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The Ministry of Education list for English-taught MBBS in China, explained

Sources checked · Unofficial summary

China's Ministry of Education decides which universities may enrol international students in the English-taught undergraduate clinical medicine programme, the degree usually called MBBS. It does this through a list issued for each academic year. The list for 2023–2024 names 44 universities and sets an enrolment plan of 3,048 places. A university that is not on the list is not allowed to enrol international students in this programme.

The notice behind the list

The 2023–2024 list was issued by the General Office of the Ministry of Education on 15 May 2023, as notice Jiao Wai Ting Han [2023] No. 10. The notice says it continues to manage enrolment by plan under the Ministry's 2007 interim provisions on quality control standards for English-taught undergraduate medical education for international students (Jiao Wai Lai [2007] No. 39).

The notice makes four points.

  1. 44 universities, 3,048 places. The Ministry entrusts 44 universities with enrolling international students in the programme for 2023–2024. Places were allocated with regard to past enrolment and each university's day-to-day teaching and management of international medical students.
  2. Listed universities must follow the 2007 provisions when they enrol.
  3. Universities not on the list must not enrol international students in English-taught undergraduate clinical medicine. They must not issue an English degree certificate for the programme, or any English degree certificate containing the word "MBBS". They may enrol international students only in Chinese-taught undergraduate clinical medicine, and the training standard must not be lower than the one for Chinese students. The notice strictly forbids enrolling international students under a "bilingual teaching" model as a disguised form of the programme.
  4. Provincial education authorities must supervise enrolment, management and teaching at universities in their area. Universities that seriously breach the provisions will have enrolment limited or suspended in accordance with laws and regulations.

How to read the list

The attachment to the notice is a three-column table: a running number, the university's name in Chinese, and its enrolment plan for 2023–2024. It gives no English names, fees or entry requirements.

What the table shows Example from the list
Largest enrolment plan Wenzhou Medical University, 150 places. The list notes that this figure includes overseas campus provision
Smallest enrolment plan 20 places each at Jinzhou Medical University, China Three Gorges University, Zhengzhou University and Shantou University
Total 3,048 places across 44 universities

The full list on this site keeps the order of the notice and adds each university's city from the Ministry of Education's national list of higher education institutions.

The list is for one academic year

The notice is titled for the 2023–2024 academic year, and its enrolment plan is for that year. The 2023–2024 list is the latest edition this site has been able to verify from a government source. It is a copy of the Ministry's notice republished on the website of the Beijing Municipal Education Commission.

If you plan to enter in a later year, ask the university to confirm in writing that it is authorised for that year, and check its current admission notice.

What the list does not cover

The list concerns one programme: undergraduate clinical medicine taught in English to international students. It does not cover Chinese-taught medicine, postgraduate medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, nursing or traditional Chinese medicine.

The list also says nothing about whether the degree is accepted where you want to practise. That is decided by the medical regulator of that country. See Practising back home.

Questions

How many universities in China can teach MBBS in English to international students?

For the 2023–2024 academic year the Ministry of Education's list named 44 universities, with 3,048 places between them.

Can a university that is not on the list offer MBBS in English?

No. The notice states that universities not on the list must not enrol international students in English-taught undergraduate clinical medicine and must not issue English degree certificates containing the word "MBBS".

Is a bilingual medical programme the same as English-taught MBBS?

No. The notice strictly forbids using a "bilingual teaching" model as a disguised way of enrolling international students in the programme.

Does a place on the list mean the degree will be recognised in my country?

Not by itself. The list is a Chinese enrolment rule. Recognition and licensing are decided by the medical regulator in the country where you want to practise.

Where can I read the notice itself?

The Beijing Municipal Education Commission has republished the Ministry of Education's notice, with the list attached, as a PDF. The link is in the sources below.

Sources, checked 11 October 2026:

MBBS Register Desk