Best universities in China 2018

Find out all about China's top universities, and explore their world university ranking performance

September 6 2017

Higher education in China has gone from strength to strength in recent years, with an increasing number of institutes appearing among the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2018.

Directives including Project 211 and Project 985 – which aim to improve the standards of the top 100 and 40 Chinese universities respectively – combined with huge national investment has seen China’s reputation in the education sector rocket up the rankings.

And who wouldn’t want to study there? An enormous country, home to more than 20 per cent of the people on Earth, China has one of the fastest developing economies. From cuisine to culture, China offers something completely unique.

The huge country is home to some of the most diverse and stunning landscapes on the planet; from the Rainbow Mountains in Zhangye, to the fishing villages along the coast and even the incomprehensibly vast cities that continue to expand, there’s something in China for everyone.

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With an ever-increasing number of universities, the choice of places to study in China may seem overwhelming.

However, a number of initiatives from the Chinese government have helpfully categorised the top universities, similarly to the UK’s Russell Group system and the Ivy League in the United States.

Established in 1995, Project 211 was designed to raise the research standards of China’s top universities. Institutions that reach a certain standard are rewarded with significantly increased funds. Today there are 116 higher education institutions that are part of Project 211.

Project 985 was established three years later and uses a very similar strategy, although just 39 universities have received sponsorship as a result of this project and in 2011 it was announced that no new universities would be able to gain membership to this exclusive group.

The final and most selective group is the C9 League, a group of the country’s top nine elite universities who between them receive 10 per cent of China’s national research budget.

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1. Peking University

Peking University is a member of the C9 league which is similar to the Ivy League group in the US and is generally one of the highest-ranked institutions in China.

It was the first modern national university in China, and since its founding in 1898 it has had a reputation as a leading educational institution.

The institution is well-known for its campuses, situated in the Haidian district in northwest Beijing. It is home to some of the capital’s most prominent and recognised gardens and traditional architecture. These include traditional houses, gardens, pagodas, as well as many notable historical buildings and structures. There are several gates that lead into campus, with the West Gate being the most well-known for the painted murals on its ceiling.

The university has established joint degree programmes with Cornell University, Yale University, London School of Economics and Political Science, Paris School of International Affairs, Waseda University, Seoul National University and the University of Tokyo to encourage international exchanges for students.

2. Tsinghua University

Tsinghua University is also located in the Haidian District of northwest Beijing. It was established in 1911.

Like Peking University, it also retains much of its traditional architecture, juxtaposed with many buildings built in the Western-style reflecting the historical American influence on the campus.

Tsinghua University is a comprehensive research university. Its 20 schools and 54 departments cover disciplines in art, economics, education, engineering, history, management, medicine, law, literature, philosophy, and sciences.

In terms of life outside of studying, the university has more than 110 student associations covering science and technology, physical training, humanities, arts and public welfare.

Many successful people in politics, academia and industry have graduated from Tsinghua University including two Nobel Prize winners, Tsung-Dao Lee and Yang Chen Ning.

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3. Fudan University

Fudan University is composed of four campuses in downtown Shanghai: Handan, Fenglin, Zhangjiang and Jiangwan.

The university takes a liberal arts approach to teaching with a number of its courses taught in English. Internationalisation is also a high priority at the institution with global connections and exchange programmes at almost 200 overseas universities including Columbia University, University of Toronto, University of Sydney, KU Leuven, University of Manchester and Sciences Po.

Students are also encouraged to go on international exchanges, with around 40 per cent electing to do this.

The university is extremely selective, with less than 0.2 per cent of National College Entrance Examination ("Gaokao") takers being accepted.

4. University of Science and Technology of China

The University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) is a national research university in Hefei, Anhui and was founded to boost science and technology education in China.

There are 15 schools, spanning physical sciences, life sciences, software engineering and electro-optical technology, among many other science and technology disciplines.

There are also two national labs – the National Synchrotron Radiation Facility and the Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at the Microscale – the only university in the country to do so.

The university is also home to a large library, a first-class computer network, and a hospital which treats students, employees and their families as well as providing teaching facilities for medical students.

