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Double First-Class university and discipline list policy update

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​(Information current as at 14 December 2017)

In September 2017, the Chinese Ministry of Education, Ministry of Finance and National Development and Reform Commission released the detailed lists of universities and disciplines to be developed under China’s Double First-Class [Pinyin: shuāng yī liú] initiative. The Double First-Class initiative is China’s largest education development scheme to date, aimed at increasing the global recognition of China’s university system by 2049 (the 100 year anniversary of the establishment of the People’s Republic of China). The plan was first announced in November 2015 and the implementation plan was issued in January 2017.
 
Under this initiative, 42 universities have been identified as having the potential to develop as world class, including 36 universities categorised as type A (already well on the way to being world class) and 6 universities as type B (considered to have the potential to be world class). In addition, 465 disciplines from 140 universities (including the group of 42) are also identified as having the potential to become world class.
 
The list of 42 universities includes all 39 of the former “985” project universities, plus three additional universities from the former “211” project: Zhengzhou University (Henan), Yunnan University (Yunnan) and Xinjiang University (Xinjiang). The discipline development list is composed mainly of former “985” and “211” project universities, with an additional 25 non “211” project universities that have strengths in particular fields.
 
The Double First-Class initiative covers all provinces and regions in mainland China, with a broader geographical spread than the former “985” and “211” projects. This preferential policy support towards regional areas is designed to help achieve the national education development goal of having more balanced and equitable education for all. However, the majority of disciplines to be developed are still clustered in major cosmopolitan areas in the eastern region of China. Beijing topped the chart with 162 disciplines, followed by Shanghai with 57 and Jiangsu with 43.  These three provinces together have more than half of the total disciplines to be developed.
 
Australian universities have developed strong partnerships with Chinese universities over the years, and should expect to see partners included in the Double First-Class rise in international rankings, with substantial support afforded by the initiative.  An analysis of Universities Australia data shows that almost 60% of the active institutional agreements in 2016 between Australian and Chinese universities are with universities that are included in the initiative, and of the 36 Australian Studies Centres established across China, 13 are located in Double First-Class universities.
 
The following lists of disciplines can assist Australian universities and researchers to identify potential education and research partners.
 
1. "Double First-Class” initiative disciplines development list (Sorted by province and university)

2. “Double First-Class” initiative disciplines development list (Sorted by discipline)

For further enquiries, please contact the Education and Research Section of the Australian Embassy in Beijing.
 
 
 

 “Double First-Class” initiative University development list

#
Province
University Name
Type
Previous Status
1
Anhui
University of Science and Technology of China
A
985 & 211
2
Beijing
Beihang University
A
985 & 211
3
Beijing
Beijing Institute of Technology
A
985 & 211
4
Beijing
Beijing Normal University
A
985 & 211
5
Beijing
China Agricultural University
A
985 & 211
6
Beijing
Peking University*
A
985 & 211
7
Beijing
Renmin University of China*
A
985 & 211
8
Beijing
Tsinghua University*
A
985 & 211
9
Beijing
Minzu University of China
A
985 & 211
10
Chongqing
Chongqing University
A
985 & 211
11
Fujian
Xiamen University*
A
985 & 211
12
Gansu
Lanzhou University
A
985 & 211
13
Guangdong
South China University of Technology
A
985 & 211
14
Guangdong
Sun Yat-sen University*
A
985 & 211
15
Heilongjiang
Harbin Institute of Technology*
A
985 & 211
16
Hubei
Huazhong University of Science and Technology
A
985 & 211
17
Hubei
Wuhan University*
A
985 & 211
18
Hunan
Central South University
A
985 & 211
19
Hunan
National University of Defense Technology
A
985 & 211
20
Jiangsu
Nanjing University*
A
985 & 211
21
Jiangsu
Southeast University
A
985 & 211
22
Jilin
Jilin University
A
985 & 211
23
Liaoning
Dalian University of Technology
A
985 & 211
24
Shaanxi
Northwestern Polytechnical University
A
985 & 211
25
Shaanxi
Xi'an Jiaotong University
A
985 & 211
26
Shandong
Ocean University of China
A
985 & 211
27
Shandong
Shandong University
A
985 & 211
28
Shanghai
East China Normal University*
A
985 & 211
29
Shanghai
Fudan University
A
985 & 211
30
Shanghai
Shanghai Jiao Tong University*
A
985 & 211
31
Shanghai
Tongji University
A
985 & 211
32
Sichuan
Sichuan University
A
985 & 211
33
Sichuan
University of Electronic Science and Technology of China
A
985 & 211
34
Tianjin
Nankai University*
A
985 & 211
35
Tianjin
Tianjin University
A
985 & 211
36
Zhejiang
Zhejiang University*
A
985 & 211
37
Hunan
Hunan University
B
985 & 211
38
Liaoning
Northeastern University*
B
985 & 211
39
Shaanxi
Northwest A&F University
B
985 & 211
40
Henan
Zhengzhou University
B
211
41
Xinjiang
Xinjiang University
B
211
42
Yunnan
Yunnan University
B
211
 
 

 

*indicates that the university hosts an Australian Studies Centre (ASC) as of November 2017

The list was published by the Ministry of Education of the People’s Republic of China on 21 September 2017
Initial translation credit to Science, Technology and Education Section, Embassy of Switzerland in China

 



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