Vocational universities and higher vocational colleges in China
Sources checked · Unofficial summary
职业技术学院 (vocational technical college) is the name the Ministry of Education's naming measures give to junior-college level vocational schools. 职业大学 (vocational university) and 职业技术大学 (vocational technical university) are the names those measures give to undergraduate-level vocational schools. All three sit within higher vocational school education, which Article 15 of the Vocational Education Law places in the school system.
This page is part of the directory's section page on choosing and checking a university. It is an unofficial reference. The Chinese texts are rendered into English by this site, and the official Chinese text prevails. Institution names are given in Chinese as printed in the list.
Where the names sit in the system
Article 15 of the Vocational Education Law (revised 20 April 2022, in force from 1 May 2022, published by the Ministry of Education) divides vocational school education into two levels: secondary vocational school education (中等职业学校教育) and higher vocational school education (高等职业学校教育). Higher vocational school education is carried out by higher vocational schools at junior-college, undergraduate and higher levels, and by ordinary higher education institutions.
Article 1 of the Interim Measures for the Naming of Higher Education Institutions (issued by the General Office of the Ministry of Education as 教发厅〔2020〕6号 on 20 August 2020) states that the measures cover higher vocational schools, including undergraduate-level and junior-college-level vocational schools.
Article 68 of the Higher Education Law (adopted 29 August 1998, amended 27 December 2015 and 29 December 2018) defines 高等学校 as universities, independent colleges and junior colleges (高等专科学校), and states that this includes higher vocational schools and adult higher education institutions.
Article 4 of the 2020 naming measures sets the names by level:
| Level under the naming measures | Name pattern in Article 4 |
|---|---|
| Junior-college level (专科层次) | XX职业技术学院 or XX职业学院 |
| Undergraduate level (本科层次职业学校) | XX职业技术大学 or XX职业大学 |
Article 4 also allows a suitable qualifier before the name, based on the institution's place, industry or discipline.
Who approves a vocational school
Article 33 of the Vocational Education Law sets four basic conditions for establishing a vocational school. The school shall have an organisational structure and a charter, qualified teachers and managers, teaching and practical training facilities that meet the required standards and safety requirements, and the funds needed to run it on a stable basis.
Article 33 sets the approval route by level:
- A higher vocational school at junior-college level is examined and approved by the people's government of the province, autonomous region or municipality directly under the central government, and is filed for the record with the State Council education administration.
- A higher vocational school at undergraduate level or above is examined and approved by the State Council education administration.
- For some majors at a junior-college level higher vocational school that meet the conditions in Article 33, undergraduate vocational education may be carried out after examination and approval by the State Council education administration.
What the national list shows
The Ministry of Education's national list of higher education institutions gives the position as of 17 June 2026. The page states that the country has 3,196 higher education institutions in total. Of these, 2,952 are regular higher education institutions, including 1,412 undergraduate institutions and 1,540 junior-college (高职（专科）) institutions. The page also states that 244 are adult higher education institutions. Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan are not included.
Attachment 1 of the page is the list of regular higher education institutions. It has seven columns: 序号 (serial number), 学校名称 (school name), 学校标识码 (school identification code), 主管部门 (competent authority), 所在地 (location), 办学层次 (level of education) and 备注 (remarks). None of these seven columns records a teaching language or admission details.
Counting the rows of attachment 1 by name, this site finds 124 rows at 本科 level whose names contain 职业大学 or 职业技术大学. This is a count made by this site from the list, not a figure printed by the Ministry of Education. The table below gives the first ten of those 124 rows in printed order, as they appear in the national list as of 17 June 2026. The order is the printed order of the list, not a ranking.
| 序号 | 学校名称 | 学校标识码 | 主管部门 | 所在地 | 办学层次 | 备注 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 68 | 民政职业大学 | 4111014139 | 民政部 | 北京市 | 本科 | blank |
| 69 | 北京科技职业大学 | 4111010858 | 北京市 | 北京市 | 本科 | blank |
| 124 | 天津职业大学 | 4112011032 | 天津市 | 天津市 | 本科 | blank |
| 189 | 河北工业职业技术大学 | 4113016204 | 河北省 | 石家庄市 | 本科 | blank |
| 193 | 河北科技工程职业技术大学 | 4113016203 | 河北省 | 邢台市 | 本科 | blank |
| 195 | 河北石油职业技术大学 | 4113016202 | 河北省 | 承德市 | 本科 | blank |
| 209 | 唐山工业职业技术大学 | 4113012787 | 河北省 | 唐山市 | 本科 | blank |
| 302 | 山西工程科技职业大学 | 4114016201 | 山西省 | 太原市 | 本科 | blank |
| 312 | 运城职业技术大学 | 4114014226 | 山西省教育厅 | 运城市 | 本科 | 民办 |
| 317 | 山西文化旅游职业大学 | 4114013696 | 山西省 | 太原市 | 本科 | blank |
The remark column of row 312 reads 民办. The remark column is blank for the other rows in the table.
Appearing in the list does not show that a university enrols international students. For the programmes, fees, entry requirements and deadlines of any university, check its own admission prospectus. Confirm any name against the current official list before you rely on it.
Certificates and equal opportunities
Article 51 of the Vocational Education Law sets out four kinds of credential. Paragraph 1 says that a student who completes higher vocational school education to the required standard and passes the school's assessment obtains the corresponding academic certificate. Paragraph 4 says that a person who completes higher vocational school education and reaches the national degree standard may apply for the corresponding degree under the law.
Article 53 of the Vocational Education Law says in paragraph 1 that students of vocational schools have equal opportunities with students of ordinary schools at the same level in advancement, employment and career development. Paragraph 2 says that higher vocational schools, and ordinary higher education institutions that run vocational education, shall set a corresponding proportion in their enrolment plans or adopt a separate examination method to enrol graduates of vocational schools.
Questions people ask
Which name marks a junior-college vocational school?
Article 4 of the 2020 naming measures gives the names XX职业技术学院 and XX职业学院 to higher schools at junior-college level. The measures were issued by the General Office of the Ministry of Education as 教发厅〔2020〕6号 on 20 August 2020.
Which name marks an undergraduate vocational school?
Article 4 of the 2020 naming measures gives the names XX职业技术大学 and XX职业大学 to undergraduate-level vocational schools. The same article allows a suitable qualifier before the name.
Who approves a vocational school that offers undergraduate education?
Article 33 of the Vocational Education Law (revised 20 April 2022) says that a higher vocational school implementing undergraduate-level or higher education is examined and approved by the State Council education administration.
Do vocational school graduates have equal opportunities with other graduates?
Paragraph 1 of Article 53 of the Vocational Education Law (revised 20 April 2022) says that students of vocational schools have equal opportunities with students of ordinary schools at the same level in advancement, employment and career development.
Sources
- Vocational Education Law of the People's Republic of China (revised 20 April 2022) — Ministry of Education of the PRC
- Interim Measures for the Naming of Higher Education Institutions (20 August 2020) — Ministry of Education of the PRC
- National list of higher education institutions (as of 17 June 2026) — Ministry of Education of the PRC
- Higher Education Law of the People's Republic of China — Ministry of Education of the PRC
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.