The Chinese higher education system has undergone multiple rounds of reform over the last 40 years. In an attempt to build out a basic classification system of Chinese universities similar to ranking systems in other countries, there are three basic classification nomenclatures: Project 985, Project 211 and C-9. This is similar to the US university classification system of Tier 1 to Tier 3.
Project 211
Project 211 (Chinese: 211工程; pinyin: 211 gōngchéng) is led by the National Key Universities and Colleges, and was initiated in 1995 by the Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China, with the goal of raising the research standards of high-level universities and cultivating strategies for socio-economic development.
The name for the project comes from combining an abbreviation of the 21st century and the approximately 100 participating universities.
Today, China has more than 2,200 institutions of higher education. About 5 percent of them are 211 institutions. Earning the title of 211 institution means that a university has met certain scientific, technical, and human resource standards established by the Ministry of Education. Project 211 schools take on the responsibility of training four-fifths of doctoral students, two-thirds of graduate students, half of the students from abroad and one-third of undergraduates. They offer 85% of the state's key subjects, contain 96% of the state's key laboratories, and utilize 70% of China’s scientific research funding.
211 universities are dispersed throughout China for national access. The central government provides additional funding to 211 universities to continue research and doctoral programs. Currently there is a greater emphasis on study abroad programs, and the central government has provided additional funding to these programs to help support students while abroad.