Summary

In late May, China’s Ministry of Education issued a new policy on the transformation of the country’s remaining semi-independent affiliated colleges (独立学院). This is a type of higher education institution that, as the name implies, operates independently but is affiliated to a public university. As of 2018 there were 265 of these colleges making up around 10 per cent of all Chinese HEIs, but by the end of 2020 each of these colleges should establish a plan to either (a) convert to a public university, (b) convert to a private (non-profit) university, or (c) terminate new recruitment and prepare to close down its operations.

Most independent affiliated colleges were founded in the 1990s and early 00s as part of a strategy to increase China’s higher education capacity. Their name typically includes that of the parent public university – for example, “Zhejiang University Ningbo Institute of Technology” – but they award bachelor’s degrees in their own right and essentially operate independently, although the parent university does have some representation on the college’s governing body. They tend to be much less selective than the parent university in terms of Gaokao scores, typically requiring only a third-tier Gaokao score for enrolment onto a bachelor’s degree programme. From around 2000 onwards the trend shifted towards direct creation of new universities, while a significant proportion of semi-independent affiliated colleges have also been converted to private universities since that time. In early 2020 two of these colleges gained public university status, the first time independent colleges had been converted to public rather than private universities.

Analysis by Kevin Prest, Senior Analyst, British Council International Education Services

The conversion of semi-independent affiliated colleges to full universities is likely aimed to simplify this part of the Chinese higher education sector, as these institutions already operate in a very similar way to private universities. Colleges that convert to public HEIs will receive more government funding, and over the longer term we may see some of these institutions increasing in prestige as their image is no longer held back by their separate status, but in the short term they will probably continue to be primarily teaching-focused institutions that are not highly selective in terms of student recruitment.

It is important to note that semi-independent affiliated colleges are not the same thing as vocational higher education. China’s HE system will continue to be divided between higher vocational colleges teaching three-year diploma programmes and universities offering four-year bachelor’s degrees; affiliated colleges have always been part of the latter group.

Degree certificates of existing graduates will not be changed, and UK universities should continue to recognise that degrees from affiliated colleges are usually significantly less prestigious than those earned from the parent university, despite the similar name.

Source

1. EOL: Ministry of Education requires all independent affiliated colleges to be transformed (in Chinese) – https://www.eol.cn/henan/henan_news/202005/t20200525_1729074.shtml

2. British Council IES: Zhejiang University Ningbo Institute of Technology becomes the first Chinese “independent college” to transform into a public university (May 2018) – https://education-services.britishcouncil.org/news/market-news/zhejiang-university-ningbo-institute-of-technology-becomes-first-chinese-