China's Ministry of Education recently issued an updated list of the country's higher education institutions. The country now has 2,845 tertiary institutions, including 275 semi-independent colleges of larger universities, 292 colleges for life-long learning and seven Sino-foreign joint institutions. Twelve provinces now each have more than 100 HEIs, with Jiangsu Province topping the list with 162 universities and higher vocational institutions. Around half of the country's HEIs are universities offering full four year degree programmes, while the remainder offer three year higher vocational courses.
 
In comparison to the 2014 list, the number of regular HEIs has increased by 32. Eight of these new universities were formerly semi-independent colleges affiliated with other institutions but have now been recognised as independent private HEIs. Three quarters of the remainder were located in the West China region, which is an important focus of China's current education policy.
 
The MoE issues a list of accredited universities annually, partly in effort to alert the public of “bogus universities”. Recently sdaxue.com, a private information service platform for Gaokao (university entrance exam) candidates, published a list of 210 “bogus universities” suspected of fraud and illegal enrolment.
 
 
Analysis by Liu Xiaoxiao, Education Services Manager and Kevin Prest, Senior Analyst:
 
The accreditation of 32 new HEIs comes against a background of increasing overall higher education enrolment in China, but their regional distribution illustrates the importance the government places on developing the western parts of China. University entrance rates and educational attainment are still much lower in western provinces compared with more developed parts of the country, and equalising opportunities for students in western China is an important part of Chinese education policy. At the same time, student numbers in other provinces are decreasing due to the declining student-age population. Second tier universities have failed to fill their quota of Beijing students for four straight years, while recruitment in Henan province also fell below the enrolment quota in 2014.
 
Meanwhile, the conversion of universities' affiliated colleges to independent private HEIs continues a trend that has become established over the last few years. The number of these affiliated colleges has decreased from 287 in 2013 to 275 in 2015. The healthy development of privately run educational institutions was one the key goals for the education sector in China's annual Government Work Report for 2015. 
 
The list could also be useful for UK universities looking to assess the credibility of a potential local partner. Institutions are advised to confirm that the Chinese HEI appears on the MoE’s list of accredited institutions before moving forward with any partnerships.
 
Sources:
http://www.moe.edu.cn/publicfiles/business/htmlfiles/moe/moe_229/201505/187754.html
http://www.chinatoday.com.cn/chinese/society/zx/201505/t20150522_800033573.html
http://www.moe.edu.cn/publicfiles/business/htmlfiles/moe/s8462/201502/184282.html
http://usa.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2015-06/07/content_20931847.htm