China's population with higher education reaches 270 million

BEIJING, Sept. 23 (Xinhua) -- China now has 270 million people with a higher education background, Vice Minister of Education Wang Guangyan said at a press conference on Wednesday.

This photo taken on Oct. 23, 2025 shows a view of the autumn scenery at the campus of Tsinghua University in Beijing, capital of China. (Photo: Xinhua)

Wang also cited figures from earlier stages of the education system: the gross enrollment rate for preschool education reached 92.9 percent, and the retention rate for compulsory education stood at 96.1 percent.

The gross enrollment rate for senior secondary education, he added, reached 92 percent.

Universities under China's "Double First-Class Initiative" will expand undergraduate enrollment by 76,000 places between 2027 and 2030, said Guo Peng, head of the ministry's development planning department, at the press conference.

The initiative supports a select group of universities and academic disciplines with the goal of achieving world-class status.