Postgraduates in the ethnic minority backbone program require another year of basic training on the basis of the normal postgraduate academic system. The specific number of years depends on the requirements of your university and major. After being accepted by graduate students, candidates will not go to the school they apply for in the first year, but will be arranged to go to six universities designated by the Ministry of Education for basic training. I will not be exposed to professional courses during the training, mainly training English and Chinese.

The backbone plan of ethnic minorities is called "training plan for high-level backbone talents of ethnic minorities", also known as "national backbone plan", "few bones 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 to implement the "the State Council Central Committee'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, so as to cultivate high-level backbone talents for the western region and ethnic minority areas.