Double First-Class Construction
[15] In addition, with the approval of the State Council of China, the updated Phase 2 list of "Double First-Class Construction Universities" has been released.[16][17][18] The purpose of the program is to "enhance the comprehensive strength and international competitiveness of China's higher education."The phase-specific objectives include that "an increasing number of Chinese universities and their disciplines join the ranks of world-class institutions, and a number of universities enter the forefront of global excellence, with a group of disciplines reaching the forefront of world-class standings by 2030," and "developing the Double First-Class Construction Universities into world-class higher education institutions through building and strengthening their faculties and departments by the mid-21st century."[5][19][7] The Phase 1 list of 140 Double First-Class Construction Universities were jointly issued by Chinese Ministry of Education, Ministry of Finance, and National Development and Reform Commission without any ranking within the lists (by "school code") in 2017.[18] * represent the newly added universities in the Phase 2 list of Double First-Class Construction.