5. Nanjing University

The final university in the top five universities in China is Nanjing University.

It has 21 schools, running courses at undergraduate, postgraduate and research level. The university has one of China’s largest libraries, holding more than 4.5 million volumes.

These courses are spread across two campuses in Gulou and Xianlin.

Nanjing University established the first department of Western literature among Chinese universities, in 1921.

The university has a school song which was created in 1916 and recovered in 2002. The lyrics written by Jiang Qian and melody composed by Li Shutong.

Top universities in China 2018

Click on each institution to see its full World University Rankings 2018 results

China Rank 2018	World University Rank 2018	University	Province/Area
1	=27	Peking University	Beijing
2	30	Tsinghua University	Beijing
3	116	Fudan University	Shanghai
4	132	University of Science and Technology of China	Anhui
5	=169	Nanjing University	Jiangsu
6	=177	Zhejiang University	Zhejiang
7	=188	Shanghai Jiao Tong University	Shanghai
=8	351–400	Sun Yat-sen University	Guangdong
=9	401–500	Huazhong University of Science and Technology	Hubei
=9	401–500	Tongji University	Shanghai
=9	401–500	Wuhan University	Hubei
=9	401–500	Xiamen University	Fujian
=13	501–600	Central China Normal University	Hubei
=13	501–600	East China Normal University	Shanghai
=13	501–600	Harbin Institute of Technology	Heilongjiang
=13	501–600	Renmin University of China	Beijing
=13	501–600	Shandong University	Shandong
=13	501–600	Soochow University	Jiangsu
=13	501–600	South China University of Technology	Guangdong
=13	501–600	Southeast University	Jiangsu
=13	501–600	Tianjin University	Tianjin
=13	501–600	Xi’an Jiaotong University	Shaanxi
=23	601–800	Beihang University	Beijing
=23	601–800	Beijing Institute of Technology	Beijing
=23	601–800	Capital Medical University	Beijing
=23	601–800	Central South University	Hunan
=23	601–800	China Agricultural University	Beijing
=23	601–800	China University of Geosciences, Beijing	Beijing
=23	601–800	China University of Geosciences, Wuhan	Hubei
=23	601–800	Dalian University of Technology	Liaoning
=23	601–800	East China University of Science and Technology	Shanghai
=23	601–800	Fuzhou University	Fuzhou
=23	601–800	Huazhong Agricultural University	Hubei
=23	601–800	Hunan University	Hunan
=23	601–800	Nanjing Agricultural University	Jiangsu
=23	601–800	Nanjing Medical University	Jiangsu
=23	601–800	Nanjing Normal University	Jiangsu
=23	601–800	Nanjing Tech University	Jiangsu
=23	601–800	Northeast Normal University	Jilin
=23	601–800	Northwestern Polytechnical University	Shaanxi
=23	601–800	University of Science and Technology Beijing	Beijing
=23	601–800	Shanghai University	Jiangsu
=23	601–800	Shantou University	Guangdong
=23	601–800	Sichuan University	Sichuan
=45	801–1000	Beijing Jiaotong University	Beijing
=45	801–1000	China University of Mining and Technology	Beijing
=45	801–1000	China University of Petroleum, Beijing	Beijing
=45	801–1000	Chongqing University	Chongqing
=45	801–1000	University of Electronic Science and Technology of China	Sichuan
=45	801–1000	Huaqiao University	Fujian
=45	801–1000	Jiangsu University	Jiangsu
=45	801–1000	Jinan University	Guangdong
=45	801–1000	Northeastern University	Liaoning
=45	801–1000	Northwest University	Shaanxi
=45	801–1000	NorthWest A&F University	Shaanxi
=45	801–1000	Ocean University of China	Shangdong
=45	801–1000	Shaanxi Normal University	Shaanxi
=45	801–1000	Wuhan University of Technology	Hubei
=45	801–1000	Xiangtan University	Hunan
=45	801–1000	Xidian University	Shaanxi
=61	1001+	Guangxi University	Guangxi
=61	1001+	Shanghai Maritime University	Shanghai
=61	1001+	Southwest Jiaotong University	Sichuan