NOTE: Education levels are defined according to the 1997 International Standard
Classification of Education (ISCED97). Ages represent the typical age at the beginning
of the school year.
Numbers in bold print indicate ages of universal enrollment (i.e., an enrollment
rate of over 90 percent). Numbers highlighted represent the age at which compulsory
enrollment begins through the age at which compulsory enrollment ends. No meaning
should be inferred from width of subdivisions. Duration of first university degree
program is generally 4 years in China.
SOURCE: Netherlands Organization for International Cooperation in Higher Education
(NUFFIC). (2012). Country Module: China. The Hague: Author. Retrieved April
17, 2013 from
http://www.nuffic.nl/en/diploma-recognition/country-modules/country-modules;
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). (2011).
World Data on Education: 7th edition,
2010/11. Paris: Author. Retrieved April 12, 2013, from
http://www.ibe.unesco.org/fileadmin/user_upload/Publications/WDE/2010/pdf-versions/China.pdf.
NOTE: In most provinces, education is organized into 6 years of primary and 3 years of junior secondary education. However, in some provinces, education is organized into 5 years of primary and 4 years of junior secondary education.
NOTE: Junior vocational schools mainly provide basic professional knowledge and skills. Senior vocational education consists of specialized schools that train workers to have the comprehensive professional abilities and qualities needed for positions in the forefront of production, service, technology, and management.
NOTE: Programs that combine a master's degree and a doctoral degree do not require an entrance examination for admission to the doctoral program.
Netherlands Organization for International Cooperation in Higher Education. (2012). Country Module: China. The Hague: Author. Retrieved April 17, 2013, from http://www.nuffic.nlen/diploma-recognition/country-modules/country-modules.
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, International Bureau of Education. (2011). World Data on Education, 2010/11 (7th edition). Profile on the People's Republic of China. Paris: Author. Retrieved April 12, 2013, from http://www.ibe.unesco.org/fileadmin/user_upload/Publications/WDE/2010/pdf-versions/China.pdf.