Students in China's wealthiest provinces—Beijing, Shanghai, Jiangsu and Zhejiang—rank among the world's top performers in international educational assessments, including the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA).
But these results mask deep disparities across the country. The selection of provinces for PISA testing has drawn scrutiny, particularly after changes between 2015 and 2018 that replaced Guangdong with Zhejiang, shrinking the sample of tested provinces and making results less representative of China overall. PISA and China's Ministry of Education conducted this selection process together.
China requires all citizens to complete nine years of compulsory education—six years of elementary school and three years of middle school—funded by the government. In 2020, the Ministry of Education reported 34.4 million new entrants into compulsory education, bringing the total student population in this segment to 156 million. After middle school, graduates may pursue three additional years in high school or vocational training.
The government has substantially expanded higher education over recent decades. In 1985, it ended tuition-free university enrollment, requiring applicants to compete for scholarships based on academic merit. The first private universities were permitted in the early 1980s, contributing to a sharp increase in undergraduates and doctorate holders between 1995 and 2005.
Research funding has grown sharply. Investment in research and development increased 20 percent annually from 1999 onward, surpassing $100 billion by 2011. In 2006 alone, Chinese universities graduated 1.5 million science and engineering students.
China's scientific output has expanded globally. The country published 184,080 papers in recognized international journals by 2008—a seven-fold increase from 1996. By 2017, China surpassed the United States in total scientific publications.
As of 2021, China maintained 3,012 universities and colleges. Among these, 147 are designated as National Key Universities, part of an elite group known as Double First Class institutions. These elite universities account for roughly 4.6 percent of all higher education institutions in the country.
China has become a leading destination for international students. In 2013, it ranked as Asia's most popular country for international enrollment and third globally. The country now hosts the second-largest international student population worldwide and is the leading destination for Anglophone African students.
Chinese universities have gained international standing. As of 2025, two Chinese universities ranked in the global top 20, five in the top 50 and 19 in the top 200 on the Aggregate Ranking of Top Universities, a composite that combines ARWU, QS and THE rankings. Only the United States and the United Kingdom rank ahead of China in overall representation among these elite institutions.
