According to the “2022 National Education Development Statistical Communiqué” released by the Ministry of Education of the People’s Republic of China on July 15, 2023, there are 3,013 colleges and universities in China. Among them, there were 1239 ordinary undergraduate schools (including 164 independent colleges), an increase of 1 over the previous year; 32 vocational schools at the undergraduate level; There were 1,489 vocational (junior college) colleges, an increase of 3 over the previous year; There were 253 institutions of higher learning for adults, down 3 from the previous year. There are also 234 scientific research institutions that train graduate students.
The total number of students enrolled in various forms of higher education [25] was 46.55 million, an increase of 2.25 million over the previous year. The gross enrolment rate of tertiary education was 59.6 per cent, an increase of 1.8 percentage points over the previous year. The average size of ordinary undergraduate schools [26] is 16,793, the average size of undergraduate vocational schools is 19,487, and the average size of higher vocational (junior college) schools is 10,168.
The general undergraduate enrollment was 4,679,400, an increase of 233,400 over the previous year, an increase of 5.25%, and 866,200 undergraduate students were enrolled at the beginning of junior colleges; 19,656,400 students, an increase of 725,400 or 3.83% over the previous year; There were 4,715,700 graduates, an increase of 434,700 over the previous year, an increase of 10.15%.
The enrollment of vocational undergraduate students was 76,300, an increase of 34,900 over the previous year, an increase of 84.39%, and there were 33,100 undergraduate students enrolled at the beginning of junior college. There were 228,700 students, an increase of 99,400 over the previous year, an increase of 76.91%.
The enrollment of higher vocational (junior college) was 5,389,800 (excluding the enrollment of 542,900 students transferred from five-year higher vocational to junior college), an increase of 315,900 over the previous year, an increase of 6.23%; 16,709,000 students, an increase of 808,000 over the previous year, an increase of 5.08%; There were 4,947,700 graduates, an increase of 963,600 over the previous year, an increase of 24.19%.
The enrollment of adult junior college was 4,400,200, an increase of 614,900 over the previous year, an increase of 16.24%; 9,336,500 students, an increase of 1,010,000 over the previous year, an increase of 12.13%; There were 3,300,700 graduates, an increase of 521,200 over the previous year, an increase of 18.75%.
The enrollment of online majors was 2,808,900, a decrease of 30,300 or 1.07% over the previous year; There were 8,446,500 students, down 292,500 or 3.35% from the previous year; There were 2,618,900 graduates, an increase of 28,300 over the previous year, an increase of 1.09%.
There were 3,984,100 applicants for the national higher education self-study examination and 361,700 graduation certificates.
There are 1,977,800 full-time teachers in higher education, including 1,315,800 in ordinary undergraduate schools, 27,800 in undergraduate-level vocational schools, 619,500 in higher vocational (junior college) schools, and 14,700 in adult colleges and universities. The student-teacher ratio of ordinary undergraduate schools [28] is 17.65:1, the student-teacher ratio of undergraduate vocational schools is 18.31:1, and the student-teacher ratio of higher vocational (junior college) schools is 19.69:1.
The total building area of ordinary and vocational colleges and universities [29] was 1130.8055 million square meters, an increase of 43.1326 million square meters over the previous year, an increase of 3.97%. The average student covers an area of 51.63 square meters, the average school building area is 25.21 square meters, and the average student teaching and research practice instrument and equipment value is 17527.82 yuan.
Summary: The number of undergraduate, junior college, graduate and doctoral students in China in 2022 is as follows:
Doctoral students: 556,100
Master’s students: 3,097,500
Undergraduate: 19,656,400
Higher vocational (specialist): 16,709,000
Adult specialty: 9,336,500
Network specialty: 8,446,500
Source: http://m.moe.gov.cn/jyb_sjzl/sjzl_fztjgb/202307/t20230705_1067278.html