Universities by tier
Prestige tier is the #1 filter for most applicants. Every list below is limited to universities that actually admit international students via the CSCA — not the full national roster.
Project 985 Universities
39 universities
Project 985 (985工程) is a 1998 national initiative that funded 39 universities to reach "world-class" status.
Project 211 Universities
113 universities
Project 211 (211工程) designated roughly 112 universities as national key institutions — about the top 6% nationally.
Double First-Class Universities
144 universities
Double First-Class (双一流) is the current national excellence scheme, launched in 2017 and refreshed periodically.
C9 League Universities
9 universities
The C9 League is an alliance of nine Chinese universities: Peking, Tsinghua, Fudan, Shanghai Jiao Tong, Zhejiang, Nanjing, USTC, Harbin Institute of Technology and Xi’an Jiaotong.