China

Last updated in 2021

Chapter 1: Higher Education System

Section 1.1.: Schematic Description of the Higher Education System

Section 1.2: Description of Higher Education System

In light of the need of economic and social development, the State formulates plans for the development of higher education.
The State encourages all sectors of society, including enterprises, institutions, public organizations or groups as well as individual citizens, to run higher education institutions in accordance with law.
HEIs are geared to the needs of society, enjoy autonomy in providing education to the general public and practice democratic management in accordance with law.
Higher education in China is divided into short-cycle course education (zhuanke, offering non-degree programmes), undergraduate education (benke, offering programmes leading to the bachelor’s degrees) and postgraduate education (offering programmes leading the master’s and doctor’s degrees).
China adopts three-hierarchy degree system, namely the bachelor’s, master’s and doctor’s degrees.

Section 1.3: Number of Higher Education Institutions

1. Institutions providing postgraduate programs	827
2. Regular HEIs	2738
3. Adult HEIs	265
4. Other non-government HEIs	788

Section 1.4 Number of Students in Higher Education

	Graduates	Enrolments
1. Postgraduates	728.627	3,139,598
Doctor degree	66,176	466,549
Master degree	662,451	2,673,049
2. Undergraduate in Regular HEIs	7,971,991	32,852,948
Normal Courses	4,205,097	18,257,460
Short-cycle Courses	3,766,894	14,595,488
3. Undergraduate in Adult HEIs	2,469,562	7,772,942
Regular Courses	1,226,385	4,051,025
Short-cycle Courses	1,243,177	3,721,917
4. Web-based Undergraduate	2,722,497	8,464,464
Regular Courses	866,120	3,111,899
Short-cycle Courses	1,856,377	5,352,565
5. Class run by non-government HEIs for students preparing for self-directed state-administered examinations	87,804	199,078
6. College-preparatory class	N/A	43,047
7. In-service training	19,390,811	N/A
8. Foreign students	101,884	273,792

Section 1.5: Structure of Academic Year

There are two semesters in one academic year. Upper/Autumn semester starts in early September, and ends in late January or early February. Lower/Spring semester begins in February and ends in late June. Between semesters is a winter vacation which lasts between 20 and 30 days, or a summer vacation which lasts approximately two months. Some HEIs offer summer sessions.

Section 1.6: National Qualifications Framework (or Similar)

Short-cycle course education (2-3 years) enables students to grasp the basic theories and special knowledge which the course must offer and to acquire the basic skills and the preliminary ability of practical work in the fields of their specialized subjects.

Undergraduate education (4-5 years) enables students to grasp more systematically the basic theories and knowledge required by the branches of learning or specialized subjects offered, to grasp the basic skills methods and relevant knowledge necessitated by their specialized subjects, and to acquire the preliminary ability of practical work and research in the fields of their specialized subjects.

The graduate education for candidates working for MA (2-3 years) enables candidates to grasp firmly the basic theories in their branches of learning and grasp the systematic knowledge of their specialized subjects, to grasp the skills and methods and relevant knowledge required, and to acquire the ability of practical work and research in the fields of their specialized subjects. The graduate education for candidates working for Ph.D (3-4 years) enables candidates to grasp firmly the breadth of the basic theories and the systematic and profound knowledge of the specialized subjects and grasp the skills and methods required by their branches of learning, and to acquire the ability of creative research on their own and of practical work in the fields of their specific branches of learning.

Section 1.7: Learning Outcomes in Higher Education

At the national level, the Ministry of Education has formulated National Quality Standards for the 92 Categories of Undergraduate Programs; the Academic Degrees Committee of the State Council has set up Fundamental Requirements for Conferring Academic Master’s and Doctor’s Degrees, and Fundamental Requirements for Conferring Professional Master’s and Doctor’s Degrees.

At the institutional level, expected learning outcomes are defined for specific programmes, or even courses and modules.

Section 1.8: Admission Requirements to Higher Education

Short-cycle course Education (zhuanke)

A senior secondary school graduate or a student with the equivalent education level, after passing the National College Entrance Examination and being admitted, may study in a higher education institution delivering short-cycle course education.

Regular Course Education (benke) and Bachelor’s Degree Programmes

A senior secondary school graduate or a student with the equivalent education level, after passing the National College Entrance Examination and upon meeting the requirements for admission, may study in a higher education institution delivering regular course education/Bachelor’s degree programmes.

Postgraduate Education (Master’s Level) and Master’s Degree Programmes

A Bachelor’s Degree holder, or a student with the equivalent education level may be admitted to an education programme in a Master’s Degree awarding institution (a higher education institution or a research institute with authority to award a Master’s Degree) after passing the admission examination.

Postgraduate Education (Doctor’s Level) and Doctor’s Degree Programmes

A Master’s Degree holder or a student with the equivalent education level may be admitted to a higher education programme in a Doctoral Degree-awarding institution (a higher education institution or a research institute with authority to award a Doctoral Degree) after passing the admission examination.

Some institutions that have authority to award a Doctoral Degree offer Master+Doctor Degree awarding programmes. A Bachelor’s Degree holder can be enrolled in such programmes.

Section 1.9: Grading System

Grading in China doesn’t follow unified system. Many HEIs adopt five-scale Latin letter grades or numerical grades, as follows:

A: Excellent (85-100)
- A: 90-100
- A-: 85-89

B: Good (75-84)
- B+: 82-84
- B: 78-81
- B-:75-77

C: Average (64-74)
- C+: 72-74
- C: 68-71
- C-: 64-67

D: Pass (60-63)
F: Fail (0-59)

Section 1.10: Tuition Fee System for International Students

The standard of tuition fees for self-financed international students is determined by the HEIs independently. Thus tuition fees vary according to the type of institutions and major.

