Article 1 This Law is enacted in accordance with the Constitution and the Education Law with a view to developing higher education, implementing the strategy of developing the country by relying on science and education, and promoting socialist material and ethical progress.

Article 2 This Law shall be applicable to higher education conducted within the territory of the People’s Republic of China.

For purposes of this Law, higher education means education conducted on the basis of completion of senior middle-school education.

Article 3 In developing socialist higher education, the State adheres to Marxism-Leninism, Mao Zedong Thought and Deng Xiaoping Theory as its guide and follows the basic principles laid down in the Constitution.

Article 4 Higher education shall be conducted in adherence to the educational principles of the State, in the service of the socialist modernization drive and in combination with productive labor, in order that the educatees shall become builders and successors for the socialist cause, who are. Developed in an all-round way- -morally, intellectually and physically.

Article 5 The task of higher education is to train people to become senior specialists imbued with the spirit of creativeness and the ability of practice, to develop science, technology and culture and to promote the socialist modernization drive.

Article 6 In light of the need of economic and social development, the State formulates plans for the development of higher education, runs higher education institutions and promotes higher education in various ways.

The State encourages all sectors of society, including enterprises, institutions, public organizations or groups as well as individual citizens, to run higher education institutions in accordance with law and to participate in and support the reform and development of higher education.

Article 7 In light of the needs of the socialist modernization drive and of development of a socialist market economy, the State, on the basis of the different types and levels of the existing higher education institutions, advances the restructuring of higher education and the reform of teaching in higher education institutions, and optimizes the structure of higher education and the distribution of resources, in order to improve the quality and increase the efficiency of higher education.

Article 8 The State, in light of the characteristics and needs of the ethnic groups, assists and supports the development of higher education in regions inhabited by ethnic peoples for the purpose of training senior specialists among them.

Article 9 Citizens shall, in accordance with law, enjoy the right to receive higher education.

The State takes measures to enable students who come from among ethnic groups and students who have financial difficulties to receive higher education.

Higher education institutions shall enroll disabled students who are up to the admission qualifications prescribed by the State, they may not refuse to enroll them on account of their disability.

Article 10 The State, in accordance with law, ensures the freedoms of scientific research, literary and artistic creation and other cultural activities conducted in higher education institutions. Research, literary and artistic creation and other cultural activities in higher education institutions shall be conducted in compliance with law.

Article 11 Higher education institutions shall be oriented to the needs of society and shall run the schools on their own and in accordance with law and administer democratic management.

Article 12 The State encourages collaboration between higher education institutions and their collaboration with research institutes, enterprises and institutions in order that they all can draw on each other’s strengths and increase the use efficiency of educational resources.

The State encourages and supports international exchange and cooperation in higher education.

Article 13 The State Council shall provide unified guidance and administration for higher education throughout the country.

The people’s governments of provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the Central Government shall undertake overall coordination of higher education in their own administrative regions and administer the higher education institutions that mainly train local people and the higher education institutions that they are authorized by the State Council to administer.

Article 14 The administrative department for education under the State Council shall be in charge of the work of higher education throughout the country and administer the affairs of the higher education institutions designated by the State Council as schools that mainly train people for the country as a whole. Other administrative departments concerned under the State Council shall be responsible for the work related to higher education within the limits of their duties defined by the State Council.