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Supervision and penalties: what the MBBS notice asks of provinces and schools

Sources checked · Unofficial summary

This page sets out the enforcement rules in three Chinese documents: paragraph 3 of the Ministry of Education's notice on the 2023–2024 list, Article 30 of the 2007 interim provisions, and Articles 41 and 44 of Order No. 42. These are rules of China's Ministry of Education and related state bodies. They are not rules of a home-country regulator such as the National Medical Commission (India), the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council, the Bangladesh Medical and Dental Council or the Nepal Medical Council, and they do not replace those regulators' conditions. For the list itself, see this register's section page.

What paragraph 3 of the notice asks

The notice is dated 15 May 2023 and was published on the Ministry's site on 30 May 2023. It covers the 2023–2024 academic year. Paragraph 1 says that 44 universities were entrusted to enrol students in English-taught undergraduate clinical medicine for that year, with 3,048 places in total.

Paragraph 3 asks the relevant units to control the enrolment, management and teaching of universities in their areas strictly. It names three documents for this work:

  • the Measures for the Administration of Schools Recruiting and Educating International Students (Order No. 42 of the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Public Security);
  • the Standards for Quality Control of Higher Education for International Students (Trial);
  • a standard for English-taught undergraduate clinical medical education for international students that paragraph 3 says a related industry body issued in 2020.

For universities that seriously violate the spirit of the notice, paragraph 3 says that enrolment shall be restricted or suspended in accordance with law and regulations. Paragraph 3 does not define what counts as a serious violation.

What Article 30 of the 2007 provisions says

The 2007 interim provisions on quality control standards for undergraduate medical education in English for international students are issued by the Ministry of Education. Article 30 says three things.

  • The Ministry will entrust the national expert group for Western medicine education for international students to evaluate the teaching quality of schools offering English-taught undergraduate medical education.
  • The Ministry will publish the names of the schools that pass the evaluation and their enrolment scales.
  • Schools not on that list may not enrol international students in English-taught undergraduate medical education.

Article 30 also says that schools that apply and are assessed by the expert group as meeting the conditions will be listed in the next year's list.

What Article 41 of Order No. 42 says

Article 41 says that the education administration department of the State Council shall establish and improve a quality supervision system for the education of international students. It also says that education administration departments of provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the central government shall supervise the education of international students in their own areas.

What Article 44 lists

Article 44 applies to higher education institutions. It says that when a university engages in any of the following conduct in enrolling and educating international students, the competent education administration department shall order it to rectify, pursue legal liability under the relevant provisions of the Education Law of the People's Republic of China, and may restrict its enrolment of international students. The English below is this site's translation of the Chinese text; the Chinese text prevails.

  1. Enrolling students in violation of national rules or the school's own enrolment rules.
  2. Seeking profit in the enrolment process.
  3. Not publishing charge items and standards, or charging other than by the published items and standards.
  4. Issuing degree certificates, academic certificates or other academic credentials in violation of the rules.
  5. Poor teaching quality, or inadequate management and services, causing a bad social impact.
  6. Other illegal or irregular conduct.

As printed, Article 44 does not set out specific penalties for each item. It refers to the Education Law of the People's Republic of China for legal liability.

What the notice and the provisions do not say

  • Paragraph 3 of the notice does not define "serious violation".
  • Article 44 as printed does not set out the specific penalties under the Education Law.
  • Article 30 of the 2007 provisions does not say how the expert group carries out its evaluation.

Readers should confirm the current year's status of any school with the university and the Ministry of Education. The Ministry's policy index listed no later edition of the list notice than the 2023–2024 notice when this site read it on 11 October 2026.

Questions people ask

Who supervises the education of international students in China?

Article 41 of Order No. 42 says the education administration department of the State Council shall establish and improve a quality supervision system. It also says provincial-level education administration departments shall supervise the education of international students in their own areas.

What can happen to a university that misbehaves in enrolling international students?

Under Article 44 of Order No. 42, the competent education administration department shall order the university to rectify, pursue legal liability under the Education Law of the People's Republic of China, and may restrict its enrolment of international students. Article 44 lists six kinds of conduct that trigger this, including enrolling students in violation of rules and issuing credentials in violation of rules.

Can a school that is not on the list enrol international students in English-taught medical programmes?

Article 30 of the 2007 interim provisions says that schools not on the list may not enrol international students in English-taught undergraduate medical education. Paragraph 2 of the 2023 notice says that universities not on the 2023–2024 list may not enrol international students in English-taught undergraduate clinical medicine, and may not award an English-version degree certificate bearing the term "MBBS". Both provisions are China's rules, and the list status of any school should be confirmed with the university and the Ministry.

Sources

Checked 11 October 2026.

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

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