学校.
Levels of study and who delivers them
Article 16 of the Higher Education Law divides higher academic education into three levels:
- junior-college education (专科教育)
- undergraduate education (本科教育)
- graduate education (研究生教育), which covers master's and doctoral education
Article 18 gives the delivery of higher education as follows. Universities and independent colleges mainly deliver undergraduate and higher education. Higher professional schools deliver junior-college education. A research institution may take on graduate education with approval from the education administration department of the State Council. Other higher education institutions deliver non-degree higher education.
The 1986 conditions for each type
The Interim Regulations on the Establishment of Regular Higher Education Institutions (普通高等学校设置暂行条例) were issued by the State Council on 15 December 1986. Article 2 defines regular higher education institutions as full-time universities, independent colleges, higher professional schools and higher vocational schools that mainly take in senior secondary graduates who have passed the national special entrance examination. Article 2 also says that the State Education Commission examines and approves their establishment.
Articles 12 to 15 set conditions for each type. The table gives the conditions as written in the 1986 text.
| Type (Article) | Main level | Main discipline condition | Planned full-time students |
|---|---|---|---|
| University (大学), Article 12 | Mainly undergraduate and above | Three or more different disciplines among the eight categories | 5,000 or more |
| Independent college (学院), Article 13 | Mainly undergraduate and above | One discipline category from the Article 12 list | 3,000 or more |
| Higher professional school (高等专科学校), Article 14 | Mainly junior-college level | One discipline category from the Article 12 list | 1,000 or more |
| Higher vocational school (高等职业学校), Article 15 | Mainly junior-college level | Mainly vocational and technical education | 1,000 or more |
The eight discipline categories in Article 12, paragraph (2), are arts (including literature, history, philosophy and art), politics and law, finance and economics, education (including physical education), science, engineering, agriculture and forestry, and medicine and pharmacy.
The exceptions differ by article. Article 12, paragraph (4), allows a university in a remote area, or with special needs, to be exempted from the 5,000 threshold with approval from the State Education Commission. Article 13 allows colleges of art, sport and other special categories, or colleges with special needs, to be exempted from the 3,000 threshold on the same approval basis. Articles 14 and 15 allow a school in a remote area, or with special needs, to be exempted from the 1,000 threshold with the same approval.
How the 2020 measures name each level
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. Article 1 sets its scope as the naming of full-time universities, independent colleges, higher vocational schools (including undergraduate-level and junior-college-level vocational schools) and higher professional schools.
Article 4 gives the naming forms, where "XX" stands for the name part of the institution:
- An undergraduate-level institution is named "XX大学" (XX University) or "XX学院" (XX College).
- A junior-college-level institution is named "XX职业技术学院/职业学院" or "XX高等专科学校".
- An undergraduate-level vocational school is named "XX职业技术大学/职业大学".
Article 4 says an institution may add a suitable qualifier that reflects its location, industry or discipline.
The national list as of 17 June 2026
The Ministry of Education's page for the national list gives the position as of 17 June 2026. The page prints these figures:
| Category (page wording) | Number printed on the page |
|---|---|
| 全国高等学校 (higher education institutions in total) | 3,196 |
| 普通高等学校 (regular higher education institutions) | 2,952 |
| 含本科学校 (undergraduate institutions) | 1,412 |
| 高职（专科）学校 (higher vocational (junior-college) institutions) | 1,540 |
| 成人高等学校 (adult higher education institutions) | 244 |
The page states that the list does not include higher education institutions in Hong Kong, Macao or Taiwan.
Attachment 1 is the list of regular higher education institutions. It has seven columns: serial number (序号), institution name (学校名称), institution identifier code (学校标识码), competent department (主管部门), location (所在地), level of education (办学层次) and remarks (备注). Counting the rows of attachment 1, this site finds 1,412 rows with the level 本科 and 1,540 rows with the level 专科, which gives 2,952 rows in total. These row counts are counts made from the list by this site, not figures printed by the Ministry. Attachment 2 lists adult higher education institutions, and this article does not use it.
Check the current official list before relying on any count here. The figures above are those of the list as of 17 June 2026.
Questions people ask
What does Article 68 of the Higher Education Law count as a 高等学校?
Article 68 says that 高等学校 in this law means universities, independent colleges and higher professional schools, and that this includes higher vocational schools and adult higher education institutions.
Which institutions carry out non-degree higher education under Article 18?
Article 18 says that other higher education institutions carry out non-degree higher education (非学历高等教育). Article 68 defines other higher education institutions as organisations, other than 高等学校 and approved research institutions, that carry out higher education activities.
What names does the 2020 measures give to each level?
Article 4 of the Interim Measures for the Naming of Higher Education Institutions gives "XX大学" or "XX学院" for undergraduate-level institutions, "XX职业技术学院/职业学院" or "XX高等专科学校" for junior-college-level institutions, and "XX职业技术大学/职业大学" for undergraduate-level vocational schools.
Sources
- Higher Education Law of the People's Republic of China (adopted 1998; amended 2015 and 2018), Ministry of Education of the PRC
- Interim Regulations on the Establishment of Regular Higher Education Institutions (1986), Ministry of Education of the PRC
- Interim Measures for the Naming of Higher Education Institutions (2020), Ministry of Education of the PRC
- National list of higher education institutions, as of 17 June 2026, Ministry of Education of the PRC
- Attachment 1: national list of regular higher education institutions, as of 17 June 2026, Ministry of Education of the PRC
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.