In 2022, the number of public colleges and universities in China amounted to 2,760. These included 1,239 universities and 1,489 higher vocational colleges. The total number of colleges and universities increased significantly in the last decades. Plans to further develop and modernize the national higher education system is among the latest policy trends of the Chinese government. Initiatives such as the Double First Class University Plan are some of the most recent contributions to the higher education development plan aimed at improving Chinese universities' standards as well as creating more world-class universities across the country.
Mainland China has two higher education institutions continuously ranked among the top 50 universities in the world. Tsinghua University in Beijing is the leading higher education school in China and one of the most reputable ones globally. Peking University, the second best in the country, is the oldest national university founded in 1898 as the Imperial University of Peking and besides its academic reputation is also famous for one of the most beautiful university campuses. Fudan University in Shanghai, University of Science and Technology of China in Hefei, Zhejiang University in Hangzhou, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, and Nanjing University are other prestigious schools consistently competing in China's top 10 university rankings.
Number of public colleges and universities in China between 2012 and 2022
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National Bureau of Statistics of China. (October 16, 2023). Number of public colleges and universities in China between 2012 and 2022 [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved September 20, 2024, from https://www-statista-com.ezproxy.canberra.edu.au/statistics/226982/number-of-universities-in-china/
National Bureau of Statistics of China. "Number of public colleges and universities in China between 2012 and 2022." Chart. October 16, 2023. Statista. Accessed September 20, 2024. https://www-statista-com.ezproxy.canberra.edu.au/statistics/226982/number-of-universities-in-china/
National Bureau of Statistics of China. (2023). Number of public colleges and universities in China between 2012 and 2022. Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: September 20, 2024. https://www-statista-com.ezproxy.canberra.edu.au/statistics/226982/number-of-universities-in-china/
National Bureau of Statistics of China. "Number of Public Colleges and Universities in China between 2012 and 2022." Statista, Statista Inc., 16 Oct 2023, https://www-statista-com.ezproxy.canberra.edu.au/statistics/226982/number-of-universities-in-china/
National Bureau of Statistics of China, Number of public colleges and universities in China between 2012 and 2022 Statista, https://www-statista-com.ezproxy.canberra.edu.au/statistics/226982/number-of-universities-in-china/ (last visited September 20, 2024)
Number of public colleges and universities in China between 2012 and 2022 [Graph], National Bureau of Statistics of China, October 16, 2023. [Online]. Available: https://www-statista-com.ezproxy.canberra.edu.au/statistics/226982/number-of-universities-in-china/