Section 1.11: Graduation Requirements and/or Qualification Awarding Requirements

Short-cycle course Education (zhuanke)

A student may be awarded a Graduation Certificate of Short-cycle course Education (zhuanke) upon completion of a two-year to three-year study.

A student may also obtain a Graduation Certificate of Short-cycle course Education (zhuanke) after passing the National Test for Self-Taught Students with relevant requirements met.

Regular Course Education (benke) and Bachelor’s Degree Programmes

A student may be awarded a Graduation Certificate of Regular Course Education (benke) upon completion of a four-year higher education programme (in the case of Medicine, or certain other majors, a five-year programme) and may be awarded a Bachelor’s Degree upon successfully meeting the Degree requirements.

A Graduation Certificate of Short-cycle course Education holder or a student with the equivalent education level may also obtain the Graduation Certificate of Regular Course Education (benke) after passing the National Test for Self-Taught Students with relevant requirements met, and is entitled to apply for and be awarded a Bachelor’s Degree from the institution with authority to award a Bachelor’s Degree after successfully meeting the Degree requirements.

Postgraduate Education (Master’s Level) and Master’s Degree Programmes

A student may be awarded a Graduation Certificate (Master’s Level) after studying or researching for two or three years or a Master’s Degree upon successfully meeting the Master’s Degree requirements.

A Bachelor’s Degree holder may also, by means of part-time study, apply for, and be awarded, after successfully meeting the Master’s Degree requirements, a Master’s Degree by a Master’s Degree awarding institution.

Postgraduate Education (Doctor’s Level) and Doctor’s Degree Programmes

A student may be awarded a Graduation Certificate (Doctor’s Level) after studying or researching for three to four years, or a Doctor’s Degree upon successfully meeting the Doctoral Degree requirements.

A Master’s Degree holder or a student with the equivalent education level may also apply for and be awarded a Doctoral Degree by an institution with authority to award Doctoral Degrees by means of part-time study leading to the successful achievement of the Doctoral Degree requirements.

Some institutions that have authority to award a Doctoral Degree offer Master+Doctor Degree awarding programmes. A Bachelor’s Degree holder who is enrolled in such programmes may be awarded a Doctoral degree after a minimum of five years of study or research leading to the successful achievement of the Doctoral Degree requirements.

Section 1.12: Relevant Current and Prospective Reforms in Higher Education

China is currently undergoing a comprehensive reform in Higher Education, aiming to optimize HE structure and its functions. Highlights of the reform are as follows:

To enhance HEIs’ inner strength, improve education quality, and establish a classified, diversified and scientific evaluation system for HEIs;
To innovate cultivating mode, and let HEIs play a main role in cultivating process;
To find the right position of different types of HEIs, optimize its discipline structure, and improve students’ employment ability;
To reform examination and enrollment system, insure students’ healthy growth, and pursue a scientific way of selecting talents featuring fairness and justice;
To deepen the reform of personnel management system in HEIs, strengthen teaching staff’s capability and mobilize their enthusiasm and creativity;
To alter the functions of the government, improve the internal governance structure in HEIs, and build a modern university system;
To engage HEIs in international cooperation and people-to-people exchanges.

Chapter 2: Quality Assurance in Higher Education

Section 2.1: Quality Assurance Body in Higher Education

Two external quality assurance at the national level:

Postgraduate Education: China Academic Degrees and Graduate Education Development (CDGDC)
Undergraduate Education: Higher Education Evaluation Center of the Ministry of Education (HEEC)

Section 2.2: Quality Assurance System

	Study programme	Institution
Voluntary
Compulsory	X	X
Regularity	Postgraduate：6 years	Undergraduate： 5 years
External	X	X
Internal	X	X

Section 2.3: Link Programme Authorisation with Quality Assurance

Evaluations on accredited degree-awarding programs are conducted on a regular basis. Results of evaluations can be as follows:

PASS: meaning the program is validated and can continue to enrol students;
CONDITIONAL PASS: meaning the program needs to be rectified within a prescribed time period before a follow-up evaluation, during which the program has to decrease or stop student enrollment.
FAIL: meaning the program is no longer accredited.

Chapter 3: Credit System in Higher Education

Section 3.1: Description of Credit System

Chinese HEIs are using the scholastic-year-and-credit system, which requires students to study for a prescribed study length as well as number of credits before graduation. At present, there is no unified credit system employed by all HEIs. Chinese HEIs define their own credits.

Section 3.2: Credit Transfer System(s)

Credit transfer is achieved only among HEIs with partnership agreements, and in certain regions with also regional arrangements in place.

Section 3.3: Additional Information

Credit system is a hot-debated topic in China. The education authorities and HEIs are advocating to draw useful references from overseas experience and to explore to establish credit system and credit transfer mechanism with Chinese characteristics and conforming to Chinese realities. There are discussions, explorations and experiments on how to develop a credit system that can encourage autonomy and liberty in HEIs while assuring higher education quality. Credit system will with no doubt be an important aspect in China’s higher education reform, and a credit accumulation and transfer system is widely expected to facilitate student mobility, education transparency and academic exchange and cooperation.

Section 3.4: Application of Credit System in Higher Education Institutions Obligatory?

No. Today many Chinese HEIs are applying the credit concept to measure student workloads. To get a certain amount of credits is one of the requirements for graduation. Chinese Ministry of Education encourages the employment of credit system. Some provincial education authorities also issued relevant provisions. But HEIs have the right to conceive and apply the credit system which suits themselves.

Section 3.5: Number of Credits per Academic Year/Semester

Not applicable.

Section 3.6: Number of Credits per Higher Education Cycle