| 九校联盟 | |||||||
 | |||||||
| Formation | 4 May 1998 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Founded at | Beijing, China | ||||||
Region | China | ||||||
Membership | 9 universities | ||||||
| Chinese name | |||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 九校联盟 | ||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 九校聯盟 | ||||||
| |||||||
The C9 Leagueis an inter-university seminar composed of nine public universities in China. It was established on May 4, 1998, at the 100th anniversary of Peking University.
The C9 league comprises nine public universities: [1]
All C9 League schools are part of Project 985, Project 211, Plan 111, and Double First-Class Construction. [2] [3] In 2014, the University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences started to participate in the C9 League meetings. [4]
The following are the rankings of the C9 schools in the four major world university rankings that are recognized by governments in multiple countries and regions. [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11]
| University | City | QS (2023) [12] | THE (2025) [13] | ARWU (2024) [14] | USNWR (2024) [15] | Average |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Members | ||||||
| Tsinghua University | Beijing | 14 | 12 | 22 | 16 | 16 |
| Peking University | Beijing | 12 | 13 | 24 | 31 | 20 |
| Zhejiang University | Hangzhou | 42 | 47 | 27 | 51 | 42 |
| Shanghai Jiao Tong University | Shanghai | 46 | 52 | 38 | 54 | 47 |
| Fudan University | Shanghai | 34 | 36 | 50 | 85 | 51 |
| University of Science and Technology of China | Hefei | 94 | 53 | 42 | 82 | 68 |
| Nanjing University | Nanjing | 133 | 65 | 82 | 98 | 95 |
| Harbin Institute of Technology | Harbin | 217 | 152 | 101-150 | 160 | 164 |
| Xi'an Jiaotong University | Xi'an | 302 | 201-250 | 95 | 179 | 200 |
| Participant [4] | ||||||
| University of Chinese Academy of Sciences | Beijing | N/A | N/A | N/A | 69 | 69 |
Peking University (PKU) is a public university in Haidian, Beijing, China. It is affiliated with and funded by the Ministry of Education of China. The university is part of Project 211, Project 985, and the Double First-Class Construction. It is also a member in the C9 League.
The Harbin Institute of Technology (HIT) is a public science and engineering university in Nan'gang, Harbin, Heilongjiang, China. It is one of the top universities in China and now affiliated with the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology. The university is part of Project 211, Project 985, and the Double First-Class Construction.
Zhejiang University (ZJU) is a public university in Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China. It is affiliated with the Ministry of Education. The university is part of Double First-Class Construction, Project 985, and Project 211. Ranked #44 in QS World University Rankings 2024[].
The Beijing Institute of Technology (BIT) is a public university in Haidian, Beijing, China. It is affiliated with the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology. The university is part of Project 211, Project 985, and the Double First-Class Construction.
Xi'an Jiaotong University is a public university in Xi'an, Shaanxi, China. It is affiliated with and funded by the Ministry of Education of China. The university is part of Project 211, Project 985, and the Double First-Class Construction.
China Agricultural University (CAU) is a public university in Haidian, Beijing, China. The university is affiliated with the Ministry of Education of China. It is part of Project 211, Project 985, and the Double First-Class Construction.
The University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) is a public university in Hefei, China. It is affiliated with the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and co-funded by the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the Ministry of Education of China, and the Anhui Provincial Government. It is part of Project 211, Project 985, and the Double First-Class Construction.
Northwestern Polytechnical University is a public science and engineering university in Xi'an, Shaanxi, China. It is affiliated with the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology. The university is part of Project 211, Project 985, and the Double First-Class Construction.
National Key Universities previously referred to universities recognized as prestigious and which received a high level of support from the central government of the People's Republic of China. The term is no longer in official use by 1990s. The term "zhòngdiǎn" 重点, translated here as "key," in this phrase can also be translated as "major," "priority," or "focal." The term "National Key Universities" then became defunct, and these schools are now normally referred to as "Double First Class Universities“, based on the China state Double First-Class Construction. However, it remains part of the vernacular, as evidenced by some Chinese media articles which still refer to "National Key Universities".
Project 985 was a higher education development and sponsorship scheme of the Chinese central government for creating world-class higher education institutions, initiated in May 1998. There were 39 universities selected to be part of this program.
In 2023, the university enrollment rate was 60.2% according to the Ministry of Education, representing 47 million mainland Chinese students enrolled in 4-year university and college degree programs in some 3,074 Chinese tertiary institutions. Entry into universities is intended to be meritocratic in which successful entry depends only on the result of the Gaokao entrance examination. Usually, 12 years of formal education is a prerequisite for entry into an undergraduate degree. Entry is not influenced or determined by sporting activities, extracurricular programs, donations, or alumni parents and siblings. Chinese education authorities have emphasized meritocracy as a social equalizer.
The University of Electronic Science and Technology of China (UESTC) is a public university in Chengdu, Sichuan, China. Founded in 1956 by the instruction of then Premier Zhou Enlai, the university is affiliated with the Ministry of Education of China. It is co-sponsored by the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the Sichuan Provincial Government, and the Chengdu Municipal Government. The university is part of Project 211, Project 985, and the Double First-Class Construction.
The Chinese university ranking is a ranking of universities in mainland China by Netbig, an internet company focused on higher education, founded by Jiang Jining, who graduated from University of Science and Technology of China. The ranking is conducted annually since 1999, and is generally released in July, around the time of college entrance examination. This ranking, however, has ceased to publish newer versions since 2013.
Nanjing University (NJU) is a public university in Nanjing, Jiangsu, China. It is affiliated and sponsored by the Ministry of Education. The university is part of Project 211, Project 985, and the Double First-Class Construction. The university is a member of the C9 League.
Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU) is a public university in Shanghai, China. It is affiliated with the Ministry of Education of China. The university is part of Project 211, Project 985, and the Double First-Class Construction.
The Excellence League is an alliance of nine engineering-focused universities in China. The association was established in 2010 at Tianjin University.
The World First-Class Universities and First-Class Academic Disciplines Construction (世界一流大学和一流学科建设), together known as Double First-Class Construction (双一流建设), is a higher education development and sponsorship scheme of the Chinese central government, initiated in 2015. There are 147 universities and colleges selected to be part of the program.
The Seven Sons of National Defence is a grouping of the public universities affiliated with the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology of China. They are widely believed to have close scientific research partnerships and projects with the People’s Liberation Army.