When the gross enrollment rate of higher education is below 15%, it belongs to the elite stage, 15%-50% is the popularization stage of higher education, and more than 50% is the popularization stage of higher education. In 2002, the gross enrollment rate of higher education in Beijing reached 46%, ranking first in the country.

The popularization of higher education is the concept of the unity of quantity and quality. The increase in quantity refers to the increase in the enrollment rate of school-age youth in colleges and universities, and the qualitative changes include a series of changes such as the change of educational concept, the expansion of educational functions, teaching methods, management methods and the relationship between higher education and society.