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Double First-Class Construction

Ongoing Chinese higher education development scheme

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  • 3 chapters

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The program was announced under the Xi Jinping administration in 2015 to replace the original higher education development programs Project 211 and Project 985.

History

In October 2015, the State Council of China published the "Overall Plan for Promoting the Construction of World First-Class Universities and First-Class Disciplines" (Double First-Class Initiative), which made new arrangements for the development of higher education in China, replacing previous higher education projects.

In June 2016, the Ministry of Education of China announced that the Project 211 and Project 985 had been abolished and replaced by the Double First-Class Construction Initiative.

The purpose of the program is to "enhance the comprehensive strength and international competitiveness of China's higher education." The phase-specific objectives include that "an increasing number of Chinese universities and their disciplines join the ranks of world-class institutions, and a number of universities enter the forefront of global excellence, with a group of disciplines reaching the forefront of world-class standings by 2030," and "developing the Double First-Class Construction Universities into world-class higher education institutions through building and strengthening their faculties and departments by the mid-21st century."

In September 2017, the full list of the universities and their disciplines of the Double First-Class Construction was jointly published by the Ministry of Education of China, the Ministry of Finance of China and the National Development and Reform Commission of China. According to the list, 140 universities had been approved as 'Double First-Class Universities' by the State Council of China. The Double First-Class Construction policy sought to drive the overall development of universities by building and strengthening their faculties and departments, and ultimately develop the Double First-Class Construction Universities into world-class universities by 2050.

In February 2022, "Some Suggestions on Further Promoting the Construction of World First-Class Universities and First-Class Disciplines" were jointly published by the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Finance, and the National Development and Reform Commission. In addition, with the approval of the State Council of China, the updated Phase 2 list of "Double First-Class Construction Universities" was released. Under the Phase 2 List of the Double First-Class Construction, the previous university classifications were abolished, and a total number of 147 universities were included in the plan (accounted for 4.88% of 3,012 Chinese higher education institutions), after 7 additional universities were added to the list.

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