The graduate student cadre-free plan is called the minority high-level backbone talent training plan, also known as the national backbone, skeleton-free plan and backbone plan. It is a talent training plan jointly implemented by the Ministry of Education, the National Development and Reform Commission, the State Ethnic Affairs Commission, the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Personnel. Mainly for the implementation of "the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China the State Council's Decision on Further Strengthening Talent Work", "the State Council's Decision on Deepening Reform and Accelerating the Development of Ethnic Education" and the spirit of the Fifth National Conference on Ethnic Education, to cultivate high-level backbone talents for the western region and ethnic minority areas.

It should be noted that graduate students who apply for this program must return to their original provinces for a certain number of years after graduation. Postgraduates who are employed before applying for the project must, in principle, return to their original units to continue their work after graduation; Graduate students who are fresh graduates before the exam will return to their original provinces to work after graduation, and only set regions, industries, units and posts, and training institutions will issue employment recommendation forms in a unified manner, which is the same as that of graduate students recruited in the original source range. During the postgraduate study, the Ministry of Finance will provide full scholarships and a certain percentage of living allowances to ensure their successful completion of their studies.