Yanshan University is a 2 1 1 university, but it is not a 985 university. Project 2 1 1 is a plan initiated by the Ministry of Education of China in 1995, aiming at improving the level and international influence of higher education in Chinese mainland. Yanshan University is one of the universities supported by the "2 1 1 Project" of the Ministry of Education of China, and also supported by Hebei Province.

Compared with the 2 1 1 project, the 985 project is a higher-level construction scheme. Project 985 refers to the construction plan of world-class universities and a number of high-level research universities initiated by the Ministry of Education 1998. Different from the 2 1 1 project, the universities built by the 985 project are all key universities, enjoying more preferential policies, financial support and academic autonomy.

Although Yanshan University was not included in the list of "985 Project" universities, it has made some remarkable achievements in education, teaching, scientific research and social services. For example, Yanshan University has always had certain competitiveness and appeal in the field of engineering, and is in a leading position in the fields of metallurgy, machinery, automation, electronic information and other disciplines in China. In addition, Yanshan University is also unique in personnel training, interdisciplinary and international cooperation.