In 2023, there were 95 colleges and universities with special plans. The list of universities with special plans in 2023 includes 72 universities directly under the Ministry of Education such as Peking University, Tsinghua University, Tianjin University, Donghua University, Huazhong Agricultural University, Southwest Jiaotong University, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Lanzhou University, Jiangnan University and East China University of Science and Technology, as well as many universities such as Shanghai University, Yunnan University, Guizhou University, Nanjing University of Science and Technology and Fuzhou University.

The special plan for colleges and universities is a preferential policy issued by the state in order to better promote educational equity and let more rural students go to colleges and universities. Mainly for remote, poor, ethnic minority areas below the county level (including county-level cities) to recruit studious and excellent rural students, the specific implementation area is determined by the relevant provinces (autonomous regions and municipalities).

Special plans for colleges and universities, local special plans and national special plans belong to the three major plans for college entrance examination.