In recent years, China has greatly expanded the number of admissions at state-owned universities and colleges. The number of students studying in universities and colleges in China has multiplied several times since 1998 and is now pegged at about 20 million. The admission ratio also has increased from 10% to 17%.

Today there are 3,000 universities in China. They include 1,300 general universities, 1,200 private schools and other continuing education facilities. China's university system consists of two types of educational institution, including: junior colleges (offering both two- and three-year degree options) and traditional four-year universities (conferring Bachelor's degrees - and often Master's and post-doctorate degrees as well).

These days, Chinese universities use the credit hour system. Generally, vocational training lasts for 3 years, undergraduate study lasts for 4 years and postgraduate study is another 2 to 3 years.

Most schools in China are state owned, especially those universities that focus on research. Private schools have been growing rapidly in recent years, but many still lag behind state-owned universities in terms of reputation and administration.