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The Education System in China


Figure A-5. Levels of education in China, by age and year of schooling: 2013

Levels of education in China, by age and year of schooling: 2013

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.

Preprimary:

  • Common name: Preschool, kindergarten, prep school
  • Ages of attendance: As early as age 3 through age 5
  • Number of years: 3
  • Start of universal enrollment: Age 3
  • Compulsory: No

Primary:

  • Common name: Primary school
  • Ages of attendance: 6 through 11
  • Number of years: 6
  • Universal enrollment: Yes
  • Compulsory: Yes, begins at 6

Lower secondary:

  • Common name: Common junior middle school (chuzhong), vocational junior middle school
  • Ages of attendance: 12 through 14
  • Number of years: 3
  • Universal enrollment: Yes
  • Compulsory: Yes
  • Entrance/exit criteria: None

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.

Upper secondary:

  • Common name: Common senior middle school (gaozhong); secondary vocational education (zhongzhuan), which includes secondary polytechnic school, technical school, and vocational senior middle school
  • Ages of attendance: 15 through 17
  • Number of years: 3
  • Universal enrollment: Through age 15
  • Compulsory: No
  • Entrance/exit criteria: Students must pass an entrance examination to enter senior secondary education. The senior secondary level uses a credit system in which students must complete 144 credits of compulsory subjects and electives. At the end of the program, students take the "general ability test," which is administered by provincial authorities and covers nine subjects; a practical exam in physics, chemistry, and biology; and an assessment in moral, ideological, and political development. If successful, students receive the senior middle school graduation certificate gaozhong).

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.

Postsecondary and tertiary:

  • Common name: College (xueyuan), university (daxue)
  • Ages of attendance: Varies
  • Number of years: Varies according to degree program
  • Universal enrollment: No
  • Entrance criteria: Admission to a college or university depends on the results of a national entrance examination (gaokao). To enter a master's degree program, applicants must have a bachelor's degree and be successful on an entrance examination. To be admitted to a doctoral degree program, applicants must have a master's degree, pass an entrance examination, and have formal recommendations from at least two professors.

NOTE: Programs that combine a master's degree and a doctoral degree do not require an entrance examination for admission to the doctoral program.

Common degree programs:

  • Zhuanke: 2- to 3-year practically oriented program.
  • Xueshi xuewei: 4-year bachelor's degree program (5 years in the case of medicine, traditional Chinese medicine, architecture, and engineering).
  • Shuoshi xuewei: 2- to 3-year master's degree after a bachelor's degree.
  • Boshi: 3- to 5-year doctoral degree after a master's degree.

Sources:

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.

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