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How the Ministry's MBBS list has changed since it began

Sources checked · Unofficial summary

The Ministry of Education of China has published its list of universities for English-taught undergraduate clinical medicine in several forms since 2007. The four documents below give 30 universities for 2007/2008, 48 institutions as stated in a 2014 page, and 44 universities with 3,048 places for 2023–2024. This is a Chinese Ministry list, not a rule of any home-country regulator, and it is set out here from the Ministry's own documents; see this register's section page.

The 2007 notice

The Ministry's notice 教外来〔2007〕39号 issued the Interim Provisions on Quality Control Standards for Undergraduate Medical Education in English for International Students. It is dated 10 July 2007 at the end of its annexes. The English on this page is this site's translation of the Chinese text of each document.

Paragraph 1 of the notice says that from the 2007/2008 academic year the Ministry would manage enrolment plans for universities that basically meet the Interim Provisions, and would publish each year their enrolment plans.

Paragraph 2 names 30 universities for the 2007/2008 academic year. The list and the enrolment plans are in annex 2. Paragraph 2 also says that a school not on this list, or with no enrolment plan arranged, may not enrol international students in English-taught undergraduate clinical medicine.

Paragraph 4 says that the list is dynamic. An expert group assesses whether each school meets the Interim Provisions, and the result is published when the annual enrolment plans are issued.

The 2014 question-and-answer page

A question-and-answer page on the Foreign-related Education Supervision Information Network (jsj.moe.gov.cn), dated 8 May 2014, asks which institutions are qualified to receive international students in English-taught undergraduate clinical medicine (MBBS). Its answer states that 48 institutions were qualified at that date. This is a 2014 statement.

The same answer says that the Ministry updates the list and each school's enrolment plan every year.

The policy index

The Ministry's policy index on study abroad and study in China lists the annual list notices by the date each was put on the site. That date is not the date printed on the notice. The table lists the eleven index lines in ascending order; the index itself lists them newest first.

Date beside the title (site date) Academic year in the title
2012-04-20 2012/2013
2013-03-25 2013/2014
2014-03-05 2014/2015
2015-03-05 2015/2016
2016-02-02 2016/2017
2017-02-17 2017/2018
2018-05-31 2018/2019
2019-01-28 2019/2020
2020-04-22 2020/2021
2021-04-01 2021/2022
2023-05-30 2023–2024

No line in the index table is titled for the 2022–2023 academic year.

When this site checked the index on 11 October 2026, the newest line was the 2023–2024 notice.

The 2023–2024 notice

The Ministry's General Office issued notice 教外厅函〔2023〕10号. It is dated 15 May 2023, and the Ministry published it on its site on 30 May 2023.

The preamble says that for 2023–2024 the Ministry continues annual enrolment plan management under the 2007 notice.

Paragraph 1 says that the Ministry entrusted 44 universities to enrol international students in English-taught undergraduate clinical medicine for 2023–2024, with 3,048 places in total. Paragraph 1 also says that the universities and the allocation of places were determined taking account of previous years' enrolment and of each school's day-to-day teaching and management of medical education for international students.

The annex lists universities by their Chinese names. This register uses English names. The order of the annex and the size of an enrolment plan are not a ranking.

This is the list for the 2023–2024 academic year. When this site checked the Ministry's policy index on 11 October 2026, it showed no later edition. Confirm the current year's status with the university and the Ministry.

Questions people ask

How many universities did the 2007 notice name?

Paragraph 2 of the 2007 notice names 30 universities for the 2007/2008 academic year. Paragraph 4 describes the list as dynamic, with the expert group's assessment published when the annual enrolment plans are issued.

Is the 2014 figure the same as the 2023–2024 figure?

No. The 2014 question-and-answer page states 48 institutions at 8 May 2014. Paragraph 1 of the 2023–2024 notice gives 44 universities with 3,048 places. The 2014 page also says the Ministry updates the list and each school's plan every year.

Where should I check the current list?

The 2023–2024 notice is the newest list notice in the Ministry's policy index when this site checked it on 11 October 2026. Confirm the current year's status with the university and the Ministry.

Sources

Checked 11 October 2026.

This page is an unofficial summary, is not legal, medical or professional-licensing advice, is not published by the bodies named, promises no admission, examination or registration outcome, and the official text and the regulator's own instructions prevail if they differ.

MBBS Register Desk