Key institutions include: Peking University, Tsinghua University, Fudan University, Zhejiang University, Nanjing University, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, China University of Science and Technology, China Renmin University, Tianjin University, Kunming University of Science and Technology, South China Agricultural University, Yanshan University, Shanghai University of Technology, Zhejiang University of Technology, Zhejiang Normal University, Hebei University and Yangzhou University. Key universities with expanded data refer to universities supported by the state in the modern sense. Key universities include those selected for the above-mentioned 985, 21/kloc-0 national key construction projects of universities, and the former national key universities not included in the national key construction projects. At present, there are about 100 national key universities in China. In addition, there are provincial key universities and municipal key universities established by the governments of provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions.

1995 to 2008, the central government successively designated 1 12 universities as "2 1 1 project" key construction universities; 65438-0998, the central government identified 39 universities as key construction universities of the "985 Project"; In 20 12, the central government designated 100 universities in 24 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the central government as the key construction universities in the "Basic Capacity Building Project for Colleges and Universities in the Midwest"; Establish 14 universities in the central and western provinces without universities directly under the Ministry of Education as the "comprehensive strength improvement project for universities in the central and western regions"; In 20 15, the Ministry of Education, together with relevant departments, is deeply implementing the revitalization plan of higher education in the central and western regions, arranging special funds of1600 million, and implementing the basic capacity building project and comprehensive strength improvement project of universities in the central and western regions.