been merged into other universities). The current project, established in 2015, is the Double First Class University Plan to create world-class universities by 2050. In October 2015, the State Council of People's Republic of China published the 'Overall Plan for Promoting the Construction of World First-Class Universities and First-Class Disciplines (Double First-Class University Plan)' , which made new arrangements for the development of higher education in China, replacing previous projects of Chinese higher education. A total of 140 Double First Class Universities were approved to be included in the state Double First Class University Plan by the central government of China in 2017, representing the top 5% of the higher education institutions (3,012) in this country. As of February, 2022, the 147 Double First Class Universities are considered as the most elite part of higher education in Mainland China. See also List of universities in China Double First Class University Plan State Key Laboratories C9 League Project 211 Project 985 Excellence League Big Four Institutes of Technology Yangtze Delta Universities Alliance References External links What is the difference between Universities directly under the Ministry of Education and National Key Universities? - Chinese Ministry of Education :zh:中华人民共和国全国重点大学列表 (list) List of Universities directly under the Ministry of Education - Chinese Ministry of Education National list of key universities - China Education Online Universities and colleges in China Colloquial terms for groups of universities and colleges