Project 211 (Chinese: 211工程; pinyin: 211 gōngchéng) is a project of National Key Universities and colleges initiated in 1995 by the Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China, with the intent of raising the research standards of high-level universities and cultivating strategies for socio-economic development. During the first phase of the project, from 1996 to 2000, approximately US$2.2 billion was distributed.
China today has 116 institutions of higher education (about 6 percent) designated as 211 Project institutions for having met certain scientific, technical, and human resources standards and offer advanced degree programs). Project 211 schools take on the responsibility of training four-fifths of doctoral students, two-thirds of graduate students, half of students from abroad and one-third of undergraduates. They offer 85% of the state's key subjects, hold 96 percent of the state's key laboratories, and consume 70% of scientific research funding.
The name for the project comes from an abbreviation of the slogan "面向21世纪，办好100所高校 (For the 21st century, to manage 100 universities successfully)". 100 was approximate number of participating universities.
Since 2014, Project 211 was less mentioned and gradually succeeded by a new project called plan 111 (Program of Introducing Talents of Discipline to Universities).
In September 2017, a related plan called the Double First Class University Plan was announced. It was unclear whether this plan represents a new way of ranking universities in China, or replaces Project 211 and Project 985
List of universities
Anhui University
Beijing University of Technology
Beijing Foreign Studies University
Beijing Forestry University (also known as Beilin University)
Beijing Institute of Technology
Beijing Jiaotong University
Beijing Normal University
Beijing Sport University
Beihang University (formerly known as Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics)
Beijing University of Chemical Technology
Beijing University of Chinese Medicine
Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications
Beijing University of Technology
Central China Normal University
Central Conservatory of Music
Central South University
Central University of Finance and Economics
Chang'an University
China Agricultural University
China Pharmaceutical University
China University of Geosciences
China University of Geosciences (Beijing)
China University of Mining and Technology
China University of Mining and Technology (Beijing)
China University of Petroleum (Beijing)
China University of Petroleum (Huadong)
China University of Political Science and Law
Chongqing University
Communication University of China
Dalian Maritime University
Dalian University of Technology
Donghua University
East China Normal University
East China University of Science and Technology
Fourth Military Medical University
Fudan University
Fuzhou University
Guangxi University
Guizhou University
Hainan University
Harbin Engineering University
Harbin Institute of Technology
Hebei University of Technology
Hefei University of Technology
Hohai University
Huazhong Agricultural University
Huazhong University of Science and Technology
Hunan Normal University
Hunan University
Inner Mongolia University
Jinan University
Jiangnan University
Jilin University
Lanzhou University
Liaoning University
Minzu University of China (formerly known as the Central University for Nationalities)
Nanchang University
Nanjing Agricultural University
Nanjing Normal University
Nanjing University
Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics
Nanjing University of Science and Technology
Nankai University
Ningxia University
National University of Defense Technology
North China Electric Power University
North China Electric Power University (Baoding)
Northeast Agricultural University
Northeast Forestry University
Northeast Normal University
Northeastern University
Northwest A&F University
Northwest University
Northwestern Polytechnical University
Ocean University of China
Peking University
Qinghai University
Renmin University of China
Second Military Medical University
Shaanxi Normal University
Shandong University
Shanghai International Studies University
Shanghai Jiao Tong University
Shanghai University
Shanghai University of Finance and Economics
Shihezi University
Sichuan Agricultural University
Sichuan University
South China Normal University
South China University of Technology
Southeast University
Southwest University
Southwest Jiaotong University
Southwestern University of Finance and Economics
Sun Yat-sen University
Soochow University
Taiyuan University of Technology
Tianjin Medical University
Tianjin University
Tibet University
Tongji University
Tsinghua University
University of Electronic Science and Technology of China
Beijing University of International Business and Economics
University of Science and Technology Beijing
University of Science and Technology of China
Wuhan University
Wuhan University of Technology
Xiamen University
Xi'an Jiaotong University
Xidian University
Xinjiang University
Yanbian University
Yunnan University
Zhejiang University
Zhengzhou University
Zhongnan University of Economics and